Addressing the rain delay issue

The Boston Globe tackles Spitting Seeds' position on baseball's Waterlogged decision making Monday night: get something in writing so this doesn't happen again.

There is expected to be discussion this winter on what some see as a flaw that has fallen through the cracks in the 105-year history of the World Series.

The fact that commissioner Bud Selig said he had sole discretion to suspend Game 5 no matter what the score seemed like seat-of-the-pants manage ment that doesn't cast Major League Baseball in the best light.

This needs to be sorted out.

A's under knife

Daric Barton and Greg Smith have undergone offseason surgical procedures. Barton's to repair a hip injury, Smith's to clean out his pitching elbow. Smith's surgery is less significant than Barton's, as the A's first baseman could be sidelined for three months. Good thing baseball is sidelined for three-plus months until spring training.

Vincent on Selig's missteps

Fay Vincent does not mince words when talking about Bud Selig's errors during Monday's game five.

"I agree with those who say that (playing in those conditions) was just too dangerous. It wasn’t baseball that was being played, and for my money it would have been better to have canceled it long ahead of time and come back and play a full nine-inning game in better weather . . . They weren’t really playing baseball (Monday) night in that weather and I don’t think anybody was getting anything out of it. I think it was unfortunately it was an attempt to get the game in for a variety of reasons — all of which are economic — one regrets that because baseball deserves better."

I'm not sure they were trying to get the game in as much as they were trying to avoid scorn over a rain-shortened World Series victory. That said, it's a good thing Vincent spoke out on Selig's folly.

Drabek back on track

Doug Drabek's son, Kyle, is attempting a comeback from major injury at the ripe old age of 20. The former first-round draft pick looks pretty good.

Eyre not on the side of Selig

Scott Eyre doesn't care much for Bud Selig, either.

Cashman on Joba: very little

Brian Cashman plays the boring card in his first public comments on Joba Chamberlain's run in with the law.

"He's part of our family," Cashman said. "We're going to support him, but at the same time, he knows that stuff like this can't happen."

Nebraska police arrested Chamberlain on Oct. 18 for suspicion of driving under the influence, speeding and carrying an open container of alcohol in his vehicle. Chamberlain faces a court date next month, and Cashman wouldn't comment on whether or not the Yankees plan to independently discipline their pitcher.

"The police are out there doing a good job," Cashman said. "Obviously, on that day, they showed up and did good, stopping Joba from putting himself and other people further in harm's way."

Yawn.

We don't need to shrink the regular season

Just because there's a little weather this year, one Atlanta Journal Constitution writer thinks it is time to re-examine Bud Selig's wishes to shorten the regular season.

ll baseball had to do was listen to Selig and do something such as go from 162 games to 154 in the regular season. Then the division series would begin no later than the last week of September instead of early October. Then you wouldn’t have what you have now: A World Series featuring television ratings dropping as fast as the temperature in Philadelphia.

With game-time temperatures slated for the low 40s (with the wind-chill factor in the upper 20s) tonight, the Phillies are scheduled to hit in the bottom of the sixth inning during their suspended Game 5 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

No, that's not necessary. If baseball starts on April 1st, and gets the regular season in by the end of September, shrinks the off days in the postseason to one day between series and has weekend world series day games, well, then life is good in baseball again.