The Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey)
October 22, 2009
October 22, 2009
Dear Editors,
As a longtime follower of Major League Baseball, I totally agree with The Star-Ledger editorial ("Stretching the season," Oct. 17) and with just about everyone else that the baseball season lasts much too long into autumn.
When it is so brutally cold and damp like it was for the Yankees' opening game with the Angels for the American League championship, pitchers can't properly grip the baseball, normally excellent fielders will commit errors on softly hit balls, and batters will not be able to hit with any authority. This deprives the fans and the players of properly seeing who is really the best team.
Nevertheless, everyone should realize that MLB is no longer a sport, but another form of entertainment like Broadway, movies, and TV. The empty-headed network suits consider baseball as part of their programming, just like "Bones" and "House."
Since MLB and its pseudo-commissioner, Bud Selig, receive gobs of money from the networks to televise these games, I don't see this situation getting better. Networks will continue to decide when these games will be played. Since November is a sweeps month, whereby each network tries to push for programming that will score the highest ratings with viewers, thereby commanding the highest prices for commercial advertising, I would not be surprised if that is why games are now lasting past Halloween.
What was that classic move quote, "The public be damned"?
Warren Goldfein
West Orange
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