Who do the odds makers in Las Vegas feel are the most likely teams to win the World Series as we approach the halfway mark in the season this week?

Boston is a solid choice in the American League with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim the second pick. Chicago’s Cubs get the most support in the National League with Philadelphia the runnerup favorite.

ENTERING THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL…..

The Cubs have won 80 percent of their home games…….going 32 and 8. The Red Sox are 29 and 9 at home.

What a different success rate for the two favorites on the road…….the Cubs are 16 and 20 while the Red Sox are 18 and 22.

Meanwhile, the first place Angels are 24 and 12 away from Anaheim.

When Garret Anderson of the Angels was hit by a pitch the other night in Philadelphia, it marked only the SECOND time he’s been struck by a pitch in the last 10 years. Garret had been nailed just once in his last 5,500 to 6,000 at-bats. I find that amazing. Anderson usually hits fourth, fifth or sixth in the batting order.

St. Louis and Tampa Bay are the wild cards—by 2 games over Milwaukee and 3 over Oakland.

Best record in one-run games: Milwaukee 16 & 6 and Baltimore 17 & 11

Best record in extra-inning games: Pittsburgh 7-3, Oakland 6-2, and Tampa Bay 5-1.

The Cubs have outscored opponents by 112 runs, the Phillies by 79, and the White Sox by 71.

How do you figure it? The Angels have outscored opponents, 324 to 311 (+ 13)
The Dodgers have outscored opponents, 319 to 318 (+ 1)
Angels Record: 46 & 30
Dodgers Record 35 & 40

What a couple of Cinderella stories at the 2008 College World Series.

Fresno State’s Bulldogs lost 30 games this season and would not have qualified for the NCAA baseball tournament had they not won their conference tournament. No school with more than 23 defeats has ever won the College World Series. Fresno State is the first number 4 regional seed to ever reach the finals in Omaha. Georgia is the first school to rebound from a losing season to reach the championship round the next year. They are also the Bulldogs. I like the format which calls for a best of three series to decide the champion.

An average College World Series game needs 66 baseballs.
More are needed in the major leagues…….72 to 84 a game.
Most baseballs last only SIX pitches.

I will never forget famed USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux, who won a record 11 NCAA baseball titles, telling me, “I’m very fearful that someone is going to get killed some day because of the aluminum bat we use. The ball jumps off those bats so fast it is hard to defend yourself in the field,”

Schools use aluminum bats for one primary reason——-money. You don’t crack aluminum bats so you don’t have to replace any.

Did you read those two studies released a few days ago that disclosed 1,000 Americans have been injured on golf carts every month over a four-year period? That is almost 50,000 people.

Falling or jumping out of carts were blamed for the largest number of injuries—38 percent.

Bone fractures and head injuries were among the most common injuries. Males aged 10 to 19 and persons over 80 had the highest injury rates. There’s added concern about those who ride carts on busy streets.

One of the studies suggested a minimum driving age of 16 for golf carts and rules prohibiting children under 6 from riding in them. That makes sense.

Ross Porter