According to the AP, Bud Selig and Japanese commissioner Ryozo Kato are meeting in Milwaukee to discuss the possibility of a Global World Series that would pit the World Series champions against the champions from the Nippon Baseball league in Japan.
Is Bud Selig only looking out for MLB's interest? After all, the MLB commissioner is scheduled to retire in 2012 and he might just be looking to leave his legacy (and stroke his ego) before he goes off into the sunset.
Even if the two leagues reach an agreement, can they overcome the challenges facing them? Besides the obvious challenge of scheduling, they will have to deal with the MLB owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) - and you can't blame them. Based on the results of the WBC, the owners will be reluctant to risk their investment, and the Players Association will be concerned about injuries and security traveling abroad. Even today, the MLBPA seems resistant to "ambassador tours" to promote the game.
It is understandable that MLB is looking to expand it's market share, but maybe they are looking in the wrong part of Asia! Wouldn't they better be served by promoting baseball to countries with billions of people with strong economic futures? To countries that don't even play baseball?
China and India are ripe for the taking. As these economies grow, their citizens crave everything Western. And in the case of India, baseball is similar to one of their most popular sports - cricket. And if Indians embrace baseball they won't have to wait 3 days for a game to finish.
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