World Series: Tainted by Television?

As all us baseball fans know, the World Series is currently in a state of stormy limbo.

Game 5 between the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays began Monday night in Philadelphia, and is still not over. It was suspended in the middle of the 6th inning due to a nasty winter rain, which has continued today, even turning into snow in some parts of Philly. The game is scheduled to resume Wednesday night.

This comes on the heels of Saturday's Game 3 delayed by 91 minutes for rain and not beginning until nearly 10 PM Eastern time.

The decision to suspend the game ultimately was in the hands of Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. There is mixed reaction not only to his decision, but a number of factors that some say tied Selig's hands.

One main culprit being pointed out is the game's late start (8 PM Eastern). The weather was pleasant during the day on Monday, and the forecasts leading up to the game suggested it would be so up until the evening. So, why not just switch the game to the afternoon?

The media, particularly the Fox Network, that's why.

Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer boldly wrote today that the game was a "farce" and should have been stopped when the rain first began in the 3rd or 4th inning. He emphasized the point that in a regular-season game, the stoppage would have come quickly, or the game would have been moved. But, since Fox insists on scheduling games to start in prime-time, there was nothing that could be done.

"In October, the game went on," Sheridan said. "And Major League Baseball should be ashamed for allowing its most important game of the year to deteriorate into an embarrassing mess because of slavish obedience to its pimp, the Fox Television Network."

Oh, snap!

Gary Shelton of the St. Petersburg Times, hometown paper of the Rays, also expressed his displeasure (albeit less brash), saying this:

"Doesn't Major League Baseball think more of its sport than that? After a while, isn't someone concerned about the players' safety? Is the love of ad revenues so great? (Check that. It's a silly question.)"

Well, of course, the newspapers of both teams are going to be upset with MLB and Fox, but no one from Fox itself is going to have the fortitude to call them out on it, right?

Wrong.

FoxSports.com's Senior Baseball Writer, Ken Rosenthal, called out his own bosses. Here are a few of his gems:

"I can't believe I'm writing this, but Major League Baseball needs a reminder and maybe even a kick to the head."

"World Series games should not start anywhere near 10 p.m. ET."

"Yes, I work for FOX, but someone please tell me: How exactly was the late start good for the game?" (Referring to Game 3)

So, what do you think?

*Does the media have too much power in sports?

*What reaction will Fox have to Rosenthal's loyalty to the citizen over his own employers?

*Does this impact Fox's journalistic credibility? Do they want any?