EXTRA: Can they get rid of the Fox network plugs in the World Series?

I’m not fully sure what to think of the Occupy Wall Street-type activists, who are spreading throughout the nation (and on Tuesday managed to give me a serious headache with their protesters who banged on drums incessantly at Jackson and LaSalle streets).

But they might actually have something worthwhile to contribute to our society, if their St. Louis counterparts are at all representative of them.

LIKE MANY OTHER groups, the Occupy St. Louis people are camping out in public parks these days. On Wednesday night, they planned to erect a large video screen tuned to Game One of the World Series.

Only instead of commercial breaks, the Reuters wire service reported that those will be blocked out so the group could run their own streaming messages, promoting their cause.

And as for those of you who want to rant about people needing “expressed written consent of Major League Baseball,” it would seem that since they’re not charging anyone any money to watch the game with them, it is acceptable.

Part of what makes the World Series games these days drag on for so long is that the broadcast networks are so determined to draw them out to create more time for commercial breaks. A pitcher like Mark Buehrle, who is capable of getting through a complete game in just over 2 hours, is anathema to them.

ANYBODY WHO’S CAPABLE of giving us baseball without all the inane advertising spots can’t be all bad.

Now if only they could do something to block out all the plugs that the Fox Sports Network announcers will be giving during the game to all the new shows that will air this autumn on the Fox network. Those can be truly invasive!

My memory goes back to the 2000 World Series (the all-New York affair won by the Yankees in five games) when the network arranged for the cast of the television show “Boston Public” to attend the game, and the cameras kept focusing on them while announcers told us how we needed to watch this new enticing drama.

I swear I remember those moments more than I do the actual show. And I still wonder at times what bit of useful information got erased from my brain because of this memory?

  -30-