Make no mistake. I like Derek Jeter.  He’s a great player and class individual.  But I don’t want him to reprise his Mr. November performance ever again.  November baseball needs to become a relic of the past.              

As a late autumn storm rages in the west dumping up to two feet of snow on the front range of the  Rockies, Major League Baseball is set to begin its Late Fall Classic.  Game 7, if needed, is scheduled for November 5, that is if weather issues in the Northeast don’t cause havoc with the schedule.  The NBA started its season last night (Tuesday), the NHL is underway as well, and the NFL is nearing the mid-season turn as contending teams get ready to make their run to the play-offs.  And, in the midst of this meteorological and professional sporting activity, the climax of the Major League Baseball season, the World Series, seeks to capture the attention of the country.  It ain’t happenin’.  The marathon season has worn-out even some die-hard fans.  And with two mega-market teams, who bought what they needed to bludgeon the rest of their league into submission, playing in the Series, most of the American sports world is yawning,

So let’s cut to the chase.  The baseball season is too long and needs to be trimmed.

There’s a reason baseball players have been traditionally known as the “boys of summer.”  Baseball is a sport ideally suited to be played and watched in the comfort of warm summer days and nights.  As the season is presently structured, games in northern cities during the early days of April are routinely conducted in conditions that render the game sub-standard and turn spectators into survivalists.

A few seasons ago my son and I took in the first Royals afternoon home game on the schedule following opening day.  The sun was out, but the scoreboard boasted a temperature of 27 degrees at game time.  It didn’t budge.  The wind was blowing a gale out of the north.  We had layered clothes to the max and I had been reduced to wearing a heavy Chiefs coat to a baseball game.  We endured seven miserable innings and said enough.  Never again.

In 2007, the Indians’ home opener on MLB’s opening day was canceled as cold and snow pummeled the region.  They managed to get the series in, but the succeeding one with Seattle was postponed and the next series with the Angels was move to Milwaukee when nearly a foot of snow blanketed Cleveland.  This is an ongoing problem with early April baseball.  Minnesota is moving out of their dome in 2010.  They’ll be vending beer-sicles on their first homestand.  There is no reason for this nonsense.  It’s time to shorten the season on both ends.

I’m in favor of a 144 game season, an even gross.  Not a great marketing tool, but at least it has some symmetry.  That’s 18 games pared from the present schedule.  Throw in three or four double-headers for each team to play during the season as an old-time treat for fans and the regular season can start two weeks later in April and conclude two weeks earlier in September.  The World Series can become a true Fall Classic again and Major League Baseball can crown their champion while the trees are still ablaze with color in October.

A shorter season would help diminish some of the grueling wear and tear on everyday players and pitchers alike.  Players report in late February, and, if they play in October (or November), that is over seven months of almost daily pounding.  A drop in injuries could be expected and teams would reach play-off time fresher and healthier.

144 games are plenty to allow the ebb and flow of success and failure that is unique to the baseball season.  Sure, it would create a quandary when it comes to comparing statistics and records from a historical perspective.  But greatness would still be measured by skill and impact on the diamond.                               

But it is not the sacred nature of statistics that is the fundamental roadblock to a shortened season.  It’s     money.  I doubt that the powers that be in baseball are willing to accept the decreased revenue from fewer ticket sale and media broadcast opportunities.  Greed always trumps common sense.  It will in baseball as well.

As fans get ready for Game 1, scenes of bundled up Yankees’ fans making their way into the stadium for what will be a cold and possibly damp game are showing on ESPN.   It’s just more evidence that baseball would be much better off if there was no more Mr. November.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 11:09 am and is filed under Baseball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.