New Rules!

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

According to Bill Madden in The Daily News, tie games have been eliminated. If a game is stopped by rain and the score is tied, when the game is made up it will be resumed. Previously the game was called a tie and the makeup game was started in the first inning.

Presumably there can still be tie games, since not all rainouts are made up. If the two teams are both out of the pennant race and won't face each other again, the tie would most likely stand.

This new rule will also apply to postseason games. So there will never again be another tie World Series game. (Not that that's happened in the last 90 years or so, if ever.)

Also another item in this morning's News mentioned that starting in 2007, the World Series will begin on Tuesday instead of Saturday. I'm not sure why they're doing that. With it starting on Saturday, you get the potential for two weekends of World Series baseball. Maybe it's because with the short Series we've been having, we haven't been getting to that second weekend. (Not since 2003.) Maybe they decided that they'd rather have those middle games in the weekend just in case the Series ends early.

Finally, TBS will be carrying the Division Series next year. I don't know what they'd do in the case that one game runs late and overlaps another. Would TNT play the role that ESPN2 and FX have played for ESPN and FOX? Or would innings potentially not get televised? That wouldn't be cool.

[MFS62]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: I don't know what they'd do in the case that one game runs late and overlaps another. Would TNT play the role that ESPN2 and FX have played for ESPN and FOX? Or would innings potentially not get televised?

EEK!
I just had a Heidi Game flashback.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

They decided to switch the WS starting date when they made the new TV deal a month or 3 back. Yeah the current format covers two weekends but that's part of the problem; Saturday night is the worst TV night of the week and that's where your opening and occasionally closing game would be under the present setup. Basically, they're trying to stem the ratings declines.


TBS is doing one of the LCSs but not the other (alternating w/FOX) so there's no danger of the two running into each other on the same channel.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

So I guess there will be a longer gap between the end of the LCS and the start of the World Series? They didn't mention similarly adjusting any of the other series.

[Frayed Knot]

No I think they are changing the whole timing including ending the season on a different day (other than Sunday) and then each of the playoff rounds but I'm not sure of the details.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

This will mean Friday night World Series games, which would never happen the old way, unless there was a makeup of a rainout.

The World Series will now be Tue-Wed, Fri-Sat-Sun, Tue-Wed.

Thursday is out, Friday is in.

That's for the better. One less late night during the school/work week.

[Frayed Knot]

It also saves the WS from having to compete with the networks' Thursday night ratings juggernaut shows ... and don't think THAT didn't enter the equation along the way.

[Willets Point]

MFS62 wrote: EEK! I just had a Heidi Game flashback. Later

Coincidentally enough played on Nov. 17 in 1968.

[HahnSolo]

There was something nice about Game 6s being on a Saturday night...there have been some great Game 6s since they went to this format in 1985, and you could always stay up without the worry of work the next day.

But I kind of like the change. There were always opportunities to miss Game one due to a Saturday commitment. Those aren't as likely on a Tuesday.

[Centerfield]

There is nothing worse than being invited to a stupid wedding while the World Series is going on. Especially when you have a bride that starts complaining and demanding you take the TV outside the church.

Of course, without the current format, I wouldn't have my favorite World Series Wedding story, so I can't complain.

[Guest Edgy DC]

New Rules!

Old Sucks!

[soupcan]

Centerfield wrote: my favorite World Series Wedding story...

Enlighten us please.

[seawolf17]

Who schedules a wedding during the World Series? Fools.

[HahnSolo]

]There is nothing worse than being invited to a stupid wedding

How do you feel about non-stupid weddings on World Series Saturdays?

[Centerfield]

I originally posted about it when it happened in 2001, but since we have a lot of new people...

At my old job, there was this guy...we�ll call him Doug. No one liked Doug. When a bunch of us would go out to lunch, Doug would always be short on money. And because he was short, rather than paying what he had, he would ask you to cover him promising to "get you next time". Doug would talk openly in front of the boss about how quiet the office is late at night even though the rest of us saw him duck out as soon as the boss�s taillights could no longer be seen from the window. And if you left the office before Doug, he would say stuff like "Half day Bob? Must be nice..." Doug was condescending to the support staff, mean to waiters/waitresses and would often take two spots in the parking lot because he couldn�t be bothered to park properly. He also had bad breath and repeated jokes.

