[marbles]

"Forget what the unions want, what the small markets want and what the Steinbrenners want."

--Hard to do, since that sentence pretty much summarizes every problem baseball faces today.

IMO, MLB is doomed as "America's pasttime," and seriously on the ropes as a major american sport. Here in Milwaukee (rich in baseball tradition, believe it or not), MLB has become little more than a passing curiosity. I get a similar vibe when I talk to friends in KC and Minneapolis (except when the Twins are winning, of course), and assume the same goes for the other noncompetitive "small markets."

Fortunately, the best thing that could happen to baseball in the long-run is what is going to happen: A wide-scale implosion. I would not be surprised (nor disappointed, for that matter) to see 10-12 teams either fold or move within the next 10 years. I assume that should be enough to wake up all of the key players mentioned in your sentence.