Come To Think Of It...Tampa Bay Rays-Philadelphia Phillies: Vegas Picks Rays

The Las Vegas bookmakers favor the Tampa Bay Rays to win the World Series over the Philadelphia Phillies. I don't think the players care.

The ones that do care are the books themselves and all of the smart people who put money on the Rays when they were a 200-to-1 longshot.

Sean Van Patten at Las Vegas Sports Consultants said the Rays are favored at minus-$1.35, meaning a gambler would need to bet $1.35 to be paid $1 if Tampa Bay wins.

Van Patten put the Phillies at plus-$1.15, meaning a $1 bet would earn $1.15 if Philadelphia wins.

But when the players hit the field, the only thing on their mind will be the chance to take home the trophy. For it's not really about money at this point, it's about the title.

The players, for the most part, already make a lot of money. Oh sure, there are some players, especially on the Rays, who will make as much off their winning share as they did on salary all year. But that's secondary.

What this speaks to is the fact that the American League is perceived to be stronger than the National League. One look at All-Star game results lately would seem to validate that claim.

Regardless of the outcome, this should be a tremendous series for the viewer. The chance to see new, fresh faces on the TV screen is one positive.

And don't forget, we are witnessing the greatest single season turnaround in baseball history! The Rays lost 96 games last season and had never even sniffed a .500 record in their entire existence until this season.

And just how rare would a Rays championship be? No team in any of the major sports have ever gone from having the worst record to winning the championship the next year.

Nobody.

As for Philadelphia, this city is starving for a champion. They are the only city to have teams in all the major sports go 25 years without winning a title.

In fact, the Phillies are the losingest franchise in the history of sports. No, it's not the Cubs, believe it or not.  It's the Phils.

And they have won only one world series in 126 years. That's one fewer than even the Cubs have won.

But this years' Phillies team has absurd offensive talent and solid pitching, which should be a good matchup.

Some Intriguiing Questions Remain

• Will the Rays home run explosion continue? Heck, BJ Upton has hit almost as many homers in the postseason (7) as he did all year (9).
• Meanwhile, the Phillies are winning without the home run ball from Ryan Howard. What happens if the big guy finds his home run stroke?
• Who has the best starting rotation? The Phillies have Cole Hamels, who has been the best so far. But the Rays may be deeper, considering that Jamie Moyer's been hit hard. Matt Garza as a No. 3 is all you need to know. 
• The Rays' bullpen is solid, but the Phillies' pen is dominant.  The Rays speed may give them an edge on offense and defense, however.

In the end, this could be one that goes the full distance. I'm picking the Rays in seven, but I'm ready for anything, come to think of it.