Kato has stated that Selig would like to see this done before he retires in 2012.
This is yet another interesting, if not bizarre, item that has come up from the commissioner's office since Selig confirmed he would be stepping down when his contract is up in a couple years.
One thing this does confirm, though, is that Selig seems very concerned about what his legacy as commissioner will be.
Selig has been trying to expand the global reach of baseball for years. The biggest success in this endeavor has been the World Baseball Classic (which has been a bit of a joke in the country). The biggest failure has been the removal of baseball from the Olympics.
So now he wants to push this idea of a Global World Series. On the surface, this seems like a good idea.
But would a major league team really want to risk playing what would amount to an exhibition series? In the end, I don't see this working unless a significant amount of money was involved for the franchise that was playing it.
On top of that, you have to wonder if the players' union would actually go along with this. From the ESPN story on the subject:
The other problem? Well, I'm going to assume that if this were to happen, the Japanese team would play their asses off each year, as they try to gain the respect of the baseball world. The American team would feel like they have nothing to gain or to prove.
Officials of Major League Baseball and the players' association said Thursday there had been no discussion of such a plan. An agreement between management and the union would be necessary.
But back to the point here, Selig seems to be making a significant effort to secure his legacy. Why? Steriods. He will be known as the man that oversaw the steriod era in baseball. Selig has done much in his time as commisioner that hasn't been steriods related including the unification of both leagues, a new age of cooperation with the umpires, interleague play, the wild card, instant replay, the All-Star game/World Series home field advantage deal, the World Baseball Classic, and the new ballpark boom.
The truth is, whether you like these things or not, this is quite an impressive resume. Selig shouldn't have to do any more to try to secure his legacy. But because of steriods, he will probably try to push a number of new things through over his last 3 years.
This Global World Series is likely just one of a number of new things we will see in baseball before Selig's reign of terror comes to an end.
