Odds Were Against Both, but There Are No Longshots Now

The Braves-Twins World Series has confounded bettors and sent odds in odd directions.

The Twins opened at 100 to 1 to win the American League pennant. The Braves were even longer shots, opening at 200 to 1 to win the National League pennant.

As they meet in the World Series, they have posted the most even odds in World Series history.

The line: Twins are 6-5 favorites.

Refreshingly humble: The Braves’ Terry Pendleton is at least honest enough to admit he has had a bad postseason at the plate. Pendleton, the National League batting champion, went five for 30 in seven playoff games, and was hitless in four at-bats in Game 6, leaving runners in scoring position each time.

His assessment of his play: “I stink. I want the world to know that. It’s beginning to irritate me. I came up with a chance and I didn’t do it.”

The Pirates’ Barry Bonds should be so apologetic to his fans.

Trivia time: Notre Dame athletes are widely known as the Fighting Irish, but they had another nickname in the ‘20s. What was it?

Equation of the day: Success does not always equal profit.

Turner Broadcasting System Inc., through its sports division, owns the Atlanta Braves and a 96% interest in the Atlanta Hawks. Here are the company’s earnings from sports the last six years:

1985: $9.2-million loss.

1986: $13.8-million loss.

1987: $6.7-million loss.

1988: $5.3-million loss.

1989: $3.9-million loss.

1990: $17.2-million loss.

The sound you hear is not the tomahawk chop, but cuts to Ted Turner’s payroll.

Political football: Raider Coach Art Shell was asked the other day what he thought of the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings and Anita Hill’s testimony. Shell would not say whom he believed was telling the truth in the often rancorous hearings, but he did reaffirm the Raider’s motto: “Just win, baby.”

“It doesn’t matter the score,” Shell said. “He won. He’s in now. They can’t take that away from him. He fought like hell to get it. So he’s there.”

From first to wurst: By the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 1 of the World Series tonight, fans at the game will have consumed about 25,000 sausage sandwiches, about five miles of sausage.

The folks in the Minneapolis Metrodome can choose from corn dogs, Chicago-style sausages, Italian sausages, Louisiana hot Polish sausages, brew-and-brat sausages, cheese bratwurst sausages, cheddarwurst sausages baked in bagel rolls and the traditional hot dogs.

Also available are fresh baked pizza, nachos, baked chicken sandwiches, barbecue sandwiches, French fries and onion rings. For dessert, there are hand-dipped and soft-serve ice cream, frozen yogurt and ice cream sundaes in waffle cones.

Trivia answer: The Ramblers.

Quotebook: Andy Van Slyke of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Atlanta pitcher Steve Avery, who did not give up a run in a playoff-record 16 1/3 innings: “If he’s in the league much longer, I’m going to develop a new disease: Averyitis. That’s what we have: Poison Averyitis. If he’s in the league five or six years, I might poison him.”