Currently watching Game One of the World Series on the internet. On an illegal stream, because my place can't get good network reception. And Lord knows why they don't stream network television online.
So it's a little bit difficult to watch.
On the plus side, I am watching an overseas stream, which means that I am getting announcers other than Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.
-So since I am on the subject of baseball, I'm going to link to an article that discusses how to "fix" the World Series. It's pretty stupid. It bases its idea that the World Series is broken because nobody is tuning into the games. Which is true... it's lower than it's ought to be, but it's not because the World Series is inherently flawed... it's because the media only covers the Red Sox and Yankees. So your average joe isn't going to be interested in tonight's game because no one in the media wants to talk about the Cardinals and the Rangers.
I think this is the root as to why I'm preferring the NFL and the NBA (although I'm not going to be seeing that for a while)--the media (or the league) knows how to market their product better. I mean, right now one of the bigger stories in the NFL is the fact that the Denver Broncos are now starting Tim Tebow at QB. The Broncos are one of the worst teams in the league, but they're still remaining in the limelight. If the media focused on football like they do the MLB, the last week would have just been nonstop Patriots/Cowboys speculation and highlights.
Anyway, the article's stupid. It suggests that the AL and NL switch the DH rule for the postseason.
It also suggests-in a way to update the World Series to the 21st century-that there be pregame concerts. The band suggested to play this concert that'll make the World Series hip and current? Pearl Jam. (Well... I suppose it's better than the Super Bowl Halftime Show...)
-Some forum I was at was also discussing tweaking the current playoff system--in this case because people were complaining that the regular season was being rendered pointless and the teams with the best regular season records keep bowing out early. The suggestion to fix this is to allow even fewer teams into the playoffs. This is also stupid.
1) Baseball already allows the lowest percentage of teams into their postseason.
2) This would mean that the Yankees would have an even greater chance of winning (I'm assuming that a lot of people who are suggesting this are just bitter Yankee fans.)
3) The playoffs are unpredictable. That is good. Unpredictability is good. And you're not forsaking your entire regular season for unpredictability (like the NHL) since you're already allowing only 8 teams into the postseason.
So basically, I don't understand why people are assuming that the problem with baseball is anything other than the perception that only 2 or 3 teams matter in the entire league...
I like the idea of letting fewer teams in to the postseason, just because baseball is unique in that the regular season matters. I don't like it enough to change the current system--I think it's near perfect, and adding a one-game playoff b/w the top two non-divisional champions, on the day that's normally the off day, would be great. If they delay the playoffs an extra day for the playoff game, I'm less enthused, but the current system's pretty neat.
ReplyDeleteOne idea that I laughed at initially but am growing to like a bit more: The B series. The World Series champion would still be the highest honor, and WS loser would be as close as you can come--but at the start of the WS, take the best regular-season record from each league that didn't make the WS and put them in the B-series, and have them play a 7-game set with games either in the afternoon or on WS off-days. This year we'd have NY and Philly playing for 3rd place, which would a) give some incentive to having the best record in the league, b) get good (better than the WS?) ratings and c) give me more baseball to watch.
Also, your whole problem with baseball is a result of the fact that you rely on ESPN for your sports news. That is your mistake, not baseball's.
ReplyDeleteSide note: I typed in "fudgebuckets.blogspot.com," and that blog is FANTASTIC. My favorite post on it concludes "Now you'll have to excuse me, I found some obsidian to mine."
ESPN is part of the problem, I'll admit that. But their coverage is pretty much terrible across most sports.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, if they want to honor the regular season, they should do what the NHL does and give out a trophy for whoever finishes with the best regular season record. And I think the winning team gets some sort of cash compensation as well... not that the Yankees are going to need *that* every year.