In previewing the World Series in recent years, the Fox people expressed just one wish — for a long series.
They said it didn't matter who was playing. Sure, they'd love Yankees vs. Dodgers, but it didn't matter if it was Royals vs. Pirates as long it went to six, or preferably, seven games.
The more competitive a series, the more compelling it becomes.
That's why the Rangers and Cardinals, neither from marquee markets, did so well in the 2011 Fall Classic.
But with the San Francisco Giants seemingly in command of this year's World Series from the moment Pablo Sandoval took Justin Verlander deep in the bottom of the first inning of Game 1, the series never gained traction with most of the country.
Sunday Night Football, featuring Peyton Manning's revival in Denver was the No. 1 show on television Sunday night and No. 2 for the entire week with 16.2 million viewers. World Series Game 4 drew 15.5 million.
Overall, the World Series set a record low for television ratings.
One could only imagine how low the ratings would have gone had there been a Game 5 on Monday night when about one-fifth of the nation's population was dealing with Hurricane Sandy.
The four games averaged a 7.6 rating and 12 share, according Nielsen Media Research. The previous low was an 8.4 for the 2008 Phillies-Rays and 2010 Giants-Rangers series.
The Rangers-Cardinals World Series went the full seven games and averaged a 10.0 rating and 16 share.
San Francisco's 2-0 win in Game 3 on Saturday night actually tied Game 3 of the 2008 Phillies-Tampa World Series for the lowest-rated Series game ever.
However, remember, that Game 3 came with an asterisk. Bud Selig and Co. foolishly waited out a rain delay that lasted over two hours at Citizens Bank Park. The game didn't start until after 10 p.m. and didn't end until 1:47 a.m.
That one game made the 2008 World Series the lowest-rated Series of all-time until the 2010 Series came along to tie it and now the record belongs to the 2012 Series.
What is the highest-rated Series ever?
The 1978 rematch between the Yankees and Dodgers, which was televised by NBC. It averaged a 32.8 rating, a 56 share and 44.3 million viewers.
Two years later, the Phillies-Royals World Series, also on NBC, also had a 32,8 rating, a 56 share and 42.3 million viewers.
The Associated Press defines a "rating" as the percentage of TV households in the United States watching a broadcast. Right now each rating point equates to about 1.147 million households.
A "share" is the percentage watching a program among those households with televisions on at the time.
EAGLE EYE
The Philadelphia Eagles generate a lot of interest nationally for several reasons.
