Divisional Play Vote

[Young Drachma]

I think it would be helpful for the league, given the divisional play discussion if we ascertained now what year we're going to start divisional play.

So with that, a vote.

[Young Drachma]

We can, after picking a year, if we do...decide whether it'll be realignment or just a wild card.

[kaosfere]

Well... I'm not going to cast a formal vote, because I'm so new that I haven't had time to really form an opinion yet.

However, after a little bit of objective thought, I think that if some change were to be made, having a wildcard from each league is the better option. Four-team divisions feel a little small to me, and I think with the minimal number of teams we have that they would be too likely to give a "not second best" team a pass.

Just my newbie's $.02.

[muns]

DC im torn.... I dont like the Realinment Idea, but I would be in favor of a wildcard.

So my vote could go in 2 places. If we decided not to do a wild card and were in favor of realinment, I would be in Alan's camp with his vote for the status quo...

See what im saying??

Any way we could knock out one vote before the other??

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by muns

DC im torn.... I dont like the Realinment Idea, but I would be in favor of a wildcard.

So my vote could go in 2 places. If we decided not to do a wild card and were in favor of realinment, I would be in Alan's camp with his vote for the status quo...

See what im saying??

Any way we could knock out one vote before the other??

If you like a wild card, but no realignment, then you vote for the year you'd want to see a wild card. Once we pick a year, then we can decide whether we're going to do a wild card or realign to two divisions. Or not to do it at all.

[ekcut]

<-----is old school

[Young Drachma]

I'm torn about what to do for myself. Which is hilarious, since I'd always been a fan of expanded playoffs. Not so sure I am right now.

[Alan T]

I know you love doing polls over again, but I can understand what muns is saying.. He is saying he prefers the following in order:

1) Wildcard
2) No change
3) Divisional play

So you aren't really giving him an option to what to vote for. You are making him choose either #2 or a combination of possibly #1 or #3 from his list.

Maybe the first vote before (When a possible change that hasn't been agreed upon yet will start), a different poll should be done that includes the following options:

1) Status Quo, not change (No Wildcard, no divisional play)
2) In favor of Wildcard, do not want divisional play
3) In favor of Divisional Play, do not want a wild card
4) Want Divisional play and/or Wildcard but do not mind just one of the two being added.

For fairness, anyone who votes for #4 can be assumed to be ok with either #2 or #3 if those votes out-total #1. Does that kind of make sense?

Then if the majority does want some kind of change, we'll know which kind and the next poll can be when do we want it to start? 1975, 1977, 1980 or 2176 (just kidding about the last date of course)

[Young Drachma]

It will be either a wild card with the status quo setup or a division setup with no wild card, if we do it. I think the fundamental question we're trying to solidify here is "are we expanding the playoffs or not." Once we know that we're expanding the playoffs, we can quibble about 1) how to do that and 2) when to do it.

So if this poll passes one of the year options, we'd have another poll that would list:

1. Division Play (two divisions per league, no wild cards)
2. Wild Card (one wild card per league)

Because will have voted that they want to expand the playoffs at that point, it'll just be a question of how.

[ekcut]

Expanded playoffs also means potentially 1 more day of sim...throwing a pretty effective schedule out of whack....granted we do need something to do on Saturday night!

I can see adding the wildcard if we actually sim like a regular league...because the more teams vying for the playoffs, the greater the particiapation. But we don't have that problem. Teams don't lose interest because they drop from contention.
I think making the playoffs should mean something.
I've yet to make the playoffs, but when i do I will concider it a great accomplishment.
Of course though, I am flexible. This is my opinion and not a firm stance.

[Commo_Soldier]

Originally Posted by ekcut

Expanded playoffs also means potentially 1 more day of sim...throwing a pretty effective schedule out of whack....granted we do need something to do on Saturday night!

I do not think it would be a problem to keep the same schedule with just doing all the playoffs on Sunday.

[muns]

Im voted with Wild Card play because I think its going to be better for the league in the Long run, However Personally and selfishly id rather it be Status Quo.

[Commo_Soldier]

Originally Posted by muns

Im voted with Wild Card play because I think its going to be better for the league in the Long run, However Personally and selfishly id rather it be Status Quo.

