America's Pastime: 1869-2010

America's Pastime, 141, beloved game run by William "Bud" Selig, passed away Monday night at Yankee Stadium. Although fighting to the very end, more people ended up watching the Jaguars and Titans on Monday Night Football than Game 3 of the ALCS. Six and a half million viewers saw Cliff Lee throw eight innings of shutout baseball, striking out 13. Over seven million people watched a 27-point blowout between two low market franchises (one of which can't even sell out their home games), both of whom had backup quarterbacks in by halftime. It was a long time coming. Pastime faced recent struggles with performance-enhancing drugs, threats of strikes and this. With homes in 28 cities, including two each in New York and Chicago, America's Pastime brought joy to millions of people for decades. It produced some of the country's most celebrated icons, including Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Willie Mays and Drew Henson. It also helped the country go through some of it's most difficult times -- the Great Depression, World War II, 9/11 and that year and a half when everyone was really into the Baha Men. Pastime leaves behind it's 30 organizations (well, actually it's 29 real organizations, plus the Pirates). Funeral services will be held on Sunday, October 24, at 1 p.m. at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. An evening service will be held Monday night. Now I don't know about everyone else, but I can't make it. That's during my football time, and no one interrupts me during my NFL time. Besides, the Steelers are actually on TV for once. And then it's Monday Night Football. Giants-Cowboys, in fact. And won't it be really fun to watch the Giants look completely disorganized, yet somehow look really good at the same time? And then there are the Cowboys! 1-4 baby! I'm not sure what's funnier: Jerry Jones giving Wade Phillips a vote of confidence, Tony Romo's "Grr.... does anyone really believe I'm mad?" face, or the prospect of bringing the excessive-celebration-penalty-to-wins ratio up to 3:1. What's that? I'm digressing? From what? Oh, right America's Pastime... Eh, no one cares anyways.

The game of baseball will go on as normal. However, "America's Pastime" has officially died. America's new pastime will now be exclusively on Sundays (and Monday nights. And starting in November, Thursday nights. And near Christmas, Saturday nights).