Against All Odds, the Orioles Have Turned Some Heads in Las Vegas

Massive shock waves have jolted Las Vegas. No, not an earthquake or even a flood tide in the desert. It’s a result of what the Baltimore Orioles have been doing in carrying out what the good gospel of St. Matthew promises -- the last shall be first.

The surprising Orioles are not only streaking but also have established a longer lead, 6 1/2 games, than any team has been able to build in all four major-league divisions.

There’s more than a cursory reaction in Las Vegas, the gambling capital of the nation. And, yes, the bookmakers admit to wiping a tear or two away because of what’s happening with the golden prospect of the Orioles winning the pennant. The team that opened the season as the longest shot in the American League, 200-1, is now being quoted at odds varying from 3-1 to 5-1. The Orioles are the favorite as the schedule nears the halfway point.

The numbers, like the Orioles’ position in the race, have undergone a dramatic change. Las Vegas isn’t too quick to get excited about any kind of a proposition. But the way the Orioles have assumed a comfortable advantage, while the opposition has yet to mount a charge, has created both motion at the betting windows and some consternation among the bookmakers.

“There has never been anything like this,” said John Harper, an associate of the Las Vegas Sports Consultants, an odds advisory service. “No team has ever demonstrated this kind of a turnaround. The Boston Braves in 1914 went from last place on July 18 to win the pennant and sweep the World Series. That was truly a miracle. But, to me, the Oriole comeback, from being dead last one year to where they are now, is just as surprising.”

He says the Orioles were 200-1 to take the pennant and 400-1 to win the World Series on the preseason line. Now they are either 3-1 or 5-1, depending on where you shop in Las Vegas. In the Western Division, the Oakland A’s opened at 5-2 and are now 8-5.

The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees were the co-choices in the East at 4-1. Now they’ve both regressed to 7-1. The Detroit Tigers, suddenly gone sour, went in at 10-1 and have fallen to a woeful 100-1 at this point.

“Over in the National League, the New York Mets were 5-2 and are now 3-1,” Harper said. “Let me cite the Atlanta Braves, a team last year that was almost as bad as the Orioles. Atlanta was 200-1, too, like the Orioles, but have stayed right at 200-1. They just didn’t get any better.”

Meanwhile, at the Desert Inn, the normally conservative Jerry Gordon, a native of Baltimore and the vice president in charge of guest relations, has been heard to cheer Oriole results. The same hotel’s John Banryhan, director of the sports book, believes the team is as good as it looks. He doesn’t expect the Orioles to fade, but he does predict the possibility of them bumping into a long losing streak.

Banryhan also admits there will be “a lot of sad bookmakers in Las Vegas if the Orioles win because of the price of 200-1, but that’s the chance you take when you offer a future book.” What other opinions, from a betting aspect, does he offer?

“There’s obviously a lot of parity in the league. As I look at my betting list, you can’t find the words to adequately describe how a team that was last on the opening line is now the second or third best choice. We bookmakers aren’t as knowledgeable as we think we are. But, from the other standpoint, one I should be conditioned to, is that America likes this kind of a Cinderella story.”

A review of what was sent in at 200-1 on the Orioles comprises, for the most part, modest bets of $10 and $20. The last two weeks, however, have brought a surge of interest. “A lot of support, even at shorter odds, is showing for Baltimore,” said Banryhan. “It’s significant to note that when the Orioles lost those three straight games last weekend to the California Angels, the public stayed right with them.”

The betting parlors of Las Vegas have never seen this kind of support, or a turnaround by a long shot that was perceived as having no shot. The Orioles keep doing what’s necessary. They beat their nearest pursuers, the Toronto Blue Jays, in two out of their last three games.

They are doing whatever it takes to win, a fact that isn’t lost on Las Vegas, where the odds underline the financial belief the Orioles are in serious contention and will prevail on judgment day.

Las Vegas knows the Orioles aren’t doing it with magic or mirrors. It knows and recognizes a potential winner when it sees one, just as Wall Street reads the stock market. The revised prospectus in the American League East is now Baltimore -- all the way from 200-1.