The month of August is ripe for baseball. Moving the playoffs to begin in mid August rather than October would boost ratings. I realize struggling owners would lose money in the short term by reducing the regular season, but increased popularity should translate into profits. An ultra long regular season is a big factor why sports consumers are turned off by baseball. By the time August rolls around all sports fans want is for football to start. If baseball would replace the arduous wait of August with playoff baseball, fans would have a reason to stay interested.
There is nearly no benefit for MLB to go against the NFL. Once football starts, if your team is not competing, you're not watching. The numbers don't lie. By shortening the regular season and moving up the playoff schedule, the divisional round could be extended to a best of seven series. A five game series seems too short after a painfully long regular season. Playoff baseball has a much better chance of capturing the casual fan than any regular season game. Baseball has fallen into a pattern of increasing revenue around the stadium, but not growing the sport around the country.
It's time baseball started paying attention to trends and adapting. Instant replay is another example of baseball's refusal to change. There is no reason not to implement a form of instant replay when you can get accurate calls immediately. By the time it takes a manager to come out of the dugout to argue, a booth umpire could already have the accurate call. It's not like they're cranking a Betamax in the booth. There's another league using technology and it's pretty popular. I have always supported tradition, but replay is not an issue to hide from.
Baseball should suck it up and accept the fact that football is King. There is nothing wrong with scheduling around them. When given the choice between football and baseball, fans are going to choose football. Other than revenue loss, I can't see why owners would be opposed to shortening the season. Purists can't use the statistics excuse when being reluctant to change. Baseball's magical numbers are all tarnished, and maybe that's a blessing. They don't have to be held back with the belief that they will disrupt the historical significance of certain stats because steroids already took care of that. Instead, it should be viewed as promoting a wonderful sport that the majority of American sports fans aren't interested in.
The game needs a breath of life, and I believe keeping it away from football can administer some of the resuscitation. It's a start. Is anyone going to miss 18 games or be disappointed actual games start earlier in the year? I realize there are some weather issues in colder areas of the country early in the season but there are plenty of regions to schedule games in.
The bottom line is there is no reason to go against football. No one cares about baseball because no one looks forward to the World Series anymore. There are football games to watch. Baseball is so regionalized, I feel strange expressing passion for it around other sports fans. Unless you live in a baseball city, there's not much interest. When the United States doesn't care about post-season baseball, something is very wrong with how it's delivered. Without change, baseball faces a fate similar to hockey.
The Giants, Phillies, Yankees, and Rangers all moved on to the Championship Series. I had three of the four, and was pleasantly surprised to see the Rangers advance past the Rays. As I stated last year, I don't think there is any reason to believe we won't have a repeat of the Yankees and Phillies.
This series pits two of the best starting rotations in baseball. The Phillies garner the bulk of the attention with Roy Halladay. All the guy did was throw the second no-hitter in post-season history in his first playoff game. But the Giants have Tim Lincecum who can go pitch for pitch with Halladay. Saturday could quietly be one of the best pitching matchups in baseball history. The depth of the Phillies rotation is more accomphlished, but the Giants have three guys that can take the mound and beat anyone. The difference should be the Phillies lineup in a series where runs will be at a premium.
Phillies win in 6 games
The Yankees entered the playoffs as the Wild Card team, but as long as they're in the post-season, they're the team to beat. They swept the Twins and now take aim at the Rangers. They will have to go up against Cliff Lee who has an unbelievable post-season resume. The Yankees have the best lineup in baseball, but the Rangers have more pitching depth. The Rangers are capable of scoring runs against Andy Petite and Phil Hughes so they definitely have a chance to compete in this series. In the end, the Yankees are going to be much more comfortable with the atmosphere of the ALCS. This is their time of year. The Rangers are coming off their first playoff series win in franchise history and it's possible the moment will rattle them. If people were watching, they would see a great series.
Yankees win in 7 games
Well said. One of the reasons I enjoy baseball is the rich tradition and history of the game. But if baseball were to evolve by adopting technology and shifting its schedule, the (barely) shorter season and earlier start date seem like a fair trade for fan interest.
ReplyDeleteHow likely is it for these changes to occur and who would have the final say?
You make a great case. Can you forward this to someone who would evaluate it? I think you are brilliant.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Love the picture at the top.
ReplyDelete