Baseball: Why so many games?

[Groundhog]

Why do they play so many games? I don't follow the sport at all, but it's always struck me as a little much. It's bad enough in the NBA with 82 games, and I felt that the 50 game NBA season was a great thing - every game felt like it was important.

[Young Drachma]

Umm...it's always been that way?

That's most of why baseball is the way it is. Besides, when games can all be decided by a run most of the time, it's important to have a long season. Anything shorter than 148 games wouldn't be a good thing IMHO.

[Young Drachma]

NATIONAL LEAGUE
1876 - 70 games - 10 games X 7 opponents
1877 - 50 games - 10 games X 5 opponents
1878 - 60 games - 12 games X 5 opponents
1879 - 84 games - 12 games X 7 opponents
1883 - 98 games - 14 games X 7 opponents
1884 - 112 games - 16 games X 7 opponents
1886 - 126 games - 18 games X 7 opponents
1888 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents
1889 - 112 games - 16 games X 7 opponents
1890 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents
1892 - 154 games - 14 games X 11 opponents
1893 - 132 games - 12 games X 11 opponents
1898 - 154 games - 14 games X 11 opponents
1900 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents
1904 - 154 games - 22 games X 7 opponents
1919 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents
1920 - 154 games - 22 games X 7 opponents
1962 - 162 games - 18 games X 9 opponents
1969 - 162 games - 18 games X 5 opponents in own division, 12 X 6 in other division
1993 - 162 games - expansion - opponent schedules vary
1994 - 162 games - leagues split into 3 divisions - opponent schedules vary
1997 - 162 games - inter-league play introduced - opponent schedules vary
1998 - 162 games - expansion - opponent schedules vary

American League
1901 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents
1904 - 154 games - 22 games X 7 opponents
1919 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents
1920 - 154 games - 22 games X 7 opponents
1961 - 162 games - 18 games X 9 opponents
1969 - 162 games - 18 games X 5 opponents in own division, 12 X 6 in other division
1977 - 162 games - expansion - opponent schedules vary
1994 - 162 games - leagues split into 3 divisions - opponent schedules vary
1997 - 162 games - inter-league play introduced - opponent schedules vary
1998 - 162 games - expansion - opponent schedules vary

[CraigSca]

$$$, because they can, and because it's a sport where luck can make a huge impact on the results of a single game.

$$$ - well that's obvious.

Because they can - the sport is not as taxing on the body as football or basketball, so the players can recuperate and play day after day (how often do you see a baseball player in the dugout wheezing, trying to catch his breath?).

Luck in the results - a "great" baseball team will win about 100 of 162 games played. That sill means they will lose almost 40% of their games. Therefore, it takes a long season to separate the haves from the have-nots.

[CraigSca]

Yup. There is nothing like a good game of baseball played out on the frozen tundra...
Sigh...I wish football lived up to this. How many cold weather teams either play in or are planning to build domes?

[gottimd]

Sigh...I wish football lived up to this.
With the amount of physical contact, if football went to a 162 game schedule (which would be heaven on earth might I add), there would be too many injuries. Teams would have to carry a 300 man roster.

[lighthousekeeper]

With the amount of physical contact, if football went to a 162 game schedule (which would be heaven on earth might I add), there would be too many injuries. Teams would have to carry a 300 man roster.


cool - maybe I'd have a shot of making a team then

[MJ4H]

The biggest reason is because their is a huge element of randomness in a single baseball game. It is similar to poker in a way. For any given play, it can seem like luck plays a huge part, but over time, a skilled team seems to have more of that luck. So, lots of games are played in order to give that effect time to work.

This is not a problem because baseball is not as physically taxing as some other sports, such as football or even basketball. The body can handle more baseball games than it can football games. So basically there is no reason not to have that huge number of games, and a very good reason for having them.

[Ramzavail]

Because they can - the sport is not as taxing on the body as football or basketball, so the players can recuperate and play day after day (how often do you see a baseball player in the dugout wheezing, trying to catch his breath?).


I guess you never saw a play where Ray King had to cover first.

[MizzouRah]

I guess you never saw a play where Ray King had to cover first.
:D

[pennywisesb]

I guess you never saw a play where Ray King had to cover first.

Yeah, or Rich Garces jog to the dugout after making the final pitch of an inning.

[CraigSca]

With the amount of physical contact, if football went to a 162 game schedule (which would be heaven on earth might I add), there would be too many injuries. Teams would have to carry a 300 man roster.
Sorry - I was referring to playing on the tundra for football, not a 162 game schedule.

[Aardvark]

I won't address 162 games precisely, but will look at the historical reasons why there are so many games.
1. Most sport seasons are 4-6 months long.
2. You can play a baseball almost every day, and can even play it twice in one day.
3. In most of the US the weather is OK for baseball from Mid-April to the end of September. If we allow two weeks for the world series, we get about 22 weeks of playing time.
22*7 is 154, so we are in the ballpark :)
Since the leagues for a long time were eight teams each, then playing each opponent the same number of times (and equal number of home and away games) leads to logical numbers of 140, 154, or 168.

Not that in both basketball and hockey they play about three times a week, for a six month season. At the other extreme, (regular season only), football only plays once a week, over about four months. (16 games.)

[RendeR]

I actually wish the NFL would change the last 2 pre-seaon games to regular season games, we don't need so many pre season crap fests. The coaches know what they see during camp so its not like they have to have them to find the weak end talent.

2-3 preseaons games and 18 regular season games. Scheduling only changes by adding anothe game with a slotted team from the non-playing divisions each season. (for example right now you play 6 div games, 8 games with a full division from both conferences and 1 game each with the teams that finished equal to you in the other two divisions in your conference. So if we did this today, pittsburgh would add a game with the jets and the broncos or some such thing.)

[rkmsuf]

I actually wish the NFL would change the last 2 pre-seaon games to regular season games, we don't need so many pre season crap fests. The coaches know what they see during camp so its not like they have to have them to find the weak end talent.

2-3 preseaons games and 18 regular season games. Scheduling only changes by adding anothe game with a slotted team from the non-playing divisions each season. (for example right now you play 6 div games, 8 games with a full division from both conferences and 1 game each with the teams that finished equal to you in the other two divisions in your conference. So if we did this today, pittsburgh would add a game with the jets and the broncos or some such thing.)

they might as well. nfl teams have the nuts to charge regular season prices for preseason games.