Major League Baseball To Play Global World Series?

Never hesitant to expand the game of baseball globally, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig is working with Japanese baseball commissioner Ryozo Kato to play a Global World Series.

The idea is that the World Series winner from Major League Baseball would play the Japanese baseball champions in a Global World Series. When and where these games would be played is still up for debate, but Selig and Kato met in Milwaukee to get the ball rolling on this concept.

This idea does have some steam, as both Selig and Kato seem eager to get something done before Selig steps down in 2012. While I think the concept is great, I have my doubts as to whether or not something like this could be pulled off.

I just don’t see how Selig can make an entire team fly across the world to play another series of games after playing through spring training, a 162-game schedule, and potentially 19 playoff games. That is a hard sell.

Do you think the free agent pitcher, who is set to make maybe $60 million on the open market is really going to play in that series? Do you think a GM like Brian Cashman or Ruben Amaro Jr. is going to let his young pitchers throw an additional 10 or 15 innings?

Highly unlikely.

And let's not forget that players from the United States aren’t too keen on playing in the World Baseball Classic, and that’s a volunteer event. Do you know how many players declined playing in that event for the U.S. before they came up with the final team? It was in the seventies.

My point being that the majority of the players just want to play for their team and that’s it. Players want to rest after the season and more importantly, they don’t want to risk injury, which could cost them millions in the long run.

If something like this does get pulled off, I can see where the World Series winner would send over maybe half their roster and fill the other half with minor league players. This would defeat the purpose of what the event is supposed to be; the two best teams in the world playing each other.

I like the concept, but this is going to be hard to pull off.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg