Dream World Series appearances on the New York subway have dissipated into the crisp fall air for fans, TV executives and Las Vegas bookies alike.
The Mets made it to the National League finals, but the Yankees won’t advance in the October pennant race, thanks to the energetic underdog Detroit Tigers, the 2006 Major League Cinderella club.
Sob.
You either love them or hate them, but the Yankees are the most “recognized” betting team in sports.
“The thing about the Yankees is if you bet on them, you’re always throwing wood,” New Frontier betting shop manager Tony Nevill said.
“So I would call them the most recognizable betting team.
“They have the highest salaries, almost everyone on the team is close to being a superstar, and they are almost as popular with the people who root for them as they do for them.
“When you look at it, the Mets are just the National League version of the Yankees.
“They’re good hitting, good pitching, and they’ll be a solid favorite over Oakland or Detroit (plus St. Louis).
“The purists will bet on the American League and the people who bet on superstars will be rooting for the National League.”
Las Vegas sportsbooks didn’t necessarily clean up when the Bronx Bombers lost their division series in four.
“With the high prices of the Yankees, we had a lot of support from the Tigers … and the Tigers are still our only responsibility for the pennant, but we sit well in the World Series with them,” said Jeff Sherman, wagering supervisor and Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook.
Individual games were pretty much a balancing proposition in New Frontier, which worked well in the series.
“People were hedging their bets in Detroit,” said Nevill, who started the Tigers at 50/1 to win the Fall Classic and still has a future on the line for them.
“People jumped on Tiger’s bandwagon early
“It would have been better for me if the Yankees had won.”
A huge Jim Leyland fan, Nevill was sure the Detroit man could strengthen his club for the playoffs.
“The Yankees played well down the stretch and the Tigers were faltering,” Nevill said.
“Once Detroit didn’t have to worry about securing a playoff spot, they could put their guns down.
“With all of Leyland’s experience in handling young children… well, it’s up to the manager to restart his club.”
Nevill removed MLB futures once the Mets clinched a playoff spot and planned to put up new ones Monday afternoon.
Closing numbers for September listed the Yankees as 9/5 options for another world title.
Among the four survivors, the Mets were 5/2, St. Louis and Detroit 8/1, and Oakland 10/1.
Sherman dismisses the ALCS as almost a shot in the air.
The game begins Tuesday in Oakland with lefties Barry Zito pitching for the A’s and Nate Robertson on the mound for Detroit.
“The Tigers appear to be a slight (series) favorite considering their performance against the Yankees, even though the A’s have home field advantage,” Sherman said.
“I couldn’t argue for an election either way.”
St. Louis, which became the last team to clinch a pennant spot Sunday night when it defeated San Diego, will open against the Mets on Wednesday.
Jeff Weaver is scheduled to start for the Cardinals and lefty Tom Glavine for New York.
