Terrible Ideas
Over the weekend, someone asked me what I thought of Bud Selig's latest idea -- to expand the World Series back to a nine-game series, with the new extra two games being held in "neutral" sites for increased revenue. I was aghast, notably because I hadn't heard about it, but also because it's moronic to the point it actually shocked me. Turns out it's not Selig proposing it, but agent Scott Boras:
Agent Scott Boras, who counts Alex Rodriguez and Daisuke Matsuzaka among his clients, said baseball's best deserve a bigger stage than the best-of-seven World Series.
He said it should be best-of-nine games and should feature the first two on a weekend at a neutral site to create an atmosphere similar to the Super Bowl.
...
The Super Bowl is played at a predetermined neutral site and has become a magnet for business entertaining. "The key to this is the business dynamic," said Boras, 54. "We need to embrace corporate America."
MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said Selig got the letter and declined to comment further.
Such nonsense - I mean, Boras is obviously a great agent, but a bigger stage than the World Series? I don't even GET that. Part of the story I didn't include was that Boras said the major awards could be handed out at these neutral site games -- I suspect this is because he has many players who don't get to the World Series (after all, few do), but it's just DUMB.
For one thing, there's no such thing as a neutral site. Just watch the NCAA Final Four and see neutral a site in, say, Charlotte is when Georgia Tech is playing against Cal. Not very neutral. It's such a stupid idea that has only two possible benefits (stroking the egos of superstars and more revenue for baseball) -- so dumb, in fact, I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet.