It appears that everyone outside of Cleveland is happy with how the ALCS and NLCS are progressing. I just finished reading a story about how unforgettable last year’s World Series between the Diamondbacks and Rangers was.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, MLB judges everything by how many eyes are on the games. I’ve never concerned myself with TV ratings or the number of viewers. I don’t benefit the least by how much money the league or individual teams make. We’ve learned the hard way that it doesn’t always translate to how much money the team(s) will spend on talent.

All that being said, Shohei Ohtani is finally playing in the postseason. He and Aaron Judge are the biggest names in the game today. Mike Trout may have been the better player a few years ago, but the general public didn’t know or care as much about him.

One of the other annual issues is the quality of the broadcasting. I’ve recently seen and heard more criticism for the broadcasts and specific announcers. National figures always seem a little lacking when compared to the local guys calling games. And it seems like more of them have the appeal of house guests that are around for more than a few days. They begin to stink. Personally, I’m less likely to enjoy a Smoltz broadcast. Like so many former players who think they are smarter than the listeners, he’s begun talking down to us. Without naming names, most baseball fans remember one guy who thought he was a college professor teaching first grade students.

I’ve also been told by some really good baseball fans that they could care less who’s calling the game. As I’ve been a little under the weather this past few days, I miss listening to the games on the radio, and in Chicago radio calls of the postseason have been sporadic and unpredictable at best.

One of the things I most enjoy about the postseason is being introduced to new stars-even if their success is fleeting. While he might not be a hometown guy, Mark Vientos of the Mets has been fun to watch. Nationally, his success reminds me of David Freese’s run with STL (in what seems like a generation ago). The national broadcasters seem flummoxed, but Pat Hughes, Ron Coomer, Lane Grindle, Jeff Levering and Jeff Maurer have been touting him for months.

Enjoy what’s left of the postseason because before you know it, it’s going to be NFL 36/7.