[52] Games 5, 6, and 7 are the same but the players get no cut. (Apparently this is because MLB did not want players to have a financial incentive to throw games so as to get more gate money!) You can read this yourself — it’s on the next page of the MLB rules doc I linked.

Verlander pretty much stated that as far as he’s concerned, this is an exhibition game and fans want to see hard fastballs, not perfect games. What has he got to lose anyway, his team stinks this year and unless their quality of play does a 180, they are little better than Kansas City as far as the playoffs are concerned. Why should he go all out for a team (like the Yankees) and give them the advantage in the World Series?

This is the level of constant denial in Selig that disturbs me to no end; he’s living in a utopia where all players are pulling for each other regardless of affiliation and AL/NL league pride that barely or no longer exists trumps team standings personal needs. While Jeter may be playing for AL pride, Verlander is not; Verlander has much more control over the flow of the game and has nothing to gain or lose by being masterful in a game of artificial importance. What it does though is handicap the team that does go into the WS with perhaps a stronger record than the opponent by taking away home field advantage.

And if you use the argument that home field advantage is overrated, then what’s the point of making the All Star Game the deciding factor? It was Selig’s personal overreaction to a tie game, and the irrationality that followed rendered this game even more irrelevant to the players, never mind the fans this was supposed to appeal to.

Ah, what’s the use, no one’s listening anyway…

I can’t stand Mike Lupica.
He’s best buddies with Fred and Jeff Wilpon and a Boston College grad, main reasons he’s been trashing the Yankees for the last 20 years.
But we have a chance to get back at him with immediate gratification.
He has a radio show on ESPN (1050 am and 98.7 FM) every weekday from noon to 1 p.m. EST. You can also listen online at http://espn.go.com/espnradio/newyork/play.
And of course, he continues to bash the Yankees – always mentioning payroll, killing A-Rod, saying the Mets are the best New York team etc..blah. blah.
Let’s all call him at 1-800-919-ESPN (3776) as much as possible and get on his Yankee-hating!
He’s been flustered by some angry Yank fan calls. We can get him good! Let’s do it!

Geeky baseball fun here that ends on a perfect note:
http://what-if.xkcd.com/1/

CLUBS—COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE.

(1) World Series. After the fifteen percent payable to the Office of the Commissioner and the sixty percent which forms the players’ pool in the first four games of the World Series, as required by Rule 45(b)(1)(A), the balance of the gate receipts shall be equally divided between the two participating Major League Clubs.

That’s rule 45 (c) (1) on p. 125 of the document you can find here at the Biz of Baseball site.

Hmm, Salmon, Trout. Are the Angels going to pick a Bass next?

The article also cites leaked documents obtained by Deadspin showing that team revenues amount to about $2 million per post-season game (but that’s a bit complicated because the teams in question did not play long series, and the teams reap much more in long series because the players get paid only for the first four games!). Not per home game — just per game.