10 Reasons Why Baseball Is Back

?Since 1991 seven teams have made the playoffs the year after losing 90 games, something mat had occurred three times before.

?Fifteen teams have been within three wins of the World Series in the past seven seasons.

"A lot of people invariably figured the new system was aimed at the Yankees," Selig says. "The system is designed to improve the game as a whole, for all teams. It's working exactly as it's supposed to work."

2 The fans are fired up.

At a meeting with major league executives last winter, with the room full of smiles, Fox Sports president Ed Goren issued a warning. His network had just broadcast a share of the best reality show on television in October—38 postseason games (out of a possible 41), of which nearly one third (12) were decided by one run and almost one fourth (nine) were decided in the last at bat. The cultish Cubs and Red Sox had each waited until they were five outs from the World Series to break the hearts of their faithful. The other networks surrendered to Fox's 10.5 overall postseason rating (up 28% from 2002) by pulling original programming and offering reruns as fodder. "Don't feel so good about yourselves," Goren told the executives. "The goal now is to ride that momentum, not to lose it."

Surf's up. Thanks to a headline-grabbing off-season, new ballparks in Philadelphia and San Diego, crowded pennant races, the appeal of the star-studded Yankees and the growing fanaticism of all things Cubs and Red Sox, the Show, whether viewed in person or at home, is a certifiable hit.

?At week's end overall attendance was up 13% from the same point last year, a trend mat would result in a record 70.8 million fans in 2004. Twenty-two of the 30 teams are drawing better this year than last.

?The average number of households tuned to their local cable baseball telecasts was up 17% overall (through June 20), including increases for 24 of the 28 U.S. teams.

?Ratings among men 18 through 34 were up 50% on Fox, 14% on ESPN and 25% on ESPN2.

?The Phillies (a 91% increase in attendance) and Padres (54%) predictably have profited from new ballparks. But Sun Belt teams Florida (74%), Tampa Bay (42%) and Houston (37%) were the hottest "same-store" markets.