Baseball
is truly America's "GRAND OLD GAME." Rich in tradition
and history, the game appeals to the entire family and is the
most popular major-league spectator sport in the U.S. Major League
Baseball's 28 teams are divided into two Leagues, the American
and National. In 1994 the Leagues radically, and somewhat controversially,
reorganized the divisional structures to increase playoff revenue.
Instead of two divisions, each League is now organized into three:
East, Central and West.
The
major difference between the two Leagues is the American League's
designated hitter rule. The "d.h." is a player who does
not field but bats instead of the pitcher so that American League
pitchers are not required to bat. In the National League pitchers
still must bat. The stars of the two Leagues meet every year in
the mid-season All-Star Game; the starting line-ups are determined
by the votes of fans with the team managers appointing additional
players. Major League Baseball has the most gruelling schedule
of all the major sports, with each team playing 162 games in 180
days. The regular season starts in the first week of April (though
teams play pre-season games at their winter headquarters in Florida
or Arizona for several weeks prior to that) and ends in the first
week of October. Teams fortunate enough to participate in baseball's
championship, the World Series, play through to the end of October.
Four teams from each League now participate in the playoffs; the
three divisional winners together with the team with the best
winning percentage of the second-place teams. In the first round
of the playoffs this Wild Card team plays the division winner
with the highest winning percentage (unless from the same division),
and the other two division winners also meet, all in best-of-five
series. The winners of these series then meet in the best-of-seven
League Championship Series (LCS) to determine the League Pennant
winners. The Pennant winners then meet in the best-of-seven World
Series.
Baseball
is ideal for sports betting since a tremendous amount of statistical
data is available. Betting on baseball games uses money line odds:
Example:
TEAMS STARTING MONEY TOTAL PITCHER LINE
Atlanta Braves Avery +120 7 OVER+110
Toronto Blue Jays Guzman -135 UNDER-130
Toronto
are favorites and you bet 135 to win 100. For every 100 you bet
on the underdog, Atlanta, you win 120. The over/under total is
7.5. Betting over, you win 110 for every 100 whilst you bet 130
to win 100 on the under. Run lines are also available and are
similar to hockey betting. The starting pitchers are the single
most significant factor influencing the line, these are announced
by the managers several days in advance of the game. You may specify
starting pitchers or play team action but, If you wish to specify
one or both pitchers, this must be clearly stated at the time
of placing the bet. If the pitcher (or pitchers) you specify does
not start you receive a full refund, except in the case of parlays.
Futures betting on the Conference and World Series champions is
available throughout the season and various other types of bets
are also offered including the result of the mid-season All-Star
Game.
