Baseball by day when possible please

As a sworn citizen of Red Sox Nation I have to begrudgingly acknowledge that the New York Yankees have won their 27th World Series championship. Their ticker tape parade is today in New York City.

While that bugs me, it's not what's really on my mind today.

Nighttime baseball is on my mind. In particular I'm wondering why two of the World Series games between the Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies that were played last Saturday and Sunday were played at night.

I'm disappointed those games weren't played during the day.

I'm not a baseball purist. I do like use of the designated hitter in the American League. And I like nighttime baseball games.

But for something as special as the playoffs and the World Series, I think when possible there should be day games. I think of my nephew Zach, who during this year's playoffs with the California Angels wasn't allowed to stay up for the night games with the Red Sox during the week because of school the next day. He was one unhappy fan.

Of course I realize there are economic forces that far exceed the interests of baseball fans.

A Saturday day game would have competed with college football. A Sunday day game would have competed with professional football. I guess that's what happens when a summer sport encroaches so far on fall.

Fox's coverage of the first four games of the World Series was a winner in the weekly prime-time ratings race.

Fox took the top three spots for its prime-time coverage of the World Series between Oct. 26 and Sunday, averaging 14.68 million viewers per game, according to figures released Tuesday by Nielsen Co.

The New York Yankees' 7-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 on Sunday was the week's most-watched program with 22.76 million viewers. It was also the most-watched Game 4 since 2004, when the Boston Red Sox wrapped up their first World Series title since 1918.

(Damn, the Yankees beat us again.)

I just wish that economics -- that constant hunt for profit -- wouldn't always trump tradition.

There's a tradition to day baseball. It means the kids who we want to be fans when they become adults don't have to go to bed because it's getting so late at night. It means that those of us who struggle to stay awake beyond 10 p.m. (and I'm certainly a guilty party there) can watch a game all the way through.

Fox made a lot of money with night games. I lost sleep.