The option of contraction?

As my brother, Warren, and I watch ESPN's preview of the Bronx Invitational, err...the World Series, we were just talking about all things baseball when he came up with an interesting question.

"Hey bro," he said while frantically trying to decide which team to root for this season, "I read something in the paper about baseball trying to get rid of some teams next year. What's the deal with that?"

"First of all, it's called contraction," I responded in my usually sarcastic voice. "Major League Baseball is questioning whether or not to get rid of two teams because of something like bad attendance or no money to keep up with the Yankees or Braves of the world."

"You're kidding me, they're actually considering getting rid of some teams just because no one wants to show up?" Warren said, upset cause he left his Yankees cap back at his crib. "Let me guess, Montreal is one of the teams right?"

"Great to see your college degree finally coming of some use," I told him. "Yeah, the Expos have had so many problems with attendance and keeping players. Since they can't outsell a high school game, MLB plans on possibly giving them the heave-ho at season's end."

"So who else do they plan on scrapping? The Atlanta Braves, cause they can't even sell out a playoff game," my elder brother stated.

"You might be surprised, but they actually want to get rid of the Florida Marlins, who just won a title four years ago."

Warren, who just finally got around to knowing half of the players on the Expos roster, wasn't exactly keen with the idea. "That's ridiculous! Why would baseball eliminate some teams because they don't have the type of teams that could hang with the Yankees? It's not their fault the fans don't want to come out.

"What they should do is just move the teams to someplace where someone will be glad to take them. I mean look at where we live in Northern Virginia, for pete's sake! They've been trying to pimp a team into coming here for like the past ten years."

Warren continued on with his anti-contraction statements. "(Commissioner) Bud Selig has no idea how to run baseball. He should just move the Expos to Northern Virginia and combine the Marlins with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, or just move them to New Orleans or a city that will appreciate baseball."

I had to correct him once again. "I think contraction is a great idea! Baseball can't afford to keep teams who can't bring in any fans or money. It's not the fans fault that the franchises can't get any money from the bigwigs of baseball in order to maintain their star players.

"They are actually considering getting rid of teams like Anaheim and Minnesota. While getting rid of four or five teams is a bit much, I think if you eliminate two teams, talent won't be diluted as much and teams overall will be better," I responded. "The best thing to do would be to pool the talents together of franchises that might be struggling."

"In other words, put them all on the Yankees, since that's where they'll probably end up," my brother retorted. "Why can't they do the simple thing and move them teams. I mean it happens in other sports, right?"

I told him, "It's not that easy, mi hermano. First of all, since (Baltimore owner) Peter Angelos appointed himself the lord of all baseball in the Mid-Atlantic area, it would take an act of Congress to move a team to the Northern Va. area.

"Also, keep in mind that any action will require the agreement of the players' and owners' union, and anyone who knows (Players Union head) Donald Fehr knows that he won't go down unless the players get something out of this. However, I read that he actually considered doing that (contraction) in the next collective bargaining agreement."

Warren cringed when he heard that name. "Wasn't he the guy who almost ruined baseball back in 1994 with that strike mess? Why can't these guys get together and do what's right for the game, and that's move these franchises to cities who will take them."

He actually started to make sense. "If you put these teams in a major market, then you can have the resources to compete with the big guys. Also, guys like Vladmir Guerrero and Josh Beckett will get some actual exposure to the casual fanboys."

However, I still had to stand on my point that contraction is good for the game. "As long as baseball continues to allow only a few teams to take a dip of the money pool, you will continue to see this problem in baseball."

"The best thing to do would be to eliminate the teams and, hopefully, that will give each team a bigger share of the money. I would like to see Kansas City and Milwaukee make the playoffs in my lifetime, and contraction might make that possible."

"Besides," Warren said, "players aren't the only ones affected by this. What about all the front office jobs and other positions that would be lost? Contraction would only stand in the way of expansion, which we both know is going to happen anyway."

"Why can't baseball just do the right thing and move the teams," he asked.

I responded, "Because if they ever did anything right, it would be a first."

I think by this time he'd have enough, and responded, "Well, until they put a team in my own backyard here in VA, go Yankees!"