Playing Baseball in November 2009 -- Asinine

Here's the schedule of the 1954 World Series. Notice the first game was played on September 29, 1954.
Here's the schedule for the 2009 world series. Notice the first game is to be played on October 28, 2009.
I picked the 1954 World Series schedule to contrast with the 2009 World Series schedule because I was a really big fan of the Cleveland Indians back in 1954 when I was every bit of 13 years old.

This question occurred to me recently when I stumbled across a baseball playoff game being played on TV. I took a quick look at the weather (horrible) and the calendar and thought to myself, "Why the hell are they still playing baseball this late in the year?"

I don't have the best memory, but my recollection is that in 1954 baseball had two leagues, the American and the National. Each league had eight teams. At the end of the regular season, the winner of each league met in the World Series to determine the champion. I also recall that back then, the world series was always played in beautiful autumn temperatures, sometimes very warm and sometimes a bit crisp. The games were all played in the afternoon, typically in warm sunshine.

I don't have to tell you what the World Series is in 2009. Here we are on October 17, 2009 and teams are having playoff games in just horrible weather with games at night with cold, chilly temps. And we're still eleven days away from the first game of the 2009 World Series, which begins Oct 28 and at the earliest will end the first week of November; with all games being played at night!

The World Series used to be a fitting climax to a long 154-game baseball season. Excitement built quickly for the World Series and provided a wonderful climax for each baseball season. Two teams fighting it out to the end.

Today's world series is somewhat anti-climactic. At the end of a 162-game regular season there are eight teams eligible for playoff series which drag on interminably, boring at best. By the time the World Series begins, fans are tired of the baseball season which was so promising back in April.

Sadly, Major League Baseball isn't the only major sport with this affliction. Folks, today, wear out on a sport due to interminably long seasons and interminably long playoff series before the finals occur. Is it any wonder that no one knows who's actually playing in the World Series once it does get around to starting???

Baseball and other sports have it wrong. To them, it's all about the money ($$), not the product. Just ask TV producers, it's all about the SHOW...TV has essentially ruined all sports in the US, dragging them out into playoffs for more and more sponsor $$.

Just my opinion,
JD

PS - I'm a NASCAR fan and there are times when I think their season is too long. But, at least with NASCAR the season climaxes when the last race is run...there's no winter playoff series to muddle through.