“It’s a [bleeping] sauna here.”
"[Bleeping] sauna” is code for a certain group of Chicago sports reporters who complain about the grueling heat inside the depths of Wrigley Field on any given day.
Lo and behold, I got that text about 45 minutes ago from a former colleague who was already stuck to his seat in the Wrigley press box.
Naturally, I looked to the betting boards and immediately saw how the market moved on tonight’s total between the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox.[[ad:athena]]
The total opened 8.5 early this morning. By 9:45 am Eastern, it was already bet up to 9. Several casinos around Las Vegas smartly waited before opening their shops at 9.5.
“If you try to put those Cubs totals up too early, you can get in trouble,” one unnamed baseball trader told NBC Sports.
Parlay the humidity with the wind blowing out and two powerful lineups full of “mistake hitters” – you’ve got all the ingredients for one of those 10-6 Wrigley finals that I used to cover for years.
So many players over the years used to complain about pitching at the Friendly Confines on warm summer nights. Some nights it’s so hot, you sweat just keeping score. Imagine trying to grip a baseball and execute a game plan. It can be a nightmare.
Starters Dallas Keuchel and Jon Lester have pretty decent peripherals so far this season, but tonight is not your average night. It wouldn’t stun me if they both struggled given the circumstances.
Also, rookie phenom Luis Robert is expected to be back in the Sox lineup too. He can hit a baseball 400 feet on any given swing. Robert missed a couple games with a wrist injury and certainly wasn’t needed for the lowly Tigers. You really think he’s going to miss his first crack at Cubs-Sox?
Lol.
Play on Over 9.5 (+105) runs in the Crosstown Classic.
