Fall classic falls short

There was no glamour team.

There was rain.

Who cares?! It's the World Series! It's an American Classic and it's sad that so many could care less about it this year. Maybe it's the election? Who knows, but it's an indication of how this Country is changing.

http://www.saralifeinwords.blogspot.com

Sour grapes but true: The home plate umpires gift wrapped that Series for the Phillies.

John,
Brandon, FL

I'm a baby boomer who grew up with two leagues and a World Series that finished in September. Since then, the playoffs came in, extended the season and the season. This is all about money, not sport. The season is simply too long. Today, football is number 1, but even that went to the playoff season for more money. The ultimate is basketball, where almost half of the teams make the playoffs and the season never ends. Here's an idea: start with the playoffs and cut the season in half!

Except for game 4 there was some great baseball in this series. Pick-off plays, athletic double plays, a catcher who could actually throw people out trying to steal second. Back and forth scoring and 4 close games. This series had more pure baseball in 5 games than past ones had in 7 with their "personalities."

Give me real baseball and let the personality watchers tune in Dancing with the Stars.

Loved this series! New faces, different teams (finally), great plays, terrible calls by the officials, a game 5 time warp – i watched every minute. Long live Tampa!

It is not easy watching a bunch of millionaires playing any sport when people are losing their jobs, homes and savings. Bad timing for the market collapse. (And the blown calls by the umps didn't help.)

I was born in Philly and my wife was born in Tampa so, we were faithful watchers. I was surprised by the ratings, too as these were both great "underdog" stories.

Honestly...there are too many other things in the news that I am much more concerned about than a few baseball games. Maybe if this wasn't such a stressful time in the U.S. I would be able to relax and enjoy watching baseball.

Hey there.........I think baseball (and all the other sports) should be back in their original playing seasons. Summer is for baseball, etc.

Money money. It's ruining all sports. And timing. The games are just too darned late for youngsters (and us oldsters) to stay up so late to watch. I remember rushing home from school to catch the last few innings of each game. I agree with Mr. Garner. Heck I LOVE NHL hockey but they play the whole season to see who "misses" the playoffs. I mean an 82 game season and a potential 32 game playoff "season". Keep up the great work guys. Thanks,

I didn't care about this year's baseball national championship game. I gave up on watching baseball ever since their strike in the 1990's. To me, baseball will always be synonymous with fat, greedy, spoiled boys playing a game that is nothing more than 2 minutes of excitement crammed into three hours – boring!! Football is the only real sport.

for the exception of big hitting and some good pitching...the series was a joke run by clowns. MANY calls by the umps were key to this joke. this could have been a great series if there were accurate calls behind the plate. way to go umps, better go back to ump school or have a long talk w/HW (good luck).

The trouble with the World Series is that, like the entire baseball season, it's a "series" of games. It's not until, at the very least, Game 4 that a team is faced literally with a must-win scenario. A best of seven series seems ridiculous. So, much like professional basketball, the drama is removed from the spectacle. Also, like basketball, it seems the season never ends. A lot of these games don't matter, and that's why you see so many empty seats. Baseball season should end in August. Isn't it a little chilly for baseball out there? Quit getting in the way of football season baseball.

The National Football League is so popular as every game matters until both teams are knocked out of the playoffs. As per the NFL playoffs, every time there is a kickoff you are a presented with a win or go home scenario. That's high-drama and promises that the players will bring their best every week. That's why the crowd follows. That's why a Monday Night Football game on ESPN will garner more viewers than Game 4 or Game 5 of the World Series!

I used to be a baseball fanatic and would not think of missing a World Series game. But I became disenchanted by the greed. The last prolonged strike was the final straw. I discovered life after baseball. I've not seen a World Series nor All Star game since. I just don't care anymore.

I WAS THRILLED THAT THE PHILLIES WON! THEY HAVE BEEN MY TEAM FOR 50+ YEARS ALTHOUGH I LEFT PA (LANCASTER) 40 YEARS AGO! THE LAST TIME THEY WON IN 1980-MY GRANDFATHER HAD DIED IN APRIL AND MY FATHER WAS VERY ILL AND WOULD DIE A FEW WEEKS LATER. BOTH WERE AVID PHILLIES FANS AND I WAS ALWAYS SAD THEY DIDN'T GET TO SEE THEIR TEAM WIN. BUT I DID AND THOUGHT OF THEM!! THANK YOU PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES!! GOD BLESS YOU AND PHILADELPHIA.

