There are 162 games in a baseball season these days, and inevitably this time of year, people say it is too many. You see, no one likes playing or watching baseball in the cold, and that’s pretty much what you’re stuck with in October in most of the country.

Baseball season has been 162 games long since 1961. In 1961, the New York Yankees played their first game of the season on April 11, and were crowned the World Series Champions on October 1. This year, the Phillies and Rays started their seasons on March 31, and are still playing on October 29, with a damn good chance they’re still playing in November.

So how did baseball season get five weeks longer without adding a single game?

That answer is two-fold. One, the death of the doubleheader. And two, the takeover of our National Pastime by television, and baseball’s willingness to let both of these happen for financial purposes.

Money drives baseball. Greed, more specifically, drives baseball, and Allan H. “Bud” Selig has allowed it to happen. The baseball season doesn’t need to be shortened back to 154 games, it needs to be controlled by someone who cares about the good of the game.

The truth is, with baseball being managed the way it is, it stands no chance of survival. They think they are maximizing profits, but in the end, they are driving away the people who create those profits. Baseball puts the entire playoffs on cable television, and then will complain about the low ratings in the World Series, as if Tampa and Philly are just not big enough cities to get people interested. People are interested in the game, but you have to let them see it.

Hiding playoff games on cable, the caveman blackout rules, ridiculous ticket prices and the season running into the heart of football season, as well as the beginnings of basketball and hockey seasons are recipes for low ratings, and inevitably, less money.

Less money leads to jumping to conclusions, which will lead to the World Series being on cable in a year or two, because it is assumed that it won’t get good ratings. Rather than fix the reason for the bad ratings, they’ll just believe in their incorrect conclusion, rather than come up with a solution for the problem.

As for doubleheaders, this is the perfect solution to many of these problems. Adding a few scheduled doubleheaders throughout the season will cut the schedule by at least a week, as well as allow for more scheduled days off for teams.

Doubleheaders allow fans to see two ball games for the price of one ticket (this will take some arm-twisting of the owners, but is possible), and could bring back local interest in baseball by creating more “days at the park” atmospheres.

The ‘61 Yankees played 23 doubleheaders. That’s nearly a month chopped off of the season. And you could argue that baseball was never more popular in America than it was in 1961.

Bud Selig needs to do something positive to avoid being remembered as the man who single-handedly ruined baseball, and this could be it.

Bring back a minimum of ten doubleheaders per team, cut down interleague play to six games per team, eliminate all blackouts of games outside of the city limits of the home team, air all LCS games on network television (or at the very least weekend games), and you’ll end up with playoffs in better weather, with better ratings and everyone will be happier.

If you’re sick of seeing playoff baseball in the snow or freezing temperatures, this is the only way it will be accomplished.

Just so you know, the 2009 World Series is expected to start a week later than the 2008 World Series. Good luck getting any games in if Boston, New York, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Colorado, San Francisco, Oakland, Baltimore, Chicago, Chicago, Milwaukee, Washington, Kansas City, Detroit or St. Louis is in the World Series. Other than that, the weather should be fine.

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