10/27/2006

Sports
Well, the World Series, anyway. This year's series is the lowest rated ever and the usual media suspects all think it's because the games are between small market teams; ask the average guy to walk up to a blank map of the U.S. and tell him to stick a pin into each of the two cities, Detroit and St. Louis, the guy would miss. Another reason given is cold weather (a minor factor), and dull games (but who knows dull til the 5th inning or so?).

Everyone is wrong. Ask yourself if Super Bowl ratings would be low if Green Bay played Oakland? The problem is the seven game format, one that is sixty years out of date. NBA seven game series don't have high ratings either. Ditto for the NHL. So what does get high ratings? The NCAA basketball tournament, that's what. Baseball needs to go to a double elimination tournament, one in which every game counts and will draw people to watch other games that might affect their home team. So have the six division winners and two wild cards and let them fight to an eventual sudden and brief death.

One other thing: the season is too long by almost a month, as are both the NBA and NHL. Old time day-night and Sunday double headers would fix baseball and a shorter schedule would help the NBA. Nothing will help hockey so long as almost every team makes a phony playoff.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I dunno. I think it might be a generational thing. I'm in my 40s. I don't know anybody under 40 who watches baseball. I don't. I gave it up after the 94 strike. Too many whiny billionare owners and millionare players screetching about money.

All the younger guys I know are into football and basketball. Both are sports where speed predominates. Baseball is slow and boring.

As a kid I loved to play baseball. Never much liked to watch it though. I know a bunch of guys with similar thoughts: fun to play, boring to watch.

Another sport that seems real popular with the young guys today is that ultimate fighting stuff. I've only seen it once so I'm don't know much about it, but it too seems to be about speed.

Anonymous said...

I'm under 40 as are my brothers and my nephew and we all love baeball.

I'm not watching the series because Tim McCarver is a jackass. Him and Buck together droning on about nothing is infuriating. I'm listening to it on the radio. Much better.