World Series 2009: The October Race

Each and every October, the best team in the National League goes up against the last team standing in the American League until one team earns the title of World Series Champions. After the first two games of the 2009 World Series ratings are at an all-time high, rising 29 percent from last season's matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays.

This year's matchup between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies thrusts one of Major League Baseball's most prevalent issues into the limelight, illustrating that larger market teams having more opportunity to win than teams in smaller markets.

Most fans in New York love to see Yankees all-star third baseman Alex Rodriguez play in his first World Series after playing over 2,000 games without making it, but fans of America's pastime in smaller baseball markets are nothing short of fed up. The Yankees spent millions of dollars during the offseason on free agents like first baseman Mark Texiera and pitchers like CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, adding to their already astronomical payroll. For the Bronx Bombers, losing the World Series would involve throwing millions of dollars down the drain. The Phillies payroll isn't low either, as top-notch ballplayers like Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are expensive to keep on the right side of the infield.         

Each postseason, there are teams like the Minnesota Twins or the Milwaukee Brewers that have the talent to win it all, but do not have the ability to attract the superstar free agent that can put them over the top. This gap in competition has lasted for decades and can only be corrected by a change in the traditional playoff format.

Commissioner Bud Selig needs to consider ending the regular season the first week of September so there is room for more teams to compete in the postseason. This way, the postseason would have room for seven teams from each league in addition to the Wild Card. In order to reach the World Series, teams would have to get past a first round divisional best of three series, followed by a best of five series and a best of seven series in the championship round. The team that finishes at the top of each league would be able to get a well-deserved first round bye that would last a maximum of four of five days.

While this playoff format somewhat breaks the tradition of playoff baseball in October, it would quell the fans of small market teams like the Twins, Athletics, Orioles or Brewers, who constantly complain over large market teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies having more opportunities to succeed. Fans would also be much happier if they did not have to sit out in the frigid autumn weather that comes at the end of October and in early November for World Series games. More playoff action in warmer weather means more fans, and more fans mean more revenue for a game that has seen a dwindling fan base.