Imagine a CEO of a large construction firm. Like most chief executive officers, his mandate is to increase profits as much as is feasible. This particular one mandates that substandard materials be used in buildings whenever possible and to use the cheapest contractors regardless of their qualifications to do the construction work.

He gets away with it for years because nothing bad ever happens and there hasn't been a major problem with the structures for which his company is responsible.

One day though--it happens, tragedy strikes and one of the building collapses negatively affecting a lot of lives and livelihoods.

The CEO comes to the front and centre to deal with the situation--he blames neither the materials utilized nor the materials or construction methods used but rather gravity for the catastrophe.

Gravity is a natural phenomenon and as such random events sometimes cause problems.

Be that as it may be, and indeed random chance and circumstance can occasionally cause calamity does it really absolve the CEO or his company for their negligence? Indeed, due to unforeseen events, even some solid structures can give way but does that excuse the use of poor materials and faulty work simply because even well-built constructs can occasionally come apart?

Obviously not.

It is understood that there is a difference between simple misfortune and careless disregard.

Well, the World Series has had a first and the implications are not yet fully known. There has been a game suspended due to the weather--a potential championship one where everything is on the line. The Phillies had a stranglehold on the Fall Classic: up 3-1, at home with their ace set to go.

Cole Hamels had a lead that was lost due to the poor conditions and after the lead was surrendered play was halted. According to the rules, the Phillies should win the game and hence the World Series however Bud Selig, using his "best interests" power overruled the book and hopefully play will resume tonight (Tuesday, October 28, 2008).

To begin with: this is absolutely, positively the correct call. The Fall Classic should not end in such a fashion and if there ever was an occasion to use the power of the commissioner's office to overrule a statute--this is it. I don't think you'd find a single player on the Phillies roster that would disagree. Championships should be decided on the field of play and not in the rule book.

The problem is that this particular overrule may well cause an outcome that might not have otherwise occurred. If the Rays somehow come back and win the series, they will be forever remembered as the team that had a commissioner be series MVP. It's not fair to the Rays since if they win tonight (or when the game is replayed) and go on to wins games six and seven they are fully deserving of the crown but in Philadelphia this will be remembered as a gross injustice--a championship stolen away.

Regardless of what will transpire tonight and beyond, it does not change one thing: a big reason it happened was due to negligence by MLB. However, like the analogy used at the beginning, just because that negligence never caused a major problem before doesn't absolve them of their responsibility. What led up to last night's debacle was the fact that the powers that be left themselves almost no wiggle room or margin for error should a problem such as this arise. Like the CEO mentioned at the outset, it was the lust for profits at all costs that allowed the situation to develop in the first place.

Last night was the twenty-seventh day of October--a time of year when the weather is most unpredictable and will be on a general downward course until we are buried in the white four-letter word. The game was halted at a time when regular season games have often concluded unless they are in extra innings.

In short, should a problem develop, there is very little wiggle room to resolve it. There could have been some room to maneuver--some built-in 'safety features' as it were--but MLB took those away to accommodate the networks. It got so late in the year because of eliminating things such as regular season doubleheaders and adding unnecessary off days during the post season and pushed starting times to 90 minutes later than when most regular season game begin. Something as simple as normal starting times for games likely would have caused this situation to be avoided altogether.

They never worried about difficulties that might develop since it hadn't before caused major problems.

Until now.

The most galling aspect of this selling out to the networks is that Selig negotiates with them as if he has no leverage--like he's trying to get air time for an infomercial for the latest K-Tel creation--the Playoff-O-Matic "it slices, it dices, it makes julienne fries and decides championships! You'll wonder how you ever got along without it. Call now and we'll throw in a genuine imitation autographed Derek Jeter baseball. But that's not all, be among the first 10 to order and you'll receive at absolutely no charge (shipping and handling not included) a subscription to MLB.com. As if that's not enough... "

It's the bloody World Series--AKA the Fall CLASSIC, when we've seen magic, stuff of legend but rather than treating it like a showcase and demanding it be treated with due reverence and that it is a privilege to host it, it's almost like he defers to the inferior programming on the network. After all, we can't interfere with any of the pabulum diddle-comedies that might be on when people are still awake and alert for something as culturally insignificant as the battles of October.

Now it could cost them.

If it does cause the outcome of the series to be altered, maybe the silver lining is that it will again expose the ineptitude of Bud Selig's stewardship of the game. He is very conscious of how history will remember him. However, in his lust for profits above all else he will be remembered for cancelling a World Series in 1994, for allowing performance-enhancing drugs to permeate in the game and for short-changing baseball's showcase by letting the networks dictate how it will be handled rather than taking care of the jewel themselves.

That would make two World Series results in fifteen years altered (I consider not having a series to be an alteration) by the avarice of MLB.

It was a lack of foresight that caused the All Star Game to be declared a tie a few years back since they had never thought about what might happen if teams ran out of pitchers. After all, it never happened before so why plan for such a contingency? There has never been a suspended World Series game before so there is no need to have any fail safes in place to ensure that it never does. I do wonder about this much: will Bud Selig sit in the stands tonight at Citizens Bank Park in the pouring rain without a raincoat pretending to be bone dry and if the Rays do come back to win, will Selig declare the 2008 World Championship a tie and state that next season--the 2009 World Series: This time it counts!

The only reason Selig made the right call last night is that a lot of bad calls were made beforehand that created the situation. Hopefully the lesson will be learned but I doubt it.