You may have seen the word “value” used once or twice in this space. We’re always looking for the hidden gems to support – or the overhyped favorites to fade. But in the end, if you want to win a bet, you have to bet on the winner.

Athletes like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and the retired Michael Schumacher have enjoyed dominant seasons in their respective sports. During these seasons, there’s nothing to do for handicappers but lay down some cash and eat the rare mouthful of chalk.

Big Brown is next on that special list. At 5-2 odds, hordes of people are betting on the bay to win the Kentucky Derby. His closest rivals are Colonel John at 9-2 and the former favorite Pyro at 7-1. Big Brown has steamed so far ahead of the pack that the odds on a Triple Crown winner have dropped to +475. The last one was Affirmed in 1978. Now that’s steam.

One game into the 2008 NBA Playoffs, and nothing’s changed – the No. 1 seeds in both conferences are heading toward a long-awaited Finals reunion.

The Los Angeles Lakers pulled away in the second half of Sunday’s series opener with the Denver Nuggets, cruising 128-114 as 8.5-point home faves. It was quite the day’s work from Pau Gasol: 36 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists and three blocks. Gasol played a complete game that bodes well for his potential playoff chemistry with Andrew Bynum.

It might take a Gasol-Bynum combo to derail the Boston Celtics in the Finals. This is a scary good team, as fans at the Garden witnessed in Sunday night’s 104-81 plucking of the Atlanta Hawks (+15). Other than Al Horford dropping 20 points and 10 rebounds, Atlanta had almost nothing for the Celtics. This series should only get worse as the deep Boston lineup grinds down the Hawks starting rotation.

So much for chalk. After Sunday’s action, these were the six MLB division leaders, with their won-loss records:

AL East: Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles (7-5)
AL Central: Chicago White Sox (7-4)
AL West: Oakland Athletics (8-5)
NL East: Florida Marlins (7-5)
NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals (9-4)
NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks (9-3)

Just like we predicted, right? Never mind that the Orioles were 50-1 at press time to win their division. How about the Sox (6-1), the Cards (13-2), the A’s (9-1) and the Marlins (25-1)? The only division favorite on the good foot right now is Arizona at 5-4 odds.

If you leave out the Blue Jays (0.9 units in the black at press time), these are the six most profitable teams in the majors, raking in well over 20 units in profit for anyone brave enough to bet on this dubious assortment. Just beware of the small sample size before breaking open your piggy bank.

Shortly after the Kansas Jayhawks won the Men’s Division I NCAA Basketball Tournament, coach Bill Self was getting bombarded by job offers from colleges like Oklahoma State. Well, today Self announced he has no intention of leaving Kansas and he’s not sure why anybody thought he’d leave in the first place.

“I don’t know what the big deal is, to be honest,” Self said at a news conference earlier today. “These last three weeks, four weeks, have been an absolute whirlwind. I don’t know if a guy deserves to have as much fun as I’ve had.”

Although the oddsmakers favored the Memphis Tigers to win the national title, it was the Kansas Jayhawks who dug down deep to rally from a nine-point deficit late in the second half to defeat Memphis 75-68 in overtime. This was the first NCAA title win for former Illinois coach Bill Self, who left the Illini job five years ago to take the head coaching position at Kansas.

The Memphis Tigers are 2.5-point favorites at press time to beat the Kansas Jayhawks Monday night. The free market has spoken.

People recognize talent, and the most talented team on the floor of the Alamadome is the Memphis Tigers. The combination of point guard Derrick Rose (14.8 points, 4.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds per game) and Chris Douglas-Roberts (18 points, .413 from behind the arc) is pure quality. Both have elevated their games during the Tournament, with Rose playing his way into a possible No. 1 overall spot at the NBA Draft.

People also recognize experience. This is the third trip to the Elite Eight for coach John Calipari’s team, finally reaching the finals Saturday against the UCLA Bruins. The players are motivated to improve on those performances and win the title; as many outstanding freshmen as there have been this year, a player like Rose only comes by once in a while.