+1

[Young Drachma]

I've debated for a while about what I wanted to do. But after thinking about it, I would hate to see a situation like in '63, when Charleston -- despite having an amazing year -- gets beaten out of the playoffs by a team that they'd spanked all year during the regular season.

So I'd either want division play or nothing. But I don't like division play in a league this small (4 teams per division) and so, I'm going to vote status quo.

Shocking, I know.

[kaosfere]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

I've debated for a while about what I wanted to do. But after thinking about it, I would hate to see a situation like in '63, when Charleston -- despite having an amazing year -- gets beaten out of the playoffs by a team that they'd spanked all year during the regular season.

I don't know the history here... how many games was that series?

[Commo_Soldier]

Originally Posted by kaosfere

I don't know the history here... how many games was that series?

7 Games

[Young Drachma]

Nice blast from the past, Commo! Thanks for dredging that one up!

[Commo_Soldier]

Looking back the part that makes it more interesting is that St. Louis also barely even won their series. Winning game 6 1-0 and game 7 by a score of 3-2 in seven games on a team that finished 20+ games behind them as well.

[kaosfere]

Ah, so not a question of just a short series then. Cool, thanks for the reference.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Commo_Soldier

Looking back the part that makes it more interesting is that St. Louis also barely even won their series. Winning game 6 1-0 and game 7 by a score of 3-2 in seven games on a team that finished 20+ games behind them as well.

Yup. We sweated that one out something fierce.

I've actually linked those first three series to the Hall of Champions, under those particular years and will go back and get the others, too. It's a good idea, that I thought of after what you did here. So thanks.

[Chief Rum]

An idea I really like from the rea life Big West conference basketball tournament--they give byes past two whole stages before the top two teams play.

Obviously, we haven't that many teams, but I was thinking if OOTP allows it (which I doubt, so maybe end of discussion), we can give the team with the better record a one or two game advantage in the series (probably one). That should skew things more so that a team really has to play well to overcome a champion (but if they do, heck, they certainly deserve it).

[Alan T]

I had a response to Chief's post that I found pretty funny in my head.. but once I had it typed out here felt it came off a bit smart-assed so decided to delete it. Once the vote has been decided and things are in motion, maybe I'll post more smart-assed remarks

[Commo_Soldier]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

An idea I really like from the rea life Big West conference basketball tournament--they give byes past two whole stages before the top two teams play.

Obviously, we haven't that many teams, but I was thinking if OOTP allows it (which I doubt, so maybe end of discussion), we can give the team with the better record a one or two game advantage in the series (probably one). That should skew things more so that a team really has to play well to overcome a champion (but if they do, heck, they certainly deserve it).

From what I have seen on the OOTP boards this is not possible yet. We could maybe just rig a series and put the worst team in to get demolished by the best team.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

An idea I really like from the rea life Big West conference basketball tournament--they give byes past two whole stages before the top two teams play.

Obviously, we haven't that many teams, but I was thinking if OOTP allows it (which I doubt, so maybe end of discussion), we can give the team with the better record a one or two game advantage in the series (probably one). That should skew things more so that a team really has to play well to overcome a champion (but if they do, heck, they certainly deserve it).

We can skew the home field advantage situation. Perhaps giving the lower ranked team fewer home games?

But otherwise, no, we can't really rig the it. Unless folks just want the top 4 teams in each league to qualify for the playoffs.

And honestly, even though I voted against it, my thought is that if we're gonna have playoffs, we might as well just do something like that and be done with it. Either water it down completely or keep it elite. I mean, there isn't a real difference between 2-4th place teams in most leagues most years, so...while it'd create pennant races, if the goal is to create interest and excitement and activity, then I say that's what we ought to aim to do. Heck, if you wanna increase the degree of difficulty, then we can add interleague play, too.

If we're gonna be radical and inclusive, there's a way to do it.

It wouldn't make the champions any less important or meaningful, because to win a playoff series or two before making it to the title and winning that, is no easy feat.

[Cringer]

Is it possible to make every game of a series a home team for the better team? That would be kind of cool if there was a wild card added.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Cringer

Is it possible to make every game of a series a home team for the better team? That would be kind of cool if there was a wild card added.

Yup. It's possible.

[muns]

Originally Posted by Cringer

Is it possible to make every game of a series a home team for the better team? That would be kind of cool if there was a wild card added.

Id favor this idea. Good one Cringer