Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

[Speedy]

Re: Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

I almost agree w/Slim's alignment and how it kindly coincides with the NFL's recent alignment project except I don't go for the expansion Charlotte team...that would never work with the avid Braves fan base across the Southeast.

I'm assuming that would also remove the WC from the playoffs as well, correct?

[SlimKibbles]

Re: Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

I almost agree w/Slim's alignment and how it kindly coincides with the NFL's recent alignment project except I don't go for the expansion Charlotte team...that would never work with the avid Braves fan base across the Southeast.

I'm assuming that would also remove the WC from the playoffs as well, correct?

I wasn't sure where else to add a team. You're right about Charlotte being in Braves country though. They could always give Montreal another team. *crickets* Yeah...

Scrap the WC. No need for it with 8 divisions. I honestly don't like the idea of expansion. I think there are too many teams as it is but it all works out so nicely with 32 teams. Plus the MLBPA and washed up players will love having two more teams. Bring Jose Lima out of retirement! It's Lima time!

[rsox]

Re: Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

If not Charlotte Tennesee or Oklahoma could work as possibilities.

[DrJones]

Re: Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

Here's my tongue-in-cheek realignment idea from a thread a couple months back, which includes ditching the wild card:

NL West: Arizona, LA Dodgers, San Diego, San Francisco
NL North: Chi Cubs, Cincinnati, Colorado, Milwaukee
NL South: Atlanta, Florida, Houston, St. Louis
NL East: NY Mets, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington

AL West: LA Angels, Minnesota, Oakland, Seattle
AL North: Chi White Sox, Cleveland, Detroit, Toronto
AL South: Baltimore, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Texas
AL East: Boston, NY Yankees

Yep, the time has come. ESPN and Fox only care about the Yankees and Red Sox. The Yankees and Red Sox only care about beating each other. Everyone else is tired of seeing both of them in the playoffs every year. Why not cut the pretense and let them beat up on each other for one and only one playoff spot each year, while ESPN salivates, and the rest of us go about our business and enjoy 8 pennant races?

[etched Chaos]

Re: Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

You have to love Rosenthal's radical realignment, he removes the Sox and Rays from the AL East and replaces them with the Nationals and Mets. The Yankee's would be ecstatic to have their two toughest divisional opponents moved and replaced with the Mets and the Nats. As for the Sox and the Rays, they get no reprieve, they just have to deal with the Phillies (as a Philly fan, this proposal gets big no from me).

[fugazi]

Re: Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

Any arrangement that doesn't keep Yanks/BoSox and Cards/Cubs is a no-go-fo-sho.

It isn't always about geography. There is a reason (several) that Dallas is in the NFC East.

[ubernoob]

Re: Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

That being... the Eagles and Skins for us less informed. Meh, they could always just schedule those. more NFL alignment: As long as the Packers have the Lions in their division, I'll be pleased

Just move the Sox to the NL. That way they're almost always assured to be a BoSox vs. Yankees WS. Networks would explode.

[P2K]

Re: Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

NL East
New York Mets
Philadelphia
Washington
Pittsburgh

LMAO! Just gift wrap the division to the Phillies for the next five seasons until they go back to being the worst franchise in team sports

[adice15]

Re: Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

AL Northeast
Red Sox
Yankees
Orioles
Blue Jays

AL South
Rays
Rangers
OKC/Memphis/Jacksonville
Royals

AL West
Angels
Mariners
A's
Portland

AL North
White Sox
Tigers
Indians
Twins

NL East
Phillies
Braves
Mets
Pirates

NL South
Marlins
Nationals
Astros
Rockies

NL West
Dodgers
Padres
Diamondbacks
Giants

NL North
Cubs
Cardinals
Brewers
Reds

[matthewk]

Re: Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

GAH! How can anyone name a division Great Lakes and not include the Brewers? We are right on Lake Michigan for Pete Rose's sake.

If I were to realign (and why don't today's MLB games let us do this in franchsie mode anyways) the league I'd leave the teams in their current leagues, but name them North, South and West.

