The MLB playoffs are now in full swing and I frankly couldn't care less.  As life passes by and I get older, my priorities change frequently.  Things once important have taken a backseat to new pressures, passions and pastimes.

But why?

Over the past couple of weeks, I have asked myself this question on a number of occasions.  As sports have become less and less important to me, I find no sport has suffered as steep of a decline in interest as Baseball.  This worries me. Baseball is supposed to be the thinking man's game.  The cat and mouse.  Pitcher vs. Batter.  Am I getting dumber?

Baseball has never been my favorite sport by any stretch of the imagination.  I'm not like my brother Jim who every season dutifully orders the MLB package on Cable Television (also known as 162 Games of Torture for Mets fans), but I can remember even a few short years ago where it was a solid second on my Sports hierarchy.  I was no fanatic, but there is no way in hell that I would miss playoff games on TV.

No longer. The other night, I knew that the playoffs were on with some pretty good matchups.  Certainly, my interest could be piqued by Angels-Red Sox or Cardinals-Dodgers.  But no.  Instead, I sat on my couch reading Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty by Jeff Pearlman.  I don't even like the Cowboys.  What is wrong with me?  Could it be that reading about Michael Irvin stabbing a teammate in the neck with scissors (is that really how that's spelled?) is that much more interesting than 9th inning heroics?  Could be.

Maybe it's my sports ADD.  The DVR sure makes watching football and basketball much easier.  Free throw? Fast forward.  In between snaps? Fast forward. But for some reason, it just doesn't transfer to baseball.  I hit fast forward and end up missing the home run or the strikeout and then I get frustrated.

You know what?  I've decided that the blame doesn't rest on my head.  No.  I'm blaming Baseball itself.  First off, why would they have players stop taking steriods?  Steroids made the game fun and exciting.  Purists can bitch all they want, but I defy you to find a better period than the Steriod Era as far as excitement and record breaking are concerned.  Second, they just allow too many pitching changes.  Why don't they follow one of the only cool things about soccer and limit the amount of substitutions?  Who doesn't want to see more complete games pitched?  Like home runs, complete games are cool.  Third, why don't they add all the instant replay needed to get the calls right?  It's just retarded.  You have the technology, why not use it?  I mean, are you really that concerned with slowing the game down?  Obviously, pace is not an issue as you allow teams to substitue pitcher after pitcher after pitcher.  Get the calls right.

I'm sorry, Baseball.  But I'm pulling an opposite George Costanza. It's not me.  It's you.

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