Oddsmakers not convinced Bonds will break HR record

Spencer Patterson

Wednesday, June 13, 2001 | 10:18 a.m.

Barry Bonds may be ahead of Mark McGwire's record home run pace of 1998, but the Imperial Palace knows the San Francisco slugger still has a long way to go if he's to hit 71 this season.

That's why the Strip casino has 61 as the current total for its proposition bet on how many homers the major league leader will finish with at season's end.

"When you talk 71 ... the number is so outlandish," said Ed Salmons, sports book supervisor at the Imperial Palace. "If Bonds gets to 45-46, in that neighborhood, then you might see us do something, but it's way too early for that."

With 33 homers entering tonight's play, Bonds (odds of 1-4) is an overwhelming favorite to capture the 2001 home run title at the IP. The Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa (10-1) is a fair distance behind, with a field entry that includes Arizona's Luis Gonzalez (26 homers) currently a 15-1 choice.

Colorado's Larry Walker, Texas' Alex Rodriguez, Toronto's Carlos Delgado and Anaheim's Troy Glaus are all 30-1 picks, with Boston's Manny Ramirez and the Rockies' Todd Helton at 35-1.

Bonds went on the board at 6-1, before falling to 8-1 during spring training. McGwire, who opened at 3-1, is now a 300-1 long shot after spending much of the early season on the disabled list.

Although the IP has not posted a proposition on whether McGwire's home run record will be broken this season, online betting site Intertops.com has the odds of Bonds reaching 71 at 11-10.

The Imperial Palace also had totals posted for individual team wins prior to the start of the season. The Mariners, who won their 49th game Tuesday night, opened at 82 1/2 before closing at 81 wins. The Twins (74) and Cubs (75 1/2) are two other teams which could pay off for their supporters.

"We had a lot of money come in on the Twins and Cubs over, so we're in trouble there," Salmons said. "But we also had a lot of money on the Pirates and Reds over, so it should balance out."

"It's still a competitive number, which is good for betting, and we're getting some action on the 76ers, which is good," said Joe Lupo, race and sports book manager at the Stardust. "As it stands now, people think Philadelphia is still alive, but if they lose one more you have to look at the underdog being mentally down for the next game."

Woods is a 6-5 choice to capture the event at the Stardust, where Lupo said about half the money bet on the tournament has come in picking Tiger to win.

"I've never seen anyone dominate a future event where we have 30 players listed like this," Lupo said.

The Stardust, which like many books in town matches up pairs of golfers head-to-head for the tournament, opted not to post a matchup with Woods. "The only way to match him up is to do it with five other golfers for the whole tournament," Lupo said.

The Las Vegas Club has Woods matched up with both Vijay Singh and Mike Weir, and, according to race and sports book supervisor Larry Richards, "They're still betting on Tiger Woods."