It being the season of giving and receiving and all that, I felt it would be a good time to ask Santa Closer (the holiday specialist) for a baseball fantasy wish list for 2010. We’re talking serious fairy dust here, so I’ll be happy if even one of these comes true.<\/p>\n
Wish 1: For two World series games to be played in God’s sunshine on a Saturday and Sunday afternoon. In October. Networks need not be afraid of pigskin conflicts; baseball fans will tune in regardless.<\/p>\n
Wish 2: For a fun, totally meaningless All-Star game again, with World Series home field going to either the pennant winner with the best record or the league with the better cumulative record in interleague play.<\/p>\n
Wish 3: For Roy Halladay to be rewarded for his many years of brilliant, fruitless Toronto work with a chance to shine in a Phillie postseason.<\/p>\n
Wish 4: For ESPN or Fox to ditch just one of their 15 prime-time Red Sox-Yankees telecasts and show a Rockies-Brewers battle. (I did say these were fantasies, right?)<\/p>\n
Wish 5: For Tim Raines and Bert Blyleven to be elected to the Hall of Fame, along with Bill James, the most influential figure in the sport since Marvin Miller.<\/p>\n
Wish 6: For the Cubs to hire an exorcist already.<\/p>\n
Wish 7: For MLB to speed up games by a) limiting mound conferences, b) reducing time between pitches to 15-20 seconds, c) letting the home plate ump raise four fingers for an instant intentional walk, and d) Losing “God Bless America” during the 7th inning stretch.<\/p>\n
Wish 8: For batters to be slapped with hefty league fines for not running hard out of the box.<\/p>\n
Wish 9: For all scoreboards that tell fans when to cheer to be dismantled.<\/p>\n
Wish 10: For the 29 other teams to ignore Milton Bradley when he wears out his Seattle welcome in August and let him become the crazy homeless person he aspires to.<\/p>\n
Wish 11: For Joe Mauer to re-sign with Minnesota to prevent the next eight consecutive Yankee pennants.<\/p>\n
Wish 12: For Vin Scully’s last telecasts to be streamed live on the Internet and become mandatory viewing for all future baseball broadcasters.<\/p>\n
And to all…a good night.<\/p>\n