A global World Series by 2012?

[2muchcoffeeman]

One of Japan's all-sports newspapers reports this morning that the commissioner of Japanese baseball says he and Selig agrees the MLB and Japan champions should play each other and that Selig wants to get this done by the time he retires.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4803999

Oh, really?

 

[WaylonJennings]

I'm sure the union will love that idea.

 

[JR]

I love that it's a proposed tournament between two countries and they call it a "Global World Series".

 

[ripple]

Surely... Surely they wouldn't call it "Global World Series."

Other than that, I like it, as long as it's a preseason thing instead of being played in November.

 

[User 1019]

Who cares?!! The world's gonna end by then, anyway.

 

[JR]

Who cares?!! The world's gonna end by then, anyway.

They just need to get it in by December.

 

[cranberry]

I'm sure the union will love that idea.

The union may have concerns to address, like it would in any new venture. But the MLBPA has always been pro-growth, and has pushed for increased international play for more than 20 years. It means more revenue and more opportunity.

 

[YankeeFan]

I don't think this will ever happen.

The playoffs already add another month to the season for the WS champ. No team owner is going to want their pitchers throwing any more innings at that point. And it would be a letdown for the players.

It would be fun to see, but as they've already proved by scheduling the WBC in March, there's no good way to schedule this kind of thing at a time when both teams are at full strength.

 

[fishhack2009]

This would be fine by me. I've always thought it was somewhat arrogant for MLB to call it the "World Series" when it's really just basically the "American Series."

Do away with the All-Star Game and have a three-game series in that slot. Add another day or two on either end for travel, and it doesn't really affect the calendar that much.

 

[Crash]

I don't think this will ever happen.

The playoffs already add another month to the season for the WS champ. No team owner is going to want their pitchers throwing any more innings at that point. And it would be a letdown for the players.

It would be fun to see, but as they've already proved by scheduling the WBC in March, there's no good way to schedule this kind of thing at a time when both teams are at full strength.

So go back to 154 games, and a potential seven-game "World" Series with Japan is a wash.

Shortening the schedule probably won't happen, and neither will ditching the mid-season all-star break, even though both are good ideas. The All-Star Game is a waste of time.

 

[Ashy Larry]

This would be fine by me. I've always thought it was somewhat arrogant for MLB to call it the "World Series" when it's really just basically the "American Series."

Do away with the All-Star Game and have a three-game series in that slot. Add another day or two on either end for travel, and it doesn't really affect the calendar that much.

Impossible. The World Series champion is a different team the next year, what happens if the ace of the staff leaves as a free agent...do you ask him to play for his former team?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I think this will happen right around the time that London and Mexico City get NFL teams, which means NEVER.

Baseball season is way too ****ing long as is.

 

[Football_Bat]

I don't think this will ever happen.

The playoffs already add another month to the season for the WS champ. No team owner is going to want their pitchers throwing any more innings at that point. And it would be a letdown for the players.

It would be fun to see, but as they've already proved by scheduling the WBC in March, there's no good way to schedule this kind of thing at a time when both teams are at full strength.

So go back to 154 games, and a potential seven-game "World" Series with Japan is a wash.

Shortening the schedule probably won't happen, and neither will ditching the mid-season all-star break, even though both are good ideas. The All-Star Game is a waste of time.

You wouldn't have to do that. Scheduling one day-night doubleheader a month would shorten the season by a week. You still get 81 gates that way.

 

[cjericho]

will the Yomiuri Giants have to pay their luxury tax to the Royals and Pirates in yen or dollars.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

I don't think this will ever happen.

The playoffs already add another month to the season for the WS champ. No team owner is going to want their pitchers throwing any more innings at that point. And it would be a letdown for the players.

It would be fun to see, but as they've already proved by scheduling the WBC in March, there's no good way to schedule this kind of thing at a time when both teams are at full strength.

So go back to 154 games, and a potential seven-game "World" Series with Japan is a wash.

Shortening the schedule probably won't happen, and neither will ditching the mid-season all-star break, even though both are good ideas. The All-Star Game is a waste of time.

You wouldn't have to do that. Scheduling one day-night doubleheader a month would shorten the season by a week. You still get 81 gates that way.

And shortening the amount of time between playoff/WS games would help too.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

They would have to figure out a way to schedule the games in Japan at a time that American audiences would want to watch.

I thought it was cool to wake up in the morning and watch the Yankees play in Japan a few years back, but it's not something I'd want to do three or four times. And I'm not sure the rest of the country would want to wake up at 3 or 4 a.m. to watch it, either.

 

[cjericho]

that was cool, but then it took me a month to get adjusted to watching 7:05 games

-- Mike Mussina

 

[fishhack2009]

This would be fine by me. I've always thought it was somewhat arrogant for MLB to call it the "World Series" when it's really just basically the "American Series."

Do away with the All-Star Game and have a three-game series in that slot. Add another day or two on either end for travel, and it doesn't really affect the calendar that much.

Impossible. The World Series champion is a different team the next year, what happens if the ace of the staff leaves as a free agent...do you ask him to play for his former team?

Nope. You play with the team you've got. If said free agent wants to play for the real world championship, he stays with his team.

 

[RickStain]

If this is anything more than an exhibition, I'm trying to think of any bigger blunder by a league in sports history. Why on earth would you cheapen the World Series that way?

 

[IllMil]

I love that it's a proposed tournament between two countries and they call it a "Global World Series".

Well the one they have now is called the World Series and is all American teams and the Blue Jays.