I actually think the format is pretty interesting. At the minimum it's a decently thematic scoring system. (And they don't mention it directly, but based on the other rules I am assuming that after the toss-up in the first inning, they take turns picking categories and going first, which is why the ninth is a bidding war.
(And now I have to wonder if they will be savvy enough to realize that the bidding in the ninth inning has to start with a number of answers sufficient to produce enough runs to tie the game. (So, for example, if a player needs four runs to tie, and the "sliding scale" is one run per two answers, the bidding HAS to start at at least seven for the round to have any relevance at all.) Since they explicitly mention a Mercy Rule, I am hoping they are.)
