The owners are naked; I hope they freeze

A friend e-mailed me this morning to say she didn't understand why the Angels didn't play better defense in last night's American League Championship game.

Look to corporate baseball's greed, and their slavish deference to the Great God, Television.

Last night's game might be counted as an exciting game, but it wasn't a championship game -- not by any stretch of the imagination. And why? Because the game shouldn't have been played at all, and certainly shouldn't have been extended into the late innings. Infielders should never have to wear balaclavas ... especially when they interfere with their ability to hear a team-mate calling them on or off a pop-fly. Batters should never have to face inside fastballs when their hands are too cold to get around on a swing. Fielders should never lose a popfly because rain is lashing their eyes when they look up for the ball. Fielders should never have to take the time to make sure they're gripping the ball by the seams before throwing to make a close play. Pitchers should never have to forgo particular pitches because it's too cold for them to control the ball as well as they're able. It was cold, it was wet, and it was raining -- too cold, wet and rainy for baseball, but the game went on.

The question is, why did the game go on? Because it "had" to be played, and played to its finish. Baseball owners have tied their bank accounts to the dictates of television -- play on the date and times scheduled for the convenience of television, and players, fans and the very quality of the game be damned.

Angels' defense? How about the Yankees' defense? It wasn't just Izturis's error in the 13th; Jeter erred in the 8th, and Cano in the 13th. Beyond that, the play was sloppy on both sides. Why? Not because the players are sloppy players -- far from it! Those are championship-quality players, all of them. It was because of the rain, and the cold. That wasn't a championship game; it was a game of errors, sloppy defense, sloppy pitching, sloppy batting, and sloppy baserunning -- all because the game should never have been played in those conditions. Never.

Why not play in the afternoon, when it was marginally warmer? Because of television -- God forbid they should conflict with televised college football games. Why won't today's Dodgers/Phillies game be played in the afternoon, when it will be warmer? God forbid they should run afoul of NFL viewership!

And they'll be playing into November anyway. That's a travesty, especially if the World Series is between New York and Philadelphia -- not because I have anything against New York (okay, maybe I do) or Philadelphia, but because November in the northeast is much too late for baseball, especially night baseball. And not just the northeast -- look at the ridiculous conditions the Phillies and Rockies faced in Denver.

A radical proposal: baseball should be played in warm weather, or covered stadiums. I mean, why do we call them the "Boys of Summer"? Baseball should be played in dry conditions. There's a reason games used to be postponed because of rain. But no, you can't postpone a playoff game, or call it in mid-game to be continued on a better day, because television won't permit it.

In my estimation, no game should be played in rain, no game should be played in temperatures more appropriate to ice hockey, and no game should be played in November ... unless the World Series is permanently moved to Puerto Rico.

If baseball insists on early winter playoff games, they should all be scheduled in sun-belt cities, regardless of the teams involved. And if corporate baseball doesn't want to do that, they should shorten the season -- either by reducing the number of games or bringing back the old doubleheader ... but heaven forfend; they'd lose revenue!

I'm not upset at my friend for her question; I'm upset at baseball owners, and the media commentators who won't report the emperor's nudity.

Bah, humbug!

Note: this was originally posted on ketches, yaks & hawks 18 October 2009