Go Angels

One half of the World Series is set as the Phillies will return to the Fall Classic to defend their title against either the Yankees or the Angels. The ALCS could wrap up tonight, with the Yankees holding a 3-1 advantage and looking in every way to be the far superior team at the moment.

But I’m rooting for the Angels tonight, because I like baseball, and I don’t want to have to wait a week to watch another game. Thanks to the scheduling of the World Series around the preferences of Fox television executives, the World Series doesn’t begin until next Wednesday. A Yankee victory tonight means a five day stretch from when both LCS’ end to when the World Series begins.

That’s lame. By setting the LCS schedules to ensure that as many of the games as possible begin at 8 PM Eastern, the playoffs have been stretched out to a degree bordering on tedious. Did we really need a 10 day schedule to play the league championship series? Do we need a minimum two day buffer between the end of the ALCS and the start of the World Series?

The only way we weren’t having a significant baseball lull at the end of October was if the ALCS went seven games. Even if it went six and the NLCS went the distance, we were still going to have three days off before the World Series started. Did MLB really think that re-creating the all-star break in October was a good idea?

I know that baseball is a business, but at some point, shouldn’t someone realize that beginning the Fall Classic on October 28th isn’t a very good idea? Especially with an expected New York-Philadelphia series, playing half of the games in November doesn’t seem like a very good plan.

I realize I’m tilting at windmills here, and that the business of selling advertisements has surpassed the best interest of the fans, so all we can really do is root for the Angels or prepare for a very boring five days.