Vegas. Baby, Vegas less than enthralled with this KC Chiefs team

BY: Mark Dewar, Sports Editor

LEAVING LAS VEGAS – Huddle up.

Here, live from the land where pretty much everyone is bent on taking your dollar, from the cabbies to the busboys to the one-armed bandits to the two-armed bandits (blackjack dealers) to the actual bandits (muggers up and down the Strip), your boy here is about to save you one dollar.

You're welcome.

I'll back up. Today puts the finishing touches on a four-day stay here at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, where I came both to find myself and chill.

Neither, of course, worked.

But as a public service to my most loyal readership – cheer up, guys, do good time and you'll be out soon – I did stop by the Planet Hollywood Sports Book to peek in on how Vegas, baby, Vegas is viewing our Chiefs (our Chiefs when they win, your Chiefs when they do not) this upcoming 2007 season.

Kindly hold your giggles until the end of the preseason when I tell you that here at Planet Hollywood the Chiefs are on the board as a 30-1 shot, as of July 16, to win the Super Bowl.

Put simply, that means when you put down one dollar and the Chiefs go on to win the Super Bowl – cough, cough – Vegas will return your dollar and 30 additional ones to your pocket.

But if the Chiefs fail to capture the Super Bowl, you are out one season ... and one dollar.

The New England Patriots represent the Super Bowl favorite at 3-1. Those evil San Diego Chargers are a 6-1 proposition and Peyton Manning and his happy feet and their troops a 7-1 bet.

Da Chicago Bears weigh in at 8-1.

Meanwhile Spectacular Bid represents a 40-1 shot, Verne Troyer a 45-1 proposal and Hillary Clinton a 60-1 notion.

OK, so I made those last three up. But sheesh, only 30-1 on these Chiefs? Um, can we get one more digit on the end of the first number? And then it's only a maybe.

Because everyone dressed in red this side of Salma Hayek knows 2007 looks to be a retooling year for these Chiefs.

We can be as optimistic as a lottery winner at a sidewalk sale, but let's face a few facts, friends.

Baby Brodie Croyle could well end up our signal-caller. Gunther Cunningham's defense is making strides but is not there yet. And at the time of this writing it has been threatened star running back Larry Johnson could hold out extensively.

Yikes.

Impossible? No. Never say never. But never say “one dollar on Kansas City to win 30, please,” either. Not in 2007.

A bit more saddening news is that the over-under on the Chiefs win total is at 7 1/2 this season, down from 9 in most outlets a year ago.

Vegas clearly views these Chiefs as more of a non-factor, due mostly to the reasons cited above.

As for the AFC champion, Vegas likes the Patriots at 2-1, followed by the Chargers at 7-2 and Colts at 4-1.

On the NFC side, the Bears are the favorite at 7-2, followed by the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers at 5-1 and 6-1, respectively.

The Chiefs log in with 15-1 odds to take the AFC West title, behind the favored Chargers and Denver Broncos.

Cheer up, red rooters. The Oakland Raiders are saddled with 60-1 odds to win the Super Bowl, 25-1 to win the AFC Championship or AFC West crown.

Cruelest of all amid the madness, perhaps, Sin City has inserted the Chiefs as a one-point favorite to capture their Sept. 9 opener at Houston.

Longtime NFL fans know that winning as a road favorite in the NFL is only slightly harder than steering an El Camino with your feet.

* * * *

I enjoyed running across a face familar to Sun Country prep football watchers at a Vegas pool party, where we chatted briefly.

Good to see you, Rodney Peete.

Peete, a 1984 graduate of Shawnee Mission South High School, spent only his senior prep season in these parts while his father, Willie, served as an assistant coach with the Chiefs.

Peete the Younger prep quarterbacked the Raiders through a season-long groin injury he suffered in the season-opener against rival SM West.

He went on to quarterback the University of Southern California and logged 16 NFL seasons. He retired following the 2004 season with the Carolina Panthers.

Today Peete serves as co-host of the wildly popular “Best Damn Sports Show Period” on FOX Sports Net.

* * * *

Kudos to my buddy, Miss Kansas USA 2007 Cara Gorges, for her gumption on July 7 in delivering the game's ceremonial first pitch prior to the Royals' wild 8-7 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Kauffman Stadium.

Credit new Royals Vice-President of Community Affairs and Publicity Toby Cook of Overland Park for his efforts that night as a set-up man to make it all happen.

Cara did the cool and inconscionable. With zero hesitation, she headed all the way out to the actual pitching rubber – outfitted in her Miss Kansas sash, mind you – and went into her windup. Nobody does that.

The huge majority of first-pitch types tend to step several feet in front of the mound to do business. That way their 60-foot, six-inch throw suddenly, magically becomes about a 52-footer and Scott Elarton's job remains safe for another day.

Not your Miss Kansas. She darted to the hill, wound up like Gil Meche and fired like Zack Greinke.

Impressive. She threw a 57-footer. Credit Royals ceremonial catcher and third-base coach Brian Poldberg with a nice scoop of her one-hopper.

Somewhere, Steve Busby is smiling.

And hey, it isn't like we haven't seen a few 57-footers out of Odalis Perez, and that guy is pulling $7,750,000 in 2007.

He doesn't look like Miss Kansas, either.