Early Ratings For 2013 World Series Very Weak

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it...

We know that no one noticed when the Giants won their recent titles. Same goes for this year's contest:

By any measure, the 2013 World Series should be a big television draw. The Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals are historic franchises with terrific national followings, and they're attractive teams with great pitching and plenty of interesting storylines.

So why is this Fall Classic getting a relative ho-hum reaction from baseball fans, who are delivering another series of mediocre overnight TV ratings and appear to be spending more time at the water cooler actually drinking water than talking baseball?

This is not a new phenomenon. National TV viewership of the World Series took a dramatic fall in 2005 and reached an all-time low last October. The ratings have edged up some over the first five games this year, helped by a couple of crazy finishes over the weekend, but this Series still is on pace to post the third-worst average audience since Major League Baseball's postseason moved to prime time.

There are a number of variables you have to consider if you're trying to make sense of that. The baseball postseason now competes with pro football three nights a week instead of one. The NFL kicked off Sunday Night Football on NBC in 2006 and recently expanded its Thursday Night Football schedule to 13 weeks, which, along with an expanded prime-time college schedule, has to explain some fragmentation of the sports viewership.

MLB magnified that with the decision to go to a one-weekend World Series format in 2007, starting on a Wednesday (instead of a Saturday) and putting Game 5 in direct competition with Monday Night Football.

Of course, ratings are also driven by the size of the TV markets that take baseball's biggest stage, but that appears to be only a factor in the modest variability of the recent numbers. The proof of that may be found in the last World Series before the big 2005 ratings drop-off, which matched up the same two teams vying for the world championship this year and which drew nearly twice the average number of viewers per game.

Maybe it's that no one cares about the Red Sox and Cardinals. Chew on that, Mr. Selig.

Congratulations, Boston Red Sox

And THAT'S what you get for breaking our guy's ribs, St. Louis.

Congratulations Boston, as we know you've been through some difficult times in 2013.

Now shave those damn beards.

Scoreboard Watching: World Series Game 6: Clinching Team vs. Underdog, 4.30p

Michael Wacha (1-0. 3.00). vs. John Lackey (0-1, 3.68).

I still want both teams to lose. But maybe this torture can end tonight.

Brilliant Column on The Cardinal Way vs. Red Sox Nation

Pitchers & Poets is back (at The Classical)! And Eric Nusbaum has written another insightful piece, one that puts baseball worship in its place. Not even going to quote from it because you should read the whole thing:

• Pitchers & Poets: The Ritual Game (The Classical)

Scoreboard Watching: World Series Game 5: Massachusetts @ Missouri, 5p

#HowGame5WillEnd
Adam Wainwright (0-1, 5.40) vs. John Lester (1-0, 0.00)

Is this really still going on?

Scoreboard Watching: World Series Game 3: Beards @ Shards, 4:30p

Jake Peavy (12-5, 4.17) vs. Joe Kelly (10-5, 2.69)

The next installment in the Bitter Party makes for an interesting story line. Wait, there's really only one story line:

Now is your time to avenge the Joe Kelly pitch to HanRam's ribs, Red Sox. Do it. We'll owe you one and we certainly have your back against the hated Shards.

David Ortiz checks in at first base while Mike Napoli sits based on the NL rules. Pivotal game, and it should be a great one. Sam Adams up, everyone!

This will also serve as your comments thread for UCLA at Oregon, Stanford at Oregon State, and South Carolina at Missouri Game Thread. However, no comments re: Furman vs. LSU are welcome here.

ps- Sorry for the anti-Cards vibe around here, @DiamondFischer! We still love you.

Scoreboard Watching: World Series Game 2: Birds @ Beards, 5p

John Lackey (0-0, -.--) vs. Michael Wacha (0-0, -.--)

Going into this World Series, my hope was that the Cardinals would polish off the Sox. That way, I could at least say the Dodgers were beaten by a good team and the eventual champs. After last night's clusterfuck, it's clear that the Cards are AWFUL and we should have beaten them. I'm all pissed off again. So, now I just want the Sox to sweep so we can get into offseason moves sooner. BRING ON DAT HOT STOVE.

Then again, Wacha is starting for the Cards, so this just figures to drag on and on and on.

Why can't I have nice things?

Scoreboard Watching: Arrogant vs. Conceited (World Series Game 1), 4.30p

I'll let you figure out which is which.

Adam Wainwright (19-9. 2.94) vs. Jon Lester (15-8, 3.75).

Odds To Win The 2013 World Series (July 1, 2013)

The Dodgers might be in last place in the NL West, but according to the newest odds to win the World Series, we are tied for the best odds in the division:

Detroit Tigers 13/2
St. Louis Cardinals 15/2
Atlanta Braves 8/1
Boston Red Sox 11/1
Texas Rangers 11/1
Oakland Athletics 12/1
Pittsburgh Pirates 12/1
Cincinnati Reds 14/1
Baltimore Orioles 16/1
Toronto Blue Jays 16/1
Washington Nationals 16/1
Arizona Diamondbacks 22/1
Los Angeles Dodgers 22/1
San Francisco Giants 22/1
Los Angeles Angels 25/1
New York Yankees 25/1
Tampa Bay Rays 25/1
Cleveland Indians 28/1
Colorado Rockies 40/1
San Diego Padres 40/1