The wait is almost over. This week, prior to game four of the World Series, Major League Baseball and Mastercard will finally reveal the fans’ choice for baseball’s “Most Memorable Moment.” Though it won’t be official until Wednesday night, there is one thing I can already guarantee about the big announcement: it will be disappointing.

Actually, it would be hard for any announcement to live up to four months of hype, which is about how much time Mastercard has spent promoting this event. The idea seemed simple enough. Fans were supplied with a list of 30 great moments in baseball history. They got to pick one as the “most memorable,” and the top vote getter would be announced during the World Series. Of course, there have been some setbacks along the way.

First, the World Series was almost wiped out by a proposed player strike. Then, some of the game’s more devoted fans began debating the quality of the list itself. It seemed unfairly lopsided in favor of events from recent years (three from 2001 alone), and some of the moments didn’t really seem like “moments” at all (Ichiro Suzuki’s entire rookie season?).

However, the promotion’s biggest flaw was not its questionable list or its commercial saturation. It was the concept itself; the idea that one moment in baseball’s 100-year existence could somehow stand above all the others. Sure, most fans remember Mark McGwire’s 62nd home run or Joe Carter’s World Series winning blast, but one of the great things about baseball is that it creates different memories for every person who takes part in it.

Usually, a baseball fan’s fondest memories of the game are dependent on their own personal connection to the events. If you were in the stands when Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run, it would likely mean more to you than if you had just seen it on replays many years later. For a Cleveland Indians fan, clinching the pennant in 1995 will likely stand as an unforgettable moment. For a Tigers fan, however, 1984 may be the season they will always remember.

Sometimes, a memorable moment is even more personal than an affiliation with a favorite team. Many fans fondly recall the first ball game they ever attended, including the color of the grass and the smell of the hot dogs. They may not remember any details about the game that day, but that moment has real meaning to them. Along those same lines, some people associate baseball most with their relationships with family members and the bonding that often takes place at the ballpark. If they recall a specific moment from a game, it may be more about the personal nostalgia it brings out, rather than any great significance it may have in baseball history.

The point is, memories are relative. And even though our culture seems pretty obsessed with rankings and singling out a No. 1, there are some situations in which it might just be better to agree to disagree. Baseball has a greater tradition than any other American sport, and people don’t need a credit card promotion to appreciate that history. Regardless of which moment is proclaimed “the most memorable” on Wednesday, the majority of baseball fans will go on remembering things the way they always have, in their own unique way. Hopefully, baseball can return the favor and remember the individuality of their fans next time around.