This weekend our collective attention turns to the national pastime, football.
Football replaced baseball on the mantle about 20 years ago. Baseball continues to lag. Today, college football goes into full swing, the NFL opener is days away and high school football will soon begin here.
Sadly, baseball is becoming a regional sport. It's huge in the Northeast, has its Midwest pockets and has a large following in L.A. But what is the rest of America watching in the fall? Football.
Look at baseball's biggest story, the Tampa Bay Rays. They are in the middle of the football-hungry South and were averaging 21,101 a game entering Friday. Even worse, the Rays drew fewer than 15,000 a game this past week.
That can be called an anomaly, but baseball should take a cue from its minor leagues and shorten its season dramatically. Why not start the playoffs next month as the River Cats and Pacific Coast League do?
Is that raising the white flag to football? Maybe, but a shortened season would give baseball a fighting chance at this time of the year and eliminate frigid October playoff games.
So, as you walk through the turnstiles at Sacramento State or watch the Cal game on TV, ask yourself: What did baseball do to lose you?
What to do
Humboldt St. at Sac State, 6:05 p.m., Hornet Stadium. If you are going to support the Hornets, then start here. What to watch
Michigan State at Cal, 5 p.m., Ch. 10. Let's see if Kevin Riley can get the Bears further than Nate Longshore.
What to surf
sacstatehornets.wordpress.com Yes, there is a Sac State football blog, and it has some very off-the-wall stuff.
Friday's results
American League
• Twins 12, A'S 2
• Yankees 2, Blue Jays 1
• Tigers 6, Royals 3
• Red Sox 8, White Sox 0
• Mariners 3, Indians 2
• Rays 14, Orioles 3
• Angels 3, Rangers 1
National League
• Reds 11, GIANTS 7
• Cubs 3, Phillies 2
• Brewers 3, Pirates 1
• Mets 5, Marlins 4
• Nationals 7, Braves 3
• Astros 3, Cardinals 2
• D-backs 9, Dodgers 3
• Rockies 9, Padres 4
NFL exhibition games
• Chargers 20, 49ERS 17
• Seahawks 23, RAIDERS 16
• Broncos 28, Cardinals 14
The last word
What you're saying on the sacbee.com comments:
• "I will buy a Jamba Juice for every online Bee reader if (Bobby) Jackson plays in more than 50 games this season." – MichaelRShenanigan on "Jackson all about doing the right thing"
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.