Fingers crossed

And that's all I'm going to say about the National League Division Series.

Except that: what the hell does Division Series mean, anyway? Could we just call these the National League Semi Finals? Wouldn't that make a whole lot more sense?

And while I'm at it, a few more ideas to make baseball more fun:

- Get rid of the DH rule, but keep the American League distinct by having them run the bases clockwise. Imagine the suddenly revived careers of left handed shortstops.

- Have the Wild Card team be a real Wild Card. Choose two players from each team that didn't win its division, call them the (AL/NL) Wild Card Road Warriors, and let them have at it. They can play their home games at two stadiums drawn from a hat.

- Play the "turn back the clock" games not just with old style uniforms, but old style rules. Let's see Alfonso Soriano, gloveless, capture the third hand out by a handsome bound catch of Manny Ramirez's sock-dollager.

- Open the season in January with a game of ice baseball. Lake Placid is a good venue, if Wrigley Field is too windy.

- Stop replacing the ball so often, and bring back the spitball. We have helmets now - Ray Chapman is not going to happen again. So we can have a filthy, scuffed baseball swerving two yards on its way to the plate. Then you'll really appreciate the art of hitting.

- Bring the Dodgers back to Brooklyn.