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You have to take a hard look at the odds offered when deciding whether betting Chicago White Sox baseball this year is going to be a winning proposition.  They are the defending champions and one of the favorites to take the World Title once again.

Who would have "thunk" it?

People are touting the White Sox to REPEAT as world champions.

That's like dreaming the impossible dream, reaching the unreachable star, having Brad Pitt's baby.

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Chicago's Southsiders begin defense of the Fall Classic title they won last year -- their first in 88 seasons -- on Sunday night when they host the Cleveland Indians in Major League Baseball's 2006 lid-lifter.

"They've pretty much kept the team together," says Ken White, co-owner of Las Vegas Sports Consultants, the oddsmaking firm that provides numbers to most Nevada sports stores and many bookmakers throughout the world.

"Their chances to repeat are good."

Yeah, "but if," chimes in Mike Lineback, 2005 baseball handicapping champion Mike Lineback.

And there are a lot of "but ifs."

"I would love nothing more than a repeat of last year's championship," Lineback says.

"They really look good on paper with the addition of (Jim) Thome and are definitely the team to beat in the American League (He's still not jumping on the Yankees bandwagon).

"However, it is so hard to repeat.

"Many things have to go right and I'm sure something will break up that awesome pitching rotation of last year, such as injuries, trade or unloading some contracts.

"I predict something will happen."

One thing that won't occur is baseball bettors and bookmakers being caught off guard early this year like a year ago when some shops opened them as high as triple digits only to see them gradually plummet to single-digit earth.

"Everybody's onto them now," says Las Vegas Hilton supervisor and oddsmaker Jeff Sherman.

Indeed.

The Chisox have supplanted the New York Yankees, a perennial threat, as World Series favorites at the Stratosphere Tower.

The White Sox are 2/1 and the Yankees 3/1.

"Nobody wants to bet them at those odds," said Eric Solomon, a Stratosphere night shift supervisor.

"We've been taking action on the Cubs (5/1) and Twins (10/1).

"The Cubs are always popular and we get a lot of visitors from Minnesota, a lot from the Midwest.

"We keep lowering odds on them and the players keep betting 'em.

"Heck, the Twins have to beat the White Sox and Indians just to make the playoffs."

The Stratosphere will offer probably the valley's lowest baseball prices with an 8-cent line as compared to the 10-cent line at most books.

"And we'll have 15-cent run and totals lines," Solomon said.

Oddsmaker White sees Oakland, Seattle and the Los Angeles Angels as legitimate outsiders.

"The A's have good players," he said. "I like their pitching and they'll be tough to beat."