There is something very wrong here.

At the gym [Tuesday] two men were talking about the World Series and the attempt to play in the windswept, freezing rain Monday in Philadelphia.

One said to the other, “That was a joke. Why did they ever start that game?”

The other replied, “That was ridiculous.”

The discussion then moved on to other matters, and that is what Major League Baseball should be most concerned about.

No one controls the weather, but MLB, and we’re talking all owners here, does control the schedule. The insistence on pushing the postseason farther and farther toward Ol’ Man Winter (next year it will run into November) has to stop.

One hundred sixty-two games in the regular season and two postseason rounds are played for the “honor” of playing in the World Series. Some honor.

These are some of the comments the players made to the Associated Press regarding Game 5.

Tampa Bay rookie Evan Longoria may not have much to compare the state of affairs to, but he said, “It was terrible. The field wasn’t bad, but it was the worst conditions I’ve ever played in.”

Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett said, “A lot of guys couldn’t believe we were still playing.”

Philly second baseman Chase Utley said, “The field was tough. The ball would do funny things. It was in bad shape. It was not playable.”

When players talk like this, you know it’s bad. They are generally happy to cash the multimillion-dollar checks and remain quiet.

Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post said, “…the World Series is dead. It was 105 years old. R.I.P. …In lieu of flowers, please send baseball a clue.”

Joe Henderson in the Tampa Bay Tribune said, “Only baseball could take its showcase event, the World Series, and turn it into a farce.”

There is no easy answer here. Teams don’t want to shorten the schedule because they lose gate and TV receipts.

MLB tries to spread out the postseason to maximize TV dollars.

No one is willing to do the NFL Super Bowl thing – put the World Series in a neutral site where there is either a roof or a real good chance of sun.

Still, the issue has to be dealt with. This is a tragedy, to have the World Series become a joke.

If it is a joke, the process leading up to it, the regular season and other playoff rounds, is meaningless.

Baseball may not want to listen to the players and writers, but they better listen to those guys in the gym. They are the fans and their apathy is the worst thing that could happen to the game.

bdnsports@bangordailynews.net