World Series stories we can do without

October 28, 10:38 AMBoston Baseball ExaminerSteve Weissman

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The 2009 World Series hasn’t even yet begun, and already there are stories surrounding this tilt between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies that this observer can just as well do without.

1. This isn’t a “rematch.” The last time these two clubs met in the Fall Classic was in 1950 – meaning that the memories of that contest are old enough to possess AARP membership cards.
2. It’s completely unimportant that the Yankees haven’t been in the Series since 2003. In this, they’re like nearly every other team in the majors! Just makes it that much more special to know that the Red Sox have won it twice in that same span …
3. Speaking of which … we know we just observed the fifth anniversary of the day in 2004 that the Red Sox won it all for the first time in 86 years. Can we focus instead on the fact that on that same date in 2009 the Series hadn’t yet even begun? It’s just plain ridiculous that the so-called “Summer Game” won’t wrap up until early November.
4. We also know that it’s ridiculous the DH is used in some of the games (those played in the American League park) and not the others (those played at the National League venue). An AP poll just put a fine point on it, reporting that 38% of respondents want to ditch the DH in the Series while 34% wanted it used throughout. The remainder preferred things remain as they are, and, sadly, they are likely to get their wish. So can we stop talking about it already?
5. Setting game times for “before 8 o’clock” is hardly worth celebrating. For one thing, scheduling first pitches to be thrown at 7:57 barely qualifies. And for another, it does little to address one of baseball’s most critical issues (so sayeth yours truly): the need to attract and commit young fans to the sport to ensure a large loyal following into the future. It matters little to an 8-year-old on a school night whether the games start at 8:00 or 8:30 – he or she ain’t gonna watch ‘til the end anyway.
6. Yes, it would be nice if the Yankees were to win this one for The Boss, George Steinbrenner. Whatever your opinion of the man’s outsized presence and one-time tendency to meddle, the truth of the matter is that the man simply wanted to win. It wasn’t his fault that he bought a team in the biggest media market in the country and used his baked-in revenue advantage to regularly achieve a competitive edge. And now that he’s ailing, it would be fitting, if frustrating for Phillies fans and Yankee-haters worldwide, for his club to bring him another championship.

The Phillies are really good, but the Yankees can be great, and they open at home. Prediction: New York in 6.