It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings; or in the case of the ALCS, Frank Sinatra. The Los Angeles Angels managed to hold off elimination by beating the New York Yankees and sent the series back to New York. However, regardless of a Yankee win or loss in game five, the Bronx Bombers were going home to New York. But because they lost, they now have to play at least one game over the weekend. Assuming they do win game six or seven against the Angels, will this tire out the Yankees before the Phillies come into The Big Apple for Wednesday’s World Series debut? Absolutely not.

Baseball is unique among major team sports in that it is meant to be played every day. There isn’t a need for as many off days for practices because you don’t need to rehearse as many team plays and gather drills experience like you would in basketball or football. In baseball, playing is practice and practice is playing. The interesting fact about MLB is that the playoff format throws this theory out the window.

Throughout the 2009 season, some teams went as many as 40 games or more with as few as three off-days for rest and/or travel. The scheduled seven-game ALCS goes for 10 days, obviously with three off-days. The winner will have at least two days off before the World Series begins, and their opponents from Philadelphia will have almost a full week. Advantage: American League.

The Phillies are going to have to find a way to remain loose after six days without competition. It will be the longest break of the season for any team, and it could not come at a worse time for the group defending their world championship. But if any team was built for the added pressure, it’s Philadelphia. Even if they lose a bit of the pop that carried them through the NLCS, they’ll still be a formidable match for either the Yankees or the Angels.