Diamondbacks-Rangers World Series will be great; problems in San Diego

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Embrace the novelty of a Rangers-Diamondbacks World Series already! Also: notes on the Padres losing Bob Melvin, a possible development in an antitrust case against MLB, and we examine a new pitching trend. I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to the Windup!

Thumbs up to D-Backs-Rangers World Series

“Let it go; it’s better than you think“

In his article today, Jeff Schultz calls this an “unappealing World Series.”

A disclaimer: yes, I covered the Texas Rangers from 2016 to 2022. So I invite you to take this with a grain of salt. But I respectfully disagree!

First, credit: Schultz does a good job of raising some valid questions about whether the playoff format hurt the teams with the best records. (Also of note — those teams all had flaws that were exposed under the playoff pressure cooker.)

He also allows room for differing opinions:

“… It’s worth reminding everybody what postseasons are all about. Drama. Upsets. Storylines. The fact the World Series matches two wild-card teams that each lost 100-plus games two seasons ago may not be considered must-watch TV for you, but there’s a fascinating element to it we should embrace, not drop-kick.”

But elsewhere, I’ve read tweets and articles bemoaning this as a bummer of a Fall Classic — won’t someone think of the precious ratings???

Ignoring for a moment that DFW is a top-five media market, I say: Embrace the novelty!

Would everyone prefer a repeat of 1936-1964, when the New York Yankees went to the World Series 22 times in those 29 years? Boooooring.

I’m sure Yankees fans disagree — and understandably so! It would be utterly ludicrous to suggest that any team (or their fans) should say, “Oh, no thank you. I’ve had my fill of success lately. Why don’t you have the pennant this year?”

But unless you are a shareholder at Fox (which is broadcasting the games), why do you care about ratings?

I love baseball. You love baseball, or you wouldn’t be subscribed to this newsletter. Sure, we all have teams we prefer to watch, but I am thrilled to get some October variety, even if it weren’t the Rangers.

Reds vs. Orioles in 2024? Heck yes. Marlins vs. Mariners, or Blue Jays vs. Brewers in 2025? Absolutely.

In a little over a week (at most), the 2023 baseball season will be over. Like it or not, these are the final games before the sport we love goes into hibernation. You can tune out, or you can pick a side, make a friendly bet with your neighbor, and watch Corbin Carroll and Adolis García light up the night.

How they were built: Chad Jennings has done us the favor of laying out how the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers went from triple-digit-loss teams to World Series squads.

Ken’s Notebook:  All was not…