AL North - NYY, BoSox, Orioles, Blue Jays, Twins
AL South - Rays, Royals, White Sox, Tigers, Indians
AL West - A's, Mariners, Angels, Rangers

NL North - Mets, Phillies, Brewers, Pirates, Reds
NL South - Braves, Nationals, Marlins, Cubs, Cardinals, Astros
NL West - Giants, Dodgers, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Padres

I would be fine dropping the Nationals and Marlins altogether in order to restore balance to the AL and NL. I'd still give more games to divisional play, but not as much as what they have now. I'd also love to abolish the DH altogether

[B_rad13]

Re: Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

Here is mine, it mostly takes down travel times for divisional opponents. Also I would remove the DH in all baseball

AL Atlantic
Yankees, Red Sox, Philly, Baltimore, Nationals

AL Great Lakes/North
Jays, Detroit, Minnesota, Milwaukee, White Sox

AL Southwest
Texas, Houston, Arizona, Seattle, Colorado

NL - could not think of a name for this division
Mets, Reds, Cubs, St. Louis, Pittsburgh

NL South
Florida, Tampa, Atlanta, KC, Cleveland

NL California
Dodgers, Angels, Giants, Oakland, San Diego

[ryan36]

Re: Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

I don't know what's so wrong w/baseball! Just go back to the balanced schedule and I don't like interleague either....


If you realign you do it geographically, or not at all, insofar as "small market " teams may one day become big market teams. Remember when the Mariners were moving? It's incredibly short sighted to move a team based on payroll.

Oh, and Ken Rosenthal is a tool. I don't like him at all.

[rsox]

Re: Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

Upon further thought MLB should just go to an NBA/NHL style format and have Eastern and Western Conferences.

Eastern Conference:
Atlantic
Baltimore
Boston
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Philadelphia

North
Chicago Cubs
Detroit
Minnesota
Pittsburgh
Toronto

Southeast
Atlanta
Florida
Tampa Bay
Washington

Western Conference:
Midwest
Chicago White Sox
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Milwaukee
St.Louis

Pacific
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
Oakland
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle

Southwest
Arizona
Colorado
Houston
Kansas City
Texas

Either do away with the DH or either make it optional (i.e like in spring training) or home teams choice. Do away with the Wild Card and like the other two sports the top 8 seeds in each conference make the playoffs. First two rounds best of 5 and Conference finals and World Series best of 7.

[ryan36]

Re: Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

I wouldn't do that either....might make sense for tv though, but you'd have so much "interleague" what would be the point? I'd get really psyched up for M's /Pads 16 times a year tho.

[DrJones]

Re: Realignment ideas from Rosenthal

Okay, here's my "modest" suggestion, which is designed to:

1. Give more teams a chance to reach the postseason (ie, the rest of the AL East)
2. Keep the wild card, but give teams MUCH MORE incentive to win their division as opposed to the WC
3. Not tinker with the playoff format (much) or divisional realignment (at all)

STEP 1

As many have suggested, make the schedule more balanced than it is now. Instead of facing divisional opponents 18-20 times and non-divisional opponents 6-9 times, make it 14-16 and 9-12 respectively.

STEP 2

Add ONE wild card team per league, so that 5 teams (3 division winners plus 2 WC) total make the postseason in each league. On the Monday after the season, the 2 WC play a 1-game playoff to see who moves on to play the division winner with the best record in the Division Series. The Division Series starts on a Wed or Thurs like it does now, the rest of the playoffs play out like it does now.

Why would I do this? Because it gives more teams a chance to make the postseason while making a division title much more desirable and a wild card spot much less so.

Consider this: in the current format, the wild cards have had great success because it's not much of a disadvantage. Other than pride, does it REALLY matter to the Yankees or Red Sox which one takes the division and which the WC? No, not really. Once the playoffs start, they're on an even standing. In 2009, the Red Sox and Rockies cruised to the WC, could set up their pitching rotation how they wanted, and didn't even have to face the division winner with the best record (Yankees and Dodgers) in the Division Series, because of MLB's dumb rule about not letting two teams from the same division face each other in the first round of the playoffs. Winning the WC isn't much of a disadvantage at all, and that devalues division races.

BUT...if you use my system, the wild card is a scary prospect all of a sudden. Last year, the Red Sox knew they were going to the WC and play the Angels for weeks, and could rest their players and set up their rotation however they pleased. Using my system, the Red Sox instead have to face the Rangers in a winner-take-all game on the Monday after the season. Even if Boston wins, they'd probably have to use Lester or Beckett against Texas, which would put them at a disadvantage in the ALDS (which would be against the Yankees, not the Angels). Compared to the current system, there's a ton of uncertainty involved for the wild card, and a lot more incentive to win the division title and avoid a do-or-die scenario.