When the season started, the Las Vegas oddsmakers didn't think very highly of the Chicago White Sox's chances of winning their division, much less a league championship.

A spokesman for Vegas Insider said the Sox were picked to finish fourth in the Central Division with odds of 28 to 1 of their winning a pennant. A good scolding of the players by Manager Ozzie Guillen later and they are now in first, and the odds are 11 to 2 of their going to the World Series.

The Cubs got a little more respect at the start of the season. They were behind only the Mets with odds of 9 to 2. Now they are the odds on favorites to win the National League flag and then lose to the Boston Red Sox, who are 4 to 1 favorites to repeat as champions.

With both teams in first place, the odds for which were no doubt astronomical in April, and the Cubs sporting the best record in baseball, the upcoming three-game series at each park has more than just the fans excited.

"I was not a big fan of interleague play when it started, but it is a proven success," Dan Plesac, a Crown Point graduate who pitched for the Cubs, said. "Now, with the Cubs and Sox both in first, when there are special rivalries like this with games in both parks, it will be a very special couple of weekends."

Former Sox slugger Ron Kittle, who lives in the Chesterton area, said, "I think it's kind of cool. The Sox are not playing great ball, but they are still in first place. I think it will be a great series, and the town is ready for it. I went to a golf outing, and there was a lot of talk about it. It's a great competition, but the fans have more fun with it than the players."

Steve Trout, a Munster resident and Thornwood graduate who pitched for both teams, said, "Any time you are in a situation like this, it adds to the whole excitement. Any time there's value on the game, the price goes up, and the excitement goes up when they both are playing. I wish I could be there."

Plesac does game analysis for Cubs games on cable and said he will be "bleeding Cubby blue" during the games, but he predicted neither team will be able to sweep the games in their home park. Kittle still works for the Sox and said that's where his loyalty lies during the next two weekends.

The choice is a little tougher for Trout.

"To me, they're both like family members," he said. "I love them both, and the main thing is that the people who watch the games have a lot of respect for the players and the people next to them and enjoy the game and not make it personal. It's just a matter of may the best team win."

Wonder what the odds on that are?