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Talkin’ Baseball

November 2009

With the World Series wrapping up this week, baseball is at the forefront of the American sports world.  There are only a handful of things that seem as patriotic as the Fall Classic…it ranks right up there with the 4th of July, Ford Motors and apple pie.  After all, it’s been captivating American sports fans since 1903.

Every year, there are healthy debates on one topic or another surrounding this great baseball event.  The topic du jour for 2009 seems to be the pending installation of instant replay in various aspects of the game…but I want to take this opportunity and step back to look at some macro debates of baseball.  The conversations that are sure to be taking place on many couches, bar stools and stadium seats across the country.  I’m not going to provide the answers, rather I’m going to provide a bit of point and counterpoint…and allow you to arrive at your own conclusions.

American League vs. National League

This debate took on a new light when the AL installed the Designated Hitter rule in 1973.  Since then, the leagues within the League have adapted very different styles.  The American League became known for the long ball and high scoring games, while the National League remained a game built on small ball fueled by sacrifice bunts and strategic substitutions.  The baseball purists tend to side with the NL’s style, while mainstream American sports fans can’t get enough of the skyward shots into the bleachers.

Today, Major League Baseball sends four teams from each league to the playoffs, yet there are 14 teams in the AL and 16 in the NL.  It seems that the odds are stacked against the NL teams, yet it’s not possible to have 15 in each league without fully converting to interleague play on a full season basis…which would definitely send the purists into a tizzy.

So which league do you prefer?  Is that simply because your favorite team plays in that league or do you look at it with all teams in mind?

Broadcast impact on playoff scheduling

Before the days when playoff scheduling was fueled by the TV networks, teams played each series in consecutive games with a travel day inserted when the venue changed.  Now, the League Championship Series have an off day between Games 4 and 5 of the series…largely driven by the TV contracts.

On one hand, it’s great that baseball fans have an opportunity to watch every playoff game without having to switch channels to check the score of another.  But there’s a running debate that today’s broadcast setup is affecting the integrity of the game.  Think about it, there will never be another “Mr. October” because the Fall Classic now goes into November.  Baseball is a sport built on routine and depth, yet in today’s playoff format, you can get away with a shallow pitching staff in the postseason because there is a growing number of off days between games and series.

What’s better for the game?  What’s better for the fans?  What’s better for the teams?

Salary Cap

Baseball remains one of the few professional sports that does not cap team salaries, which often results in a definitive line between the “haves” and “have nots”.  While the NFL and NBA don’t provide the ideal model for salary cap structure, they do have one thing that MLB does not…parity, or at least the opportunity for it.  If you disagree, just look up the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates over the past 15 years.

On the flip side of the coin, tradition reigns supreme in baseball.  That tradition often includes the household names of the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers when it comes to postseason baseball.  While the NFL may have new faces in the mix for the Super Bowl each year, there is something to be said for the anticipation of an annual showdown between the Sox and Yankees.

I’m not sure what the right answer is on this topic, maybe it depends on who you root for.

Bud, Coors or Miller?

And finally, we come to a long-standing debate between ballpark and bar goers alike…what is the favored ballpark beer?

Budweiser lays claim to being the King of Beers and Bud Light professes its drinkability.  Coors is the original banquet beer and Coors Light has infused technology into the label so we know when it’s cold enough to drink.  Miller High Life is the “champagne” of beers, while Miller Lite has great taste and is also less filling…but that’s a whole sub-debate in itself.

This question, more than any other, may never be answered.  So regardless of your opinion…raise a cold, frosty brand of your choice and salute the great debates of our national past time.

Pat Walker

Patrick Walker is the President of Pat Walker Productions, a Seattle-based event production group. Pat shares over a decade of expertise in Game Entertainment and Operations in a monthly column called Walk & Talk and blog posts on Gameops.com.

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