In recent years, it seems like baseball as a whole has continued to take steps back in terms of relevance to your average Joe Sixpack. Football long ago supplanted baseball as the national pasttime, in fact, if not in name. Whether it has something to do with the length of the season, the cost of going to a game, or what, baseball has definitely appeared to be slipping. With several big market teams still left in the running, this could be a breakout year for the MLB... provided they get the right matchup. As last year's Phillies-Rays series proved, having two teams who are only popular within their region and who share no history with one another is a recipe for disaster.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not fan of the Dodgers. I'm ambivalent about most teams in the NL, at best. And in truth, I have nothing against the Phillies either. I was at the 1993 NLCS when they beat the Braves to advance to the World Series -- it remains one of my earliest and fondest childhood memories of a sporting event. So this isn't a knock against them per say.

But seriously, could you guys just do us a favor and lose? Circumstances have conspired to create a number of really solid storylines for a Dodgers World Series that the Phillies just can't hope to match.

Manny Ramirez: It turns out it wasn't just a Boston thing. For better or worse, people just like hearing about Manny Ramirez. Despite serving a 50-game suspension this season for violating the MLB's Performance Enhancing Drug policy, Manny has really managed to dodge most of the criticism other stars like Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz have had to endure on the east coast. Whether or not he got the softball treatment, the man was still punished and a World Series win would feel very much like a redemption story for the Dominican slugger.

Manny also has a long history in New York in the event of a series against the Yankees. He went to high school in Washington Heights and is widely regarded as one of the best baseball players ever to emerge from New York City public schools. He's also a notorious Yankee killer from his days in Boston. He's one of just five players to have hit 50 home runs against the Yankees in his career. New York fans love to hate him, and he certainly seems to like the attention.

Joe Torre: After serving the Yankees with distinction as manager from 1996-2007, including four World Series titles, Torre was rather unceremonially thrown on his butt. Or, I guess that's not totally accurate. George Steinbrenner said pretty clearly in 2007 that if they didn't win their series against the Indians, Torre wouldn't get a new contract offer. They did wind up giving him an offer, but it was a reduction in his base pay and widely regarded as an insult, so Torre skipped town.

One way or another, this would be a redemption story for Torre. Just making it to the World Series would show the Steinbrenners what an error it was to get rid of one of their more successful managers in team history, but the emotions would really got clouded up if Torre wound up returning to Yankee Stadium in another team's colors. If anybody could make a return trip to the Big Apple and NOT get booed, it's Joe.

The Freeway Series: Despite being a somewhat lopsided affair, the 2000 Subway Series between the Yankees and Mets was one of the most heavily-marketed World Series in recent memory. My perception of the series as a major event may have been colored by the fact that I lived in the region at the time, but I recall the atmosphere being very much like a civil war. Friends and family were firmly divided into their respective camps, and even those who normally avoided sports altogether had to choose a side, lest they be left out of the debates that occupied most of the public discourse for the five-game series.

As a life-long east coaster, my reflex is to sneer at a cheap west coast imitation, but I can at least recognize how it would be good for the sport. A lot of those fans who were mobilized for the Subway Series remained fervent fans after the ruckus died down, and I think they could see the same effect over in Los Angeles. Both teams are already in the top 5 in terms of attendance (the Dodgers are No. 1 with 46,440/g and the Angels are No. 5 with 40,005/g), so a Freeway Series would be massive. With all the budget cuts and problems within the state of California, they really need this pick-me-up.

You had your time last year, Philly. Do us all a favor, do baseball fans a favor, and just lose.

Follow Chris Chester on Twitter: http://twitter.com/chrisbchester

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