Bud Selig to Try Tightening Playoff Schedule

I’ll put this one in the “I’ll believe it, when I see it” category.

In a recent interview, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said he wants to tighten the playoff schedule in 2010. Anyone who has watched the postseason recently, knows there are too many off days between games and series.

Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia was very critical of the playoff schedule when his Angels played just eight games in 20 days.

Say what you want about Bud Selig, but there is one thing you can't deny–he always addresses baseball’s problems and does his best to try to fix them.

Does he always do things the right way? No, absolutely not. Are there major problems in baseball? There is no question.

But Selig is not afraid to admit there is a problem and I really do believe he does his best to try to fix the issue. This is unlike NBA Commissioner David Stern, who believes his league is perfect and thinks a ref fixing games is water off a duck’s back.

While I believe Selig would prefer to have a best-of-seven League Championship Series played in nine days and even more day playoff games, he is not calling the shots here. The TV networks are.

See, the networks are paying baseball and not the other way around. Anyone who works in sales will tell you the client is always in control.

And if the client spends $3 billion like FOX and TBS do to broadcast baseball games, then they are really in control.

If TBS feels they can get higher ratings and more money from their advertisers on a Wednesday night instead of a Saturday night, how can baseball say no you can’t do that?

And the reality is, a network like TBS uses baseball to plug their crappy shows that nobody watches like Frank TV and The George Lopez Show . TBS wants the most eyeballs possible to advertise their own programs.

That’s why there is an unnecessary off day between Game Four and Five of the ALCS and NLCS. FOX and TBS can get a better return on their investment by having two games on two separate days at 8:00 pm, rather than having one game at four and one at eight on the same day.

I have no idea what the compromise is between baseball and the networks, but I would be shocked if Selig gets the networks to shorten the schedule next year.

Like I said, I’ll believe it, when I see it.

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