MLB World Series 2008 and the Pick of Destiny (not to Be Confused with Tenacious D)

With spring training well under way, and the start of the 2008 major league baseball season right around the corner, how can it be possible to bet the outcome of the World Series right now? All major sports, football, hockey, basketball et al have what is called "future odds" that allow you to bet on the championship games before the season even starts, (and anytime during the regular season). That being said, I've already got a wager down on the Chicago Cubs to win the 2008 World Series.

Predicting destiny is not an easy thing, but there is a recognizable identifier that would make any sports alchemist's heart pound. Without looking at team lineups or pitching rotations, destiny has weighed in the Cubs favor. The last time the Chicago Cubs won a world series was in 1908. (Radio wasn't even invented at the time.) So it has been exactly 100 years since the Cubs have won America's pastime. It seems to me that destiny should dictate a World Series (win) for the hapless franchise.

The Boston Red Sox are another example of destiny. When they were down 3 games to none against the Yankees in the AL pennant, they came back and won four straight to get to the 2004 World Series where they swept the St Louis Cardinals. That by itself doesn't necessarily smack of destiny but they got to the World Series again last year and guess what? They swept the Colorado Rockies winning four straight, now that is destiny. The Red Sox could be destined to sweep the World Series whenever they play in one. That is how I define destiny, and what could fit the criteria more than a 100-year time span between World Series wins.

Not to say that destiny is infallible, it has what I call its "glitches." Take a look at the 2007 New England Patriots. My idea of destiny dictates that a team who wins every one of its regular season games should win the Championship. But they didn't, the New York Giants stood in destiny's doorway blocking the path. They were that little "glitch" in destiny.

Can my vision of destiny by itself propel the Cubs to a World Series win? It will take manager Dusty Baker and the arms, legs, gloves, bats, and the entire Cubs franchise to get them there, let alone win it. There are too many would-be "glitches" lurking in the form of the Mets, Braves, and Phillies, in the National League. And if they get to Series their opponent will likely be either the Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers, or Angels. But I put a little bet on destiny anyway. (See photo) Every year for my mother-in-law's March 7^th birthday I make a wager on who I think will win the NL Pennant, then I put the betting ticket in an envelope marked, "do not open until October." But this year I bet directly on the World Series, and destiny. (Billy goat curse not withstanding.)