We're still 11 days away from the start of the 2009 World Series—and y'all know how I feel about that—but today, Oct. 17, is particularly significant as a demarcation point between how we did things then and how we do things now. Except for the anomalous years of 1910 and '11, every World Series from 1903 to 1971 was finished by this date. Every one. Since the advent of the division series in 1995? Only one World Series had even begun by this date, and that one, in 1998, began on this date. Here's your chart. The gray vertical lines are the first and last days of October; the light-green vertical line is October 17:

How's the weather where you are? It turned pretty crappy here in Seattle a couple of days ago. Yesterday it dumped. Today it's damp, drizzly, gray. But at least it's not as cold as it is in New York.

The solution to this problem, as I've said, is to play through, play through, play through. No dayoffs during the playoffs. Maybe no days off during the World Series, either. This is hardly unprecedented. For your reading pleasure, a list of the 22 World Series that were played through without even one stinkin' day off or postponed game:

• 1906: Chicago White Sox 4, Chicago Cubs 2 (Oct. 9-14)
• 1907: Chicago Cubs 4, Detroit Tigers 0, Tie 1 (Oct. 8-12)
• 1908: Chicago Cubs 4, Detroit Tigers 1 (Oct. 10-14)
• 1913: Philadelphia Athletics 4, New York Giants 1 (Oct. 7-11)
• 1922: New York Giants 4, New York Yankees 0, tie 1 (Oct. 4-8)
• 1923: New York Yankees 4, New York Giants 2 (Oct. 10-15)
• 1924: Washington Senators 4, New York Giants 3 (Oct. 4-10)
• 1927: New York Yankees 4, Pittsburgh Pirates 9 (Oct. 5-8)
• 1933: New York Giants 4, Washington Senators 1 (Oct. 3-7)
• 1934: St. Louis Cardinals 4, Detroit Tigers 3 (Oct. 3-9)
• 1935: Detroit Tigers 4, Chicago Cubs 2 (Oct.  2-7)
• 1937: New York Yankees 4, New York Giants 1 (Oct. 6-10)
• 1940: Cincinnati Reds 4, Detroit Tigers 3 (Oct. 2-8)
• 1944: St. Louis Cardinals 4, St. Louis Browns 2 (Oct. 4-9)
• 1947: New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn Dodgers 3 (Sept. 30-Oct. 6)
• 1948: Cleveland Indians 4, Boston Braves 2 (Oct 6-11)
• 1949: New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn Dodgers 1 (Oct. 5-9)
• 1950: New York Yankees 4, Philadelphia Phillies 0 (Oct. 4-7)
• 1952: New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn Dodgers 3 (Oct. 1-7)
• 1953: New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn Dodgers 2 (Sept. 30-Oct.5)
• 1954: New York Giants 4, Cleveland Indians 0 (Sept. 29-Oct. 2)
• 1955: Brooklyn Dodgers 4, New York Yankees 3 (Sept. 18-Oct. 4)

I figure if they didn't have off-days for travel between Chicago and Detroit in 1907, players don't need them now, a century later.

Playing every day, as baseball was meant to be played, is the only way we're going to get back to some semblance of good, World Series weather. Jimmy Rollins will thank you, Robinson Cano will thank you, and I'll thank you.