What I miss most about betting MLB
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It's currently May 18 - the Pittsburgh Pirates should have a 2-0 lead on the New York Mets in the eighth, despite Jacob deGrom allowing one hit with 17 strikeouts. The question wouldn't be if I wagered on the Mets - you probably know the answer to that already - but rather how much I chose to bet on them.
Instead, the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented major leaguers from even stepping foot on the field. If we're lucky, we might get a 100-game season starting sometime in July, but baseball isn't a lock to happen in 2020.
Two months into what should have been the MLB season, here's what I miss most about betting.
Win totals
I was ecstatic to take the winter and spring to run through projections, consult with sharp baseball minds, and devise a list of win totals, only for the futures - which are now useless - to remain in pending; I still have to look at all the would-be masterpieces in my account on a semi-regular basis.
I won't sit here and say this was an automatic 5-0, but I'm also not not saying that. Here are the win totals I didn't get the chance to root for in 2020:
Pirates under 79.5
I honestly think the Pirates could have finished with the worst record in baseball.
Diamondbacks over 83.5
The Diamondbacks don't have enough ammo to hang with baseball's top contenders, but this regular-season win total was criminal.
Astros over 94.5
If you think about it, getting hit by pitches equals more baserunners, which equals more runs, which you need to beat the other teams.
The season was shaping up to be a revenge tour for the Astros, who could have easily won 100 games.
Rays over 90.5
I didn't realize books were handing out free money again. The Rays were slept on last season and this number doesn't make much sense, either.
Mariners under 68.5
Remember when the Mariners started last season 13-2 and still didn't surpass their win total? This team had even less going for it heading into 2020.
The unfathomable bad beats
Each sport packs a different punch when it comes to bad beats. I'm convinced baseball is easily the most frustrating. Here are the worst scenarios, from most triggering to least.
1. Blown saves
Multiple-run leads in baseball are never safe. You can count your chickens before they hatch all you want, but it's only a matter of time until your bet comes down to a Triple-A reliever who's not even throwing in the same area code as the strike zone.
2. Double plays
I don't have a heart; just an empty, vacated chest cavity that used to occupy one of the body's main, functioning organs. Unfortunately, it was stripped away following the 600th double play with one out and needing just one more run to hit the over.
3. Runners left on base
When I have the over in a game total and there are runners on second and third with no outs, I typically expect a popout to the catcher, strikeout, and flyout at the warning track in succession.
When I have the under, there's nobody on and two outs. I check my phone 15 minutes later and it's 11-0. The team is batting around the order for the second time while the other is pitching its backup shortstop in the third inning. I am dead inside.
Friday matinees at Wrigley Field
Nothing says "welcome to the weekend" quite like a Cubs-Reds matinee at 2 p.m. ET on a Friday, with the wind blowing 26 mph to center field and the total at 14.5.
In play, run(s)
Long live the best catchphrase in sports history.
Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.