Last year's rain-tormented Series became so maddening, complete with poor television ratings, you'd think Selig and the owners would have made certain to start this year's regular season nice and early. Instead, we get a Giants season opener on April 7 and Game 7 of the World Series, should it go that far, on November 5. All because of the World Baseball Classic, which ends March 23, and a misguided notion about teams' priorities.

What's wrong with a final week of customary spring training, after the WBC shuts down, and a round of season openers March 31? I figured I'd missed something, that there must be some hidden reason behind this decision. But when I heard back from an MLB spokesman, he said, "The clubs wanted to have their guys back for a few more days before the season begins."

This is insanity. Check in with any player around the end of March, and unless he's been injured or ill, he'll tell you spring training is too long. Now teams will be playing 38-39 exhibition games instead of the usual 30. You can understand how teams would want a long look at relatively untested prospects (say, Pablo Sandoval), or how they'd hate to see a starting catcher leave camp instead of working with a bunch of new pitchers, but an April 7 start is simply inexcusable, especially in light of a postseason that lasts so long, the World Series is almost an afterthought.

Detroit manager Jim Leyland seems properly baffled. He lost a bunch of players to the WBC in 2006, yet led his team to the World Series in his first year with the club.

"It's not disruptive if you don't let it be," he said. "They're away, but they're getting their work in, playing baseball. It's not like they're sitting home eating bon-bons."

E-mail Bruce Jenkins at bjenkins@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page D - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle