Feb. 17, 1963 - There was considerable arching of eyebrows the today when the Dodgers were established as 9-5 National League favorites by Las Vegas bookmakers. Although the Giants caught and passed the Dodgers at the wire last October, the defending NL champs are rated second at 12-5 odds by the bookies. “The only reason I can see that we’ve been made favorites is that Vegas is putting a lot of stock in Bill Skowron (pictured last year) to provide us with some added right-handed punch,” remarked Dodger general manager Buzzie Bavasi. “It’s nice to know you’re a contender, but those odds never have had the remotest effect on the outcome of the pennant race. I think it’s a tossup among five clubs — Los Angeles, San Francisco, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh,” he said.
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