There aren't too many pure things in this world. Baseball certainly isn't one of them.

After all, it's just about the only sport in which the prototypical player can eat the same meal as the prototypical fan . . . during the game.

A lot of problems infect the game these days -- a lack of a commissioner and salary cap stick out like Barry Bonds' attitude. There are any number of things that could do a lot to improve the southerly direction baseball is heading.

Take, for instance, the three-division setup. Granted, there is a tidy symmetry to an even two-division league. But a closer look might just reveal why the league has rightly chosen the path it has.

-- Just scan across the divisions. There is obvious potential for expansion in both West divisions. Expansion, if carefully planned over time, extends baseball's reach into new markets. The more TV sets tuned in, and the more children heading to games, the brighter the future this beleaguered pastime can promise.

-- Then there are the playoffs. The most exciting and undoubtedly the most profitable time of the year for baseball, the season after the season will become Energizer Bunny-like. All of those middle-of-the-road teams might just pick their play up a notch deeper into the season thanks to that wildcard prize dangling before their eyes.

-- The inter-division play becomes more important as well. Now those late-night games between San Diego and Montreal take on a new meaning. More teams will battle for the extra playoff spot in each league. That will give late-July and August play a pulse. It should also boost ratings for ESPN's 2:30 a.m. insomniac show. Then, maybe, there will be something other than infomercials about super chipper shredders to watch on steamy summer nights.

-- And then there's the small-market argument. I'm not a Pittsburgh fan. I'm not a Montreal fan. I'm not a Milwaukee fan. Come to think of it, I hate most small-market teams. But without them, the real teams would have no fodder. Honestly, expanding playoffs and evening the divisions gives them a fighting chance. They need it.

Most criticisms of three divisions are smothered by emotional wreckage. People arguing against it are bellowing about the damage that change does to the purity of the game. They moan about the destruction of rivalries. Look people, it's not as if the Pirates and Phillies are exciting to anyone outside of Pennsylvania.

In a few years, some new commissioner will come along and put the designated-hitter rule into effect in the National League. Any number of other sacrilegious things will happen (the Pirates might even contend again). A lot of things will happen to a lot of people, and arguments about realignment will be a thing of the past.