Unbalanced schedules to give divisional rivals late games that matter.(The Seattle Times)

Baseball will be unbalanced in 2001, and no, we're not talking about David Wells' physique or John Rocker's political views.

For the first time since 1977, both leagues will have an unbalanced schedule, with far more games against teams within one's division. Next to the undulating strike zone, it's the most significant development to hit the game this year.

The Mariners, for instance, will play 19 games against Oakland and Anaheim and 20 games against Texas. Last year, they played Anaheim and Oakland 13 times, Oakland 12 times.

Teams in the AL East, AL Central, NL East and NL West will play each other 19 times, while teams in the six-team NL Central will meet 16 or 17 times. The American League had been operating under a balanced schedule since expanding from 12 to 14 teams in 1977, while the NL had been balanced since the expansion of 1993.

The benefits of going unbalanced are easy to see: reduced travel, more heated rivalries, and head-to-head matchups down the stretch that should enhance the division races.

The excitement generated by last year's Oakland-Seattle series at Safeco Field in September is a taste of what baseball hopes to achieve. Last year, the Mariners made their last trips to Oakland and Texas in July. Under the new system, they'll play home-and-away series against all division foes in September.

But that's not to say the new system is perfect. There are still scheduling quirks, largely because of the complications of interleague play.