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Peter,

A great post-season, especially the World Series -- MLB really needed that, too, IMO.

As for your 10 wishes, my fearless (and utterly useless) predictions -- given my track record, the smart money will bet against every one of my prognostications.

1. I think they will.

2. Call me silly, but I think he will. I really do hope so.

3. Agree that it was a great victory, but I don't think they're going to change it. Interleague play has killed the All Star Game and they can't think of anything else to make it meaningful. What's your proposal? I think the alternating system was fairer than what we have now.

4. They won't be quite as ridiculous as they were with A-Rod . . . but will still be ridiculous. I'm thinking 6 years, at an average annualized rate that exceeds the current maximum average annualized rate for a pitcher (whoever has that) by 1 million/year.

5. Heck, I have no idea. Every year seems to have a surprise team unexpectedly come out of nowhere. Maybe next year is the Pirates' turn. As Phil Rizzuto might have put it, they're "due".

6. I hopes so. I've got a feeling the hype will not be quite as overblown as it was about Dice-K . . . but still overdone. Heck, it's already been overdone. Added bonus prediction: The posting fee will be less than for Dice-K. Extra added bonus prediction (they're cheap . . .): He'll be less of a disappointment than Dick-K, but still not worth the posting fee. But at least he'll be less tedious to watch (not hard to achieve).

7. Not gonna happen. Upper management in any organization is always the same: We get the credit for all the good stuff that happened, they get the blame for all the bad stuff that happened. I may be jaded, but then again, I've been in the corporate world too long. I've also seen the MO of too may politicians.

8. Hughes and Nova are in (of course), one (and only one) slot goes to one of the youngsters. They still don't trust the young 'uns enough.

9. MLB adds a second WC, and a one game playoff. The feeling is a best 2-of-3 leads to too much down time for the other teams. Also, the players would probably insist on a 154 game schedule, which the owners will not consider. I'd prefer to go back to 2 divisions and eliminate the WCs altogether, but that ain't happening (too much lost $$$).

10. The Astros are going to the AL, as a condition of the sale to the new owner, necessitating more Interleague play, not less -- because the owners will not accept that on any given night, one team has to be idle. I'd like to get rid of Interleague altogether, but again, that ain't happening.

If I may add my own wish (which also ain't happening): MLB picks one day of the week and makes it an off day, either Mondays or Thursdays as these tend to be the days with the fewest scheduled games, on average. I read an article on one of the major sports websites earlier this year touting this and I found it compelling.

Reasons:

1. It's a long season, a tough grind. Players could use the rest. Yes, they get paid a lot of money but that doesn't mean they don't get tired.

2. It was done (according to the author) for quite a number of years decades back, so there is a precedent that worked.

3. It just might make scheduling easier, though I'm not really sure that's the case.

4. It builds in some buffer space for rescheduling games due to inclement weather. I think if this approach were adopted and players had to choose between making up a game during the off day or playing a double header, they'd prefer to lose the off day.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you and Andy, and all the other contributors, for another enjoyable season visiting your website. I'm sure it's a lot of work, it's a thankless job and it gets tedious at times -- so I'd like you to know it is very much appreciated.

And far be it from me to lend solace to Red Sox fans, but there's always next year guys, and it'll be here sooner than you think (that's how it works when you get older). Heck, Winter's coming tomorrow. They're forecasting 5-8" of snow here in my corner of northern NJ, and more in parts of New England.

Greg

Thanks so much for the kind words. Comments like that and readers like you, are the reason I do this.

I like your off day idea and you are right, they used to do it, but that was when they played doubleheaders regularly. Even as late as the 60's, teams were playing more than 20% of their games as DH's. Of course this was also an era when drawing 1-million fans to the park in a season was a big deal.

The problem is going to be the 162-game schedule. If you contest the baseball season over six months, that leaves you with 182 days to fit in 162 games. Now if you could somehow get the owners to agree to go back to the 154 game schedule, your idea works. (26 weeks with 1 day off a week, leaves you with 156 days to schedule 154 games.) You said not happening, but I don't think it is necessarily that bleak because I have heard the return to a 154 game schedule mentioned previously. Still a long shot, but better odds than most of the stuff I wished for!

I love #9.

From Peter and my responses:
As we head into the offseason, here are my ten wishes:

1- MLB and the players union figure out a way to avoid the missteps of the NFL and the NBA and sign a new deal before the current one expires in December. Or at least before pitchers and catchers are due to report.

Never happen. Too many people with hands out starting with the agents. Unions and sports teams fight, thats what they do.

2- Albert Pujols takes a page from the "Book of Jeter" and realizes that he should be a Cardinal for life.

Could happen, however I wish he moves on, lands somewhere else. Don't like the Cardinals

3- MLB realizes that as great as the Cardinals victory was, deciding homefield in the World Series based on the All-Star Game winner is unfair to everyone.

I think a spring training tournament to decide home field would be best :)

4- The Yankees don't negotiate against themselves with CC Sabathia and remember the mistake they made with A-Rod.

I've said it before, no boat needs extra anchors, you already have Arod, possibly some Jeter and likely some Texiera anchors. That is enough, CC should move on in his greed.

5- The Pirates have a great offseason that sets them up to finish well over .500 in 2012

see CC moving on above

6- I don't read another thing about Yu Darvish being a phenom until he actually faces some major league hitting.

saw that his stats are even better than Dice-K's last Japanese season, who wouldn't drop $100m on this guy?

7- Boston ownership stops cowering behind the press and either comes out and makes their accusations directly or puts a cork in it.
not in their makeup to do it directly, it is what it is

8- The Yankees remember all of those young pitchers they have been developing on the farm when they plan for 2012.

too many teams to assume one team has plenty of future MLB pitching stars. Fallout rate is always high and guesswork tough. Trade them for former all-stars in decline please

9- MLB either eliminates the wild card or creates a second one in each league and a wild card round of the playoffs, best-of-3, to make winning the division important again.
3 or 1, sounds good

10- Interleague play is scaled way back and the Astros stay where they belong- in the NL.
eliminated would be better than scaled back

Thanks for your support during another season. I'll be back later this weekend with some more about Sabathia and the opt out, which must be exercised by midnight Monday.

Thank you and Andy, one of only a handful of sites I visit EVERY day

BL-

As always, thanks for all your support.

Your comments made me laugh, especially #2 (Cards eliminated the Braves a month ago, time to let it go!) #6 (at least your team didn't drop $50 million on a guy who won a grand total of 2 games for them) and #8 (I always enjoy the "love" Red Sox fans show the Yankees)

I think baseball will actually be smart this time around and avoid labor strife, but you are right about all the forces at work.

And I like your idea on #3. Really anything would be better than the current format.

my lack of support for the Cards isn't about them beating the Braves out, not at all. Roots are back in '46 and '67. While I don't personally remember those particular Series I do know a bit about the history and misfortunes of the RedSox prior to 2004. I also loathe LaRussa and hand a certain percentage of the blame for steroids to his doorstep. He benefited as much as the players using them. His Oakland teams needed steel cups to pee into for many of them burned right through those disposable Dixie Cups they likely used. Besides, hiring McGwire just isn't/wasn't right unless them man admitted what he used and came clean.

I think now that he won in St.Louis, Pujols moves on to the highest bidder (Cubs). CC might end up there too, you never know.

By that logic, I should hate them too for '26,'42 and '64.

I agree with you on LaRussa, never liked him back to when he was managing the White Sox.

But, I still hope Pujols stays in St. Louis. It's a classic franchise and deserves to keep it's iconic player.

yeah but those three years, teamed up with the couple of WS titles you won over the years probably don't inspire the same negative feelings some Sox fans have for the birds.

Was Larussa there when they wore the shorts in Chicago? That would be perfect.

Icons don't really exist anymore. Hoping for them is nice and all but $$$ rules all players. I have an ongoing conversation with a Yankee fan - whenever we discuss somebody as a free agent or whatever he tries the "isn't $xxx.x million enough, he may stay and take less" - one out of a thousand take a little less to stay in a town/city they like.

Pujols to Cubs. Theo will want to splash.

'26 would have hurt. The Yankees had only one title and Babe Ruth got thrown out trying to steal to end that World Series.

I know LaRussa took over in 1979, but I think that was after they wore the shorts.

Pujols is an icon, but I don't disagree with your comment about money being the motivator. However, I strongly, strongly doubt that Pujols would be able to call his own hit-and-runs on any other team. And, he should probably talk to A-Rod about taking the big $$ and going elsewhere.

Arod got a championship out of it, I would say it worked for him

Larussa quit...i mean retired.

BL

A-Rod got his ring, but he will never be confused with Jeter or Mariano. LeBron's a good example. He could have stayed in Cleveland and been adored, but he chose to go to Miami and take A-Rod's place on the "most-hated" list.

Smart move by Tony to get out on top. I wonder who manages the NL All-Stars now?

The White Sox wore their short pants in 1976. LaRussa did not manage them until 1979. I remember the short pants. They looked like a fine soccer team.

Although I generally don't much care for the Cardinals, I found them very compelling this post-season. They never quit. Plus, I was really, really happy they beat the Phillies. Never much liked LaRussa though - I always felt he took this "genius" stuff a little too seriously.

Greg

Thanks for clearing that up.

I agree that the Cards were very compelling this postseason. I've never minded them much, except I couldn't stand them in 1985, something about Jack Clark. For some reason, I rooted for the Royals in that series and then of course, Clark became a Yankee. Ugh!