Yankees-Red Sox. Just 5½ games separating them in the race for the AL East title. A huge weekend series to decide playoff positioning. And yet...it really doesn't matter, does it? The Yankees are in the playoffs, the Red Sox are 3 wins away from joining them, and since 7 Wild Card teams have advanced to the World Series in the last 7 years (with 3 of them winning it all), there's really no incentive to try and win the division, is there?

And therein lies baseball's problem (one of them anyway). In a season seriously lacking pennant races--the Tigers' 3-game lead over the Twins is the tightest race--the regular season limps along to the finish line.

But what if we could guarantee--that's right, guarantee--pennant races every season? Impossible, you say? Read on, doubting Thomas.

I have been detailing ways to "build a better baseball" for years. In Part I, I tackled real revenue sharing, shortening the game, adjusting the schedule, and making the first round series best 4-out-of-7. In Part II, I talked about fixing interleague play and eliminating the DH. And in a brief Part III, I suggested that Major League Baseball add a second Wild Card team from each league and have each set of two Wild Card teams face off in a one-game playoff. You want excitement? How about two guaranteed win-or-go-home games every season? You want teams battling for the division crown? How about the reward of one fewer game and saving your ace pitcher for Game 1 of the playoffs instead of wasting him in a one-game playoff.

Logistically, this is easy to pull off. The Wild Card team with the better record would host the other Wild Card team the day after the season ends. The winner moves on to face the team with the best record in the league (can we do away with the "Wild Card team can't play a team from its own division" rule while we're at it?). Peter Gammons just suggested adding two Wild Card teams last week but he wanted a 2-out-of-3 series for the Wild Card entries. I say one and done. You win you move on. You lose, you go home. One day, that's all we need.

Think about where things would stand this season. As mentioned above, the Yankees and Red Sox would face off this weekend with the division title in the balance. Meanwhile, the Rangers would be trying to nail down the 2nd Wild Card spot ahead of the Twins and Mariners (both 4 back). In the National League, we'd have a 5-team race for the two Wild Card spots.

What do we do about ties for the Wild Card or 2 or 3 teams tying for that second Wild Card spot, you ask? We use tiebreakers. Head-to-head and then league records. I'm not advocating multiple games to whittle down the playoff teams. Although if two teams tie for a division title, they would still play a one-game playoff. And if the loser is involved in the Wild Card hunt then they have to suit up for two straight days.

This simple change would invigorate the end of a season (such as this one) that lacks playoff race drama. It would make teams change their attitudes about "getting ready for the playoffs." You can rest assured every division leader would be fighting to the finish to ensure that they didn't have to play in a one-game playoff. It would also add potential playoff excitement to at least 2 other cities. Instead of watching the Rangers play out the string, Texas fans could be cheering their team toward a playoff date with the Red Sox and dreaming about an upset.

Instead of looking past the final 10 days of the season and waiting for the playoffs to start, there would still be plenty of meaningful games on the schedule. And baseball's end of the season wouldn't be lost amidst the NFL and college football seasons.

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NFL Week 3 Picks

Atlanta (+4) over NEW ENGLAND
BALTIMORE (-13) over Cleveland
Green Bay (-6½) over ST. LOUIS
HOUSTON (-3½) over Jacksonville
PHILADELPHIA (-8½) over Kansas City
NY Giants (-6½) over TAMPA BAY
MINNESOTA (-6½) over San Francisco
Tennessee (+3) over NY JETS
Washington (-6½) over DETROIT
Chicago (-2) over SEATTLE
New Orleans (-6) over BUFFALO
OAKLAND (+2) over Denver
SAN DIEGO (-6) over Miami
CINCINNATI (+4½) over Pittsburgh
Indianapolis (+2½) over ARIZONA
DALLAS (-8½) over Carolina

Last week: 7-9
Season: 14-18