Maybe it was the lowest rated World Series, but guess what it 's the WORLD SERIES!!!!!! Something that little boys and their families used to watch to escape everyday B.S. and dream that maybe one day that little boy could be out on that field, so not only were the ratings low, but CNN gave it a whole .30 seconds coverage. Instead we get to see Sarah Palin hanging in effigy & drunk golfers at Hooters, now thats news-worthy, no wonder our society is falling apart at the seams. Come on Guys, there's not too much positive going on these days, you could have given it more time and some highlights, instead of " its the lowest rated W.S.". If one of these players were caught doping we would never hear the end of it. Well, onto more positive comments... Congrats to the Rays on your exceptional season. ( Joe Madden...You are a class act & all the best in 2009.). And to the 2008 WORLD CHAMPIONS OF BASEBALL....CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!! You have made the city of Philadelphia prouder than you will ever know with your actions not only on, but also off the field. WAY TO GO GUYS...can't wait for 2009.

ONE HAPPY PHILLY GIRL

Bud Selig who gave us the year with no World Series,
the tie All-Star game, has now recreated the rules of
baseball once again. He deserves a special place in
Cooperstown.

10 Years before the past ten years that I lived in Philly, home was Florida. Pulling for a new team was easy if you're not a devoted fan. But after moving and living here in PA real devoted fans actually live here. When I hear a sports caster in Atlanta say he was "pulling for the Rays" it makes me think how fake the media is, and how it's so easy it is for the losing teams "fans" complain. The Phillies didn't stop the game for the rain, and even if you tried to put Tampa's loss on that, would it have mattered? I suppose it does to those faux fans.
The bull pen is what won the game. Go check out the facts, start reading the stats, It will start making sense that the wait is truly sweet when you become become a real phan of your "OWN" home team.

It's pathetic, but speaking as a Cub's fan, just couldn't find the enthusiasm for the World Series. I really tried, as I love baseball, but it was like watching paint dry. Disappointing as both teams really had a great story, and I tried very hard to get into it, but after five minutes found myself switching channels. Oh well, back to football.

I watch you guy’s everyday. To hear your negative bias towards the Phillies is unbelievable. You say this was a Weird series and the ratings stunk. That blame falls on squarely on the greedy shoulders of FOX. They could have moved up the starting times of any of the games had they chose to do so based on the weather forecasts. They chose not to do that. They put themselves in front of the integrity of the game to keep their prime time slot. The joke of a commissioner should have stopped that game in the 4th inning when it was obvious to everyone watching that conditions were unplayable. He decided with FOX to keep playing and give Tampa every chance to tie the game. Once they did, he halted play. He changed the rules to help one team. You should look at what the Phillies accomplished. They came from 3.5 games behind the stinking NY Mets to win the NL East, and then all but swept all the “Favored” opponents they faced losing only 1 game in each of the 3 series. What other team did that? You have turned a great sports accomplishment by a great team into a side story about what the networks and the MLB created. You need to apologize to the Phillies and all of their fans. This was a low blow on your part.

I like to see you put this on the air but you probably will not because you would have to admit you were wrong.

Mike C
Philadelphia

First thing they have to do is start the game earlier. They end way too late. 8 o'clock start should be an 8pm start. Not 8:37pm or what they were doing. And speed up the game. When a regular 9 inning game in the playoffs are longer than football games something has gone wrong.

The kids who they want as fans later on can't stay up night after night past 11:30pm for baseball. Smarten up.

Hey, wait a minute....Is the World Series over???? I hope I didn't miss anything "historical"...

may be if base ball followed nascar and put the teams where the people are looking the the games on T V then thay mite fill the seats.

but the big money owners live in the big citys and do not care if people want a winning team or not.
they do not build the place to play they just take in the money and screw the tax-payers by charging them to come to a place they built