Predicting the Future

If you'd ask a baseball fan in the beginning of the season who his favorite to win the coveted World Series this year was, few would name the Cardinals. As a matter of fact, the team was not a favorite at the sportsbooks in either of its early playoff rounds, most certainly not against the streaking hot Tigers

Internet gamblers should take note of the following fact: the St. Louis Cardinals are the seventh team to win the World Series in as many years. The season and postseason structure, the salary cap, draft system and other factors come together to form a league defined by parity. And nothing is more difficult or challenging for the sports gambling fans than guessing an outcome of a league this even.

An agreement signed between the League and the Players Union last week, much similar to the previous agreement, promises to keep the league even and the sportsbooks work difficult. With twelve teams that had better records than the Cardinals' 83 wins in the regular season, and eleven teams with a higher payroll, what can the gambler look for when placing a bet predicting the winner for the next season? For one, maybe choose a team that hasn't won recently.