Wait! What? Parity is a Bad Thing?

I really like Mike and Mike; their radio show is probably one of the few things that everyone can agree is right about ESPN. I’m not a big basher of the World Wide leader, for the most part I don’t really see where all the hate is generated from, but that’s really neither here nor there. The Magazine is a big piece of garbage, this week’s cover had Ryan Sheckler on it for god’s sake, but I get it free with my Inside subscription, so I keep it in my bathroom and flip through it from time to time. Anyways, while I was giving it a meander the Mikes’ column caught my eye.

In case you aren’t familiar they take an issue and discuss it in a conversational manner. It’s usually pretty good, and I typically enjoy it, but this week I’m not so sure. This week’s ‘Big Question’ was: “Whom [sic] do Baseball’s Davids Hurt More, The Goliaths or the Game Itself?” The conversation centered on the Brewers and their push for a title. This, obviously, also spun off a sidebar about the acquisition of CC Sabathia, and how they possibly paralyzed the future growth of this team with their all or nothing approach.

“It’s definitely worth it, especially in an era in which the fans of small-market teams have been conditioned to believe they have no chance. The Brewers haven’t made the postseason since 1982. You don’t think those fans would wait another 25 years if they could just win it all this season?”

That’s a tough question to answer. Chances are most of them would do anything to win a Series after all those years, but it’s not that simple. Look, most of you are already well aware that I don’t think this trade was worth it, it’s no secret, but it’s just not that simple. Matt LaPorta is one of the top prospects in all of baseball, and putting Sabathia in the Green and Blue hardly translates in an automatic championship. If it did, then yes it was worth it, but it’s impossible to gauge now, especially since the Cubs have acquired Rich Harden and evened up the score.

It’s aggressive, and it shows the fans that they are dedicated to winning and appreciate the immediacy of the situation, but unless they win the Series, the deal has to be considered a bust. To simply make the playoffs would now have to be considered a catastrophic failure. Sabathia wasn’t rented to simply get them on the door step -no- he has to get them through that door and into the kitchen or else the future growth of this franchise was stunted for nothing.

The second part of the debate was this:

Greeny: “Would a Milwaukee-Tampa Bay World Series be a good thing for baseball?”

Golic: “It’s a good thing for baseball but a bad thing for Fox, which airs the World Series.”

Greeny: “If it’s bad for Fox, it’s bad for baseball. The recent NBA Finals wasn’t a great series, but the ratings were very strong because it was the Lakers and the Celtics. The reality is, Milwaukee and Tampa Bay could play seven extra-inning games decided by walk-ff home runs and it wouldn’t rate well. That’s just a fact. Parity in baseball is good; too much parity is bad.”

Ok, Tampa Bay’s magical season is suddenly a bad thing for baseball? Pardon me if I’m mistaken, it could just be my imagination, but for the first four months of the season I seemed as if I couldn’t escape the Rays. Everyone was pushing them, and the general consensus was that it was great for baseball. Even though I was inundated with stories, I didn’t want to escape them, not like I do with this whole Brett Favre soap-opera. So how is that a bad thing?

I see what Greenberg is saying. Any series without the Red Sox or one of the New York clubs is going to rate horribly with the casual fan, but too much parity is never going to be a bad thing. The real baseball fans want to see things mixed up a little bit, at least the ones outside of the aforementioned large markets. I’m tired of the Yankees and Red Sox, and I’d love nothing more than to see underdogs come out of nowhere to slay them. That’s what makes sports special, and anyways people love the David’s of the world, that’s why everyone loves the NCAA tournament. Maybe two of them in the same series in markets devoid of a strong base wouldn’t help the ratings much, but so what? Let Selig and Fox worry about that.

Just take a look at the NFL, that league breeds parity like they need it to live, ask them how their bottom line looks right now. I just don’t get it. If every team had a shot at winning there would be more fan interest all around. It’s a fact that a winning club will draw better, if attendance is up that means more money for the league. Sure, maybe when all the chips are down, the ideal scenario wouldn’t consist of two small market clubs, but I wouldn’t quite say it’s bad for baseball.

I genuinely believe that people would be interested in the Rays if they were to make the Series, or maybe my view is jaded because I’m just a completely insane fan that writes about the sport for fun.