But to his credit, Doug was a legitimate Yankee fan. When asked, he wasn�t sure if it was Randy Velarde or Tony Fernandez who played shortstop before Jeter, but knew it was one of them. In fact, he knew all the Yankees going back to the late 70's. No one could accuse Doug of being a bandwagon fan. This, of course, didn�t stop him from being annoying. Doug was very proud of his Yankee knowledge and would often accuse other Yankee fans of not being worthy because they didn�t remember Butch Wynegar. After Yankee wins he would walk around the office imitating John Sterling "The Yankees win, THUUUUUUH Yankees win." He would talk about the Yankees as if they were his close friends...Bernie, Paulie, and of course, Tino. When he scheduled his wedding in 2001, he made sure to schedule it one week after the World Series was over because he knew the Yanks would be in it ("Though I doubt they'll need to go to Game 7"). He bragged to us about his foresight. Doug was a really big fan.

As it turned out, in 2001 the baseball season was delayed a week because of 9/11. So when Doug got married, it coincided with Game 7 of the World Series...Diamondbacks versus Yankees. I wasn�t there, but people say when Soriano hit the HR off Schilling in the ninth, Doug was out of control. They say he yelled "It�s over baby! Mariano is automatic!" He even went as far as to say that the Yanks winning the World Series was a sign that his marriage would be a championship marriage. After all, as Doug pointed out, since he met his bride in 1998, the Yankees had not failed to win the championship.

A co-worker who was at the wedding says he will never forget that moment when Gonzalez�s floater carried into the outfield. He says he can�t adequately describe how eerie it is when entire wedding goes silent. Doug was close to tears...and while the Dbacks celebrated on the field, Mets fans and people who don�t like Doug tried to conceal their joy. Sometimes I like to think about the DJ trying to pick up the mood...turning on the music in a fruitless attempt to get everyone back to the dance floor. I wonder if Doug�s bride had any reservations about turning on the game in the first place, or whether she resents the Yankees or Doug for ruining her wedding. In any case, after putting up with Doug for many years, I think about this story and realize it was all worthwhile.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

How's that Championship Marriage working out?

[Guest Edgy DC]

She must resent him for so many things by now.

[metirish]

Great story....

[Willets Point]

My guess is that Doug blames the failure of his marriage on A-Rod.

[Centerfield]

I am no longer in touch with Doug, but I hear through the grapevine that the couple is doing well.

[metirish]

] After all, as Doug pointed out, since he met his bride in 1998, the Yankees had not failed to win the championship.

See maybe the marriage is doing well because the yankees have not won the WS since 2000.

[seawolf17]

That is a great story. Nice!

[soupcan]

Excellent.

It's always great when the bad guy gets his in the end.

Karma baby.

[Frayed Knot]

I missed large portions of WS Game 1 in 2003 (Yanx v Marlins) for a poorly timed wedding (non baseball fan cousin) plus much of this year's Gm 1 on account of the folks anniversary party (stunning lack of foresight in Oct '56 for failing to imagine that the then-unborn Mets would be on the verge of a late-Oct WS a half-century hence).

The one this year would have been interesting had the Mets, y'know .. been in it like they were supposed to be!!!! (not that I'm bitter or anything).
None of my extended family are baseball fans; basically just myself, my brothers & dad (the sisters and spouses don't object but wouldn't follow on their own).
But all of the cousins, aunts, uncles, etc who were at this party are non-NYers who didn't grow up with and don't follow baseball (only one exception). They are, however, aware of the NY chapter's baseball/NYM obsession and the party would have had an interesting division when game time rolled around -- nice to see you folks, thanks for coming all the way from SC, Cal, Hawaii, etc but there's a freakin game on!!

Instead, we got greetings and condolences at the same time and weren't forced to turn suddenly rude at 8:00

[nymr83]

Carlos Beltran refused to swing the bat out of concern for Frayed Knot's family harmony.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Frayed Knot wrote: TBS is doing one of the LCSs but not the other (alternating w/FOX) so there's no danger of the two running into each other on the same channel.

From the Associated Press:

]Under the deals, which begin next season, the World Series, All-Star games and Saturday afternoon regular-season telecasts remain on Fox. Turner Broadcasting System will show all first-round playoff games, and the two networks will share the NL and AL championship series, alternating leagues each year.

So hopefully TNT will be available as a backup if games overlap.

[nymr83]

League Championship games not on network television? this is a disaster.

[Willets Point]

They better have the postseason games on MLB.com if they're going to do this.