Too early to play the odds

I was reading the sports page this morning and saw the odds posted for basketball games that would be played later in the day. This early in the season there are a lot of games being played by the haves versus the have-nots.

There are also some games that look highly competitive. The amount of points that the favorites are expected to win by varies from 2–32 points.

Some of the game will be blowouts; a few will be nail biters.

It’s early in the season and if you feel secure in betting on the game between Kansas and Nebraska-Omaha you have 32 points to work with. Remember a 35-point lead isn’t secure when the end of the bench players take the court.

I don’t bet on sports for a number of reasons. The biggest reason is I haven’t seriously gambled since I quit farming.

The fall classic is finally over after rain postponements and the extra time for the extra wild card games.

I’m old enough to remember when the World Series was played in September and they were all day games. Then it went to all night games and would end in October. Well the World Series ended on Saturday night, Nov. 5, just prior to Daylight Saving Time taking effect.

The Houston Astros would take the series in six games beating the Philadelphia Phillies the National League Wild Card team. Houston won the American League West title and earned the American League pennant. Houston won the 2017 World Series but were caught in a sign stealing scandal. The GM Jeff Luhnow and Manager A.J. Hinch were fired. Bench Coach Alex Cora who had gone on to manage the Boston Red Sox was suspended for a season for his role in the sign stealing saga.

The Houston Astros would be fined $5 million for the cheating scandal but would keep the tarnished title. Several players are booed every game whether they are still playing for Houston or are wearing a different uniform in a different city. The scandalous sign stealing event has left a bad taste with baseball purists.

After Hinch was fired the Astros would need to find a manager willing to lead them through the mud and earn baseball’s respect. Enter Dusty Baker, a former World Champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers and successful manager for the Giants, Cubs, Reds and Nationals. The only thing he didn’t achieve was a World Series title, but that all changed Saturday night when the Astros overcame a 1-0 deficit to prevail in the sixth game 4-1.

I’m not a Houston Astros fan but I am a Dusty Baker fan. I liked him a lot when he played outfield for L.A.

He is a good man and Houston was lucky to have him clear the air so to speak in the Texas city.

— Dale Anderson is a Ritzville-based sports columnist. Email him at [email protected].