By the time you read this column, another chapter in American history will be complete. Another world champion of baseball will be crowned, the sticky champagne will be dried and ticker-tape parades will be arranged.

There will be a new champion of baseball. Am I happy about this? Not really, I don’t want the season to be over and I don’t want either team to win — although, Cleveland is the lesser of two evils. (At least the Indians are in the American League and have been around for more than five years.)

Why do I not like either team? One word — tradition.

Neither team deserves to be playing in the Fall Classic. Neither team even deserved to make postseason play. Tradition would not allow it. Babe Ruth never played in a wild card game and the Yankees never won the Central Division.

Baseball is not about wild card teams or winning one of the six divisions. It is about finishing first in one of the four divisions. Teams play 162 games so that only the best advance.

And baseball is not about expansion teams popping up in cities that don’t understand or appreciate the tradition of baseball. Look tradition up in the “Encyclopedia of Baseball” and you won’t find the Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks or Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Why do I feel this way? Because I just finished watching “Field of Dreams” for the umpteenth time in my life and second time in a week. The movie makes me feel the same every time I see it. It brings chills down my spine and tears to my eyes.

Terrance Mann, played by James Earl Jones, speaks of baseball as the “one constant” that has defined America for the last 100 years. And he was right, back then. The problem is that since the 1988 movie, much has changed. Too much. It is not constant anymore.

It has been hit with expansion, interleague play and the wild card. None of them are good for baseball. What kind of loyalty do Marlins fans have? Why should the Mets and Yankees play? Why should a team who finishes second, play for first?

But recently, the thing that bothers me most of is this whole re-alignment thing. Today, I sat down to read the paper and saw that my beloved Brewers look like they will be switching to the National League.

That is wrong. Milwaukee is an American League team in an American League city with American League fans. Milwaukee fans drink beer and eat brats, we don’t drink wine coolers and eat sushi.

Sure, I’ll like that they will be competitive in the talent-lacking NL. After all, playing against the Cubs won’t be challenging. But it still is not right.

These radical changes were not envisioned by the fathers of the game. The pitcher’s mound is 60 feet, six inches from home plate for a reason. Bases are 90 feet away for a reason. Players wear stirrups for a reason. (I think.)

Anyway, it is baseball and I hate complaining about the game because it is my one true love. But baseball does not need these changes now, or ever. People will come. People will most definitely come.

However, I have one consolation. No matter how much owners mess with the game, one thing will remain constant — fathers will play catch with their sons.

Drew Harris is a senior in journalism and mass communication and political science from Peosta.