The NFL needs "interleague" play

or at least something like it. while I'm far from a baseball nut, one thing I've come to appreciate this past summer is MLB's acknowledgment of two nearby teams squaring off for the better entertainment of local fans. This summer I saw the Nats play the O's twice, once at Camden and once in DC. The Camden Yards game was unusually chilly for May and it started to rain, leaving everyone in a sour mood. But later in the summer the boys of the family went to a day game at Nats Park against the Birds and it was a blast. While it was nowhere comparable to an NFC East game at Fed-Ex, the crowd actually seemed to be pretty riled up and vocal in their distaste for the opponent of their hometown boys, whoever their hometown boys may have been. In all honesty it seemed like there was more Orioles fans than Nationals fans, which in turn excited the Nationals fans more and encouraged them to be more verbally aggressive than usual. To top it all off, the game went to the 12th inning and saw the Nats win dramatic with Ronnie Belliard crushing a two-run walkoff to conclude the "Battle of the Beltway."

I walked away from that game thinking that although baseball lacks a definitive legup on football in any category (fan fervor, excitement, social relevance) one thing the NFL could definitely improve upon is taking advantage of games in which two teams in relatively local markets square off despite not being in the same conference or division. Although this year the NFL offers games such as Eagles/Steelers and Skins/Ravens, there's still a slew of matchups left that could really generate a great deal of excitement from the fans, and furthermore even more revenue for owners.
Thus far in the preseason we've seen the Raiders square off against the Niners and the Giants play the Jets, but can you imagine how much attention these games would have gotten if they actually meant something? ESPN is already on Favre's nob, wouldn't it have been even bigger if he was squaring off against the defending Super Bowl Champions in the regular season, albeit for the crown of number one football team in America's premier media market? And according to Mapquest, Oakland, CA is NINETEEN MINUTES AWAY from San Francisco, CA. How about a yearly "Battle of the (golden gate) Bridge?" I understand that devising an NFL schedule is probably an extremely daunting task, but in this day and age one would assume it's done by computer, so why not simply program your super-schedule machines to have these near-in-proximity rivalry games take place? These games would offer something for everyone and could even yield the potential to stoke a little national interest as well. All involved parties win. This should be a no-brainer Mr.Goodell.