There is talk among the “experts” that this year’s World Series may re-kindle America’s love of baseball. Social media has been abuzz the past week with exclamations of disbelief as nearly every game has seen huge scoring and momentum swings and late inning rallies–not to mention a record number of home runs. And yet here I am–a diehard baseball fan–and I am disgusted by what I have seen.
This has not been great baseball. What we have seen so far in the World Series is some combination of T-Ball, Home Run Derby and a video game set on a level that is too easy. A 13-12 score between what are supposed to be the two best teams in the sport in a championship series is embarrassing. Both managers have so badly-handled their pitching staffs that no starters can make it past the fourth inning–but no one coming in from the bullpen can get anyone out. Perhaps they have decided to over-strategize the pitching in these playoffs, since the only thing they have to worry about on the offensive side is who is going to hit the next three run home run.
Now buzz is building about this being the “Greatest World Series Ever”–which really makes me mad. The list of “Greatest World Series Ever” begins with the 1991 Twins-Braves classic and ends with the nearly as good 1975 tilt between Cincinnati and Boston. The 1991 Series will almost be impossible to beat as it featured five, 1-run games, three that went to extra innings, a dramatic walk off homer in game six by Kirby Puckett (cue Jack Buck “AND WE WILL SEE YOU TOMORROW NIGHT!!”) and dominant pitching performances by John Smoltz for Atlanta and Jack Morris of Minnesota in Game 7–who pitched all ten innings to pick up the win. Because offense was at such a premium in that series, every pitch was gut-wrenching drama and just getting a runner into scoring position ramped that up even higher. And the thought that Morris or any of the great Braves pitchers were going to come out at the first sign of trouble after the third inning was absurd.
And as for 1975, the heroics performed by nine Hall of Famers on the two teams was the stuff of legend–featuring Carlton Fisk’s 12th inning homer that he waved fair off the foul pole over the Green Monster to conclude the greatest baseball game ever played–and Joe Morgan’s incredibly clutch performance in Game 7 to bring Cincinnati from behind in the 9th and continue the Curse of the Bambino for another 30-years.
Unfortunately, ratings for this World Series are up considerably–as Millenials alerted to the craziness unfolding that night tune in on all of their devices to check out a video game come alive (although nowhere near the numbers for the 1991 Series). And those ratings equal dollar signs to MLB owners, who are likely thinking of ways to make every regular season game starting next year 13-12 with 15 pitching changes–and five hour game times. Before you know it, pitchers will be throwing underhand–and there will be a keg out a second base.
