Recent TV ratings: MLB 2, NFL 0

It would probably be considered a bit of an upset, but the World Series beat the NFL on back-to-back nights recently in the TV ratings. Yes, the all-powerful NFL took a beating in TV viewership Sunday and Monday nights. Game 4 of the World Series drew a 9.2 national rating for FOX on Sunday and beat the 7.6 rating that NBC got for the New Orleans Saints rout of Indy. On Monday night, FOX drew an 8.8 rating for World Series Game 5 to whip ESPN's 5.8 for the Ravens' loss at Jacksonville. Before someone tells me those NFL games were awful - and they were - how did the viewers know the baseball games would be better to watch? I'm not bragging here for baseball, just pointing out the ratings facts, which probably stunned some talk show hosts and media members who believe nothing should ever stand in the way of watching a football game. There is a segment of those out there that believe and will actually say on-air that "no one cares about baseball" and they must see those of us watching the World Series as misguided souls who just don't get it. They must feel something short-circuited in our brains Sunday and Monday. Or it could be that some fans out there still like hardball. By the way, I like the NFL, too, and watch many games. I just happen to like baseball also, even moreso, than football. Doesn't make me a bad guy, misguided or someone with a brain issue. I just like baseball. And guess what? I am far from alone. In Baltimore, there are some Ravens fans who look at Orioles fans with disdain and scorn. Sorry, that is just the fact, jack. Wish it weren't so, but it is. By the way, I usually don't hear any O's fans wondering how anyone in Baltimore could watch football. The Ravens are a great organization, win a lot and have a lot of fans. Nothing wrong with that, even if some see a problem with Joe Q. Fan actually rooting for the Orioles. The World Series ratings are nothing to brag about, by the way, because the ratings for this year's series, even after beating the NFL, still rank among the worst ever for the Fall Classic on TV. But some fans still care and there is room for fans to like baseball and football. Heck, there are probably even some fans that like the Orioles and the Ravens. I say that facetiously because I know there are a lot of fans rooting for both. But that will still come as news to some in the media that seem to feel it's the NFL and nothing else. Are draft changes coming?: According to this story, commissioner Bud Selig is trying to get a hard slotting system in place for the First-Year Player Draft. In theory, this could help the Orioles. While the Orioles have offered over-slot bonuses the last few years, the big-money clubs certainly take advantage of over-slot bonuses often and pay little heed to the MLB recommended slot bonuses. Final take for today, non-baseball version: It must be nice to be a Ravens player on offense that is not playing quarterback. You can miss blocks, fail to get open against defensive backs, fumble the ball and drop passes, and the only one that will get blamed for all that is Joe Flacco.