Thursday, April 2, 1998 | 8:18 a.m.
It's that time of year when hope springs eternal in the human breast.
Every baseball fan's favorite team has just as good a shot to win the World Series as any other -- with adjusted odds and the proper juice, of course.
Nevada sports books haven't shut down operations now that the NCAA men's basketball tournament is complete. Baseball season -- as slow-paced as it is -- still provides bettors with a chance to get some action, and the most popular ways to wager on the National Pastime are futures.
"It's tough to even talk about (baseball), coming off the NCAA tournament," said Robert Walker, sports book director at The Mirage. "The opening of baseball is big from a fan standpoint because everybody thinks their favorite team has a chance to make the World Series, but it is a long season. They do play 162 games.
"Baseball is the least bet sport day-to-day with the exception of hockey. It usually starts off pretty strong in April and trickles down toward the All-Star break. Then it's time to take a vacation."
The Atlanta Braves are the clear-cut favorite to win the World Series. The National League powerhouse is 9-to-5 at The Mirage, 2-to-1 at the Imperial Palace and 5-to-2 at Caesars Palace.
The Cleveland Indians are next in line at the IP (4-to-1), but the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees receive the American League nod from The Mirage and Caesars, respectively, with the Seattle Mariners also in the hunt.
"As the season wears on, the teams with the best pitching are the ones we'll be talking about late in the season," Caesars Palace sports book director Vincent Magliulo said.
The long shots are somewhat disputed among the aforementioned properties. The Mirage has the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at 175-to-1 with the Oakland A's, Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks at 120-to-1. Caesars places the Devil Rays at 250-to-1 with the A's at 200-to-1. The IP went a different route, making the Montreal Expos 300-to-1 underdogs to win the title.
All three properties also offer over-under totals for victories by any given team. The Braves are the consensus choice to win the most, with totals ranging from 96 1/2-98 1/2.
Teams aren't the only way to go when it comes to futures wagers, especially with so much talk surrounding the chase of Roger Maris' single-season home run mark from 1961, when he belted 61.
"Home runs are the most popular statistic in all of baseball," Magliulo said. "This gives our patrons an opportunity not only to follow their favorite sluggers, but also to be in action for the entire season. It's a very entertaining and economical wager."
At both Caesars and the IP, Mark McGwire and Ken Griffey are favorites to hit the most homers this year. Caesars lists them at 7-to-2. The IP has them at 3-to-1.
Next in line are Juan Gonzalez and Albert Belle, who currently are between 8- and 10-to-1. The IP makes its long shots a bit more tantalizing with Nomar Garciaparra, Chipper Jones and Dean Palmer paying out 500-to-1. Caesars' longest longball odds have Palmer and Alex Rodriguez at 150-to-1.
"Will any player hit 60 or more home runs?" is another bet on the Caesars board. "Yes" is plus-625. "No" is minus-750.
While the IP is internationally known for its propositional wagering, Caesars' off-beat bets also are extensive this year.
Caesars offers head-to-head pairings on which team will win the most games (Braves vs. Yankees, Orioles vs. Indians, etc.) and a win total for Las Vegan Greg Maddux (over 18 1/2 is minus-120, while the under pays even money). Another prop pits Barry Bonds' home runs vs. his stolen bases.
Most of the IP's 14 props center around head-to-head wagers.
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