Commish: 10 teams in playoffs for '12

[wwharton]

Re: Commish: 10 teams in playoffs for '12

But.. but, the games in the regular season won't matter any more?

I've always felt that depending on what division you were in, your games could theoretically not matter as early as July depending on how the NL East or AL East shook. That's just how it is right now and those divisions have the better teams record wise.

The 5th team would be playing a team that didn't win their division so I don't see how that hurts division winners so there's still an incentive to win the division so you don't risk getting knocked out in an earlier round

People throwing out their arms over one extra series? In cases where it could be one additional start or appearance?

Adding one additional team in each League makes the playoffs less prestigious and dilutes the games and quality of teams getting in?!


To me people can hate the idea for whatever reason, but to say that it will ruin baseball or make the postseason less prestigious is another conversation in itself. As someone else said a lot of dislike over this idea (not neccessarily just here at OS but as a whole) is mainly over traditions of the game.

Obviously we're on the same page so I won't add too much to this. I will say that the structure of the MLB which allows teams to have drastically different salary structures helps this make sense. We can be pretty sure that about 5 or 6 teams will be in the playoffs every year unless something goes horribly wrong for any of them. But they don't always win the WS. Wild card teams have been somewhat successful so I think that also lends to the idea of adding another wild card team. I also think it makes the wild card process a bit more fair. There currently is no difference between a division winner and a wild card team when it comes to the playoffs (as mentioned).

I don't think it will ruin the post season or reduce the prestige, but I do think it's a slippery slope. Heck, I have nightmares that one day MLB announces they regular season is just used to seed all the teams for a March Madness style tourney.

You play 162 games in baseball...you SHOULD be rewarded for being the better team over that period. The more teams you let into the playoffs, the less important that 162 games becomes. I understand fans of teams that haven't competed in a while want to see this, but the last thing I want to see is a .500 team or so get hot and win the whole thing (and for the record I wasn't wild about the 2006 Cardinals winning it all with 83 regular season victories...although I think they won their division).

Like BK said, I don't need to hear Selig talking out of the side of his mouth, but this isn't an expansion to 16 teams. I would be pissed about that, but I think 10 is fair... more fair than the current set up. If they want to go back to just division winners I'd be ok with that too (would have to realign of course) but the current set up isn't the best imo.

But on the topic of the number of games played. If every team played ever other equally then your statement would be true. But the AL East is filled with teams that have to play the two biggest spenders more than anyone else. Yearly, the NL Central has an easier schedule than the NL East. There are other examples but I don't want this to turn into a debate about how accurate the examples are... the point is there is a reality that schedules aren't created equal and not in a way that changes as often as say the NFL. It's not really about a fan of a team that hasn't competed in a while bc they suck (less than .500) but to avoid the 90 win teams from missing the playoffs and give the teams that win 85 games in a tougher division a better chance.

[SPTO]

Re: Commish: 10 teams in playoffs for '12

But on the topic of the number of games played. If every team played ever other equally then your statement would be true. But the AL East is filled with teams that have to play the two biggest spenders more than anyone else. Yearly, the NL Central has an easier schedule than the NL East. There are other examples but I don't want this to turn into a debate about how accurate the examples are... the point is there is a reality that schedules aren't created equal and not in a way that changes as often as say the NFL. It's not really about a fan of a team that hasn't competed in a while bc they suck (less than .500) but to avoid the 90 win teams from missing the playoffs and give the teams that win 85 games in a tougher division a better chance.

I just have to comment on this but MLB had it right when they had the balanced schedule where every team played each other just about equally year in, year out, it tended to give a far better measure whether a team was really good or not rather than pitting teams in stacked or weak divisions against each other and giving some skewed results. I daresay teams like the Rays, Jays, and O's would have more of a balance if they didn't have to play the Sox and Yanks so much. This kind of set up would make the AL and NL Central (moreso the NL) less of a joke in some ways and given some meaning to the records of the division winners.

Why was the balanced schedule abandoned in the first place? Does it have to do with interleague making that kind of schedule unfeasible? Anyone know?

[wwharton]

Re: Commish: 10 teams in playoffs for '12

I just have to comment on this but MLB had it right when they had the balanced schedule where every team played each other just about equally year in, year out, it tended to give a far better measure whether a team was really good or not rather than pitting teams in stacked or weak divisions against each other and giving some skewed results. I daresay teams like the Rays, Jays, and O's would have more of a balance if they didn't have to play the Sox and Yanks so much. This kind of set up would make the AL and NL Central (moreso the NL) less of a joke in some ways and given some meaning to the records of the division winners.

Why was the balanced schedule abandoned in the first place? Does it have to do with interleague making that kind of schedule unfeasible? Anyone know?

I agree. I honestly don't remember "when" to take a good stab at "why" but my guess would be either realignment of the divisions, interleague play or both.

[Sportsforever]

Re: Commish: 10 teams in playoffs for '12

And for those fans who believe it would help their teams to have an additional WC, Tom Verducci pointed out earlier today that the two teams benefited the most: Boston and the Yankees. If you go back to 1996, with this rule in place, both of these teams would have made the post season EVERY year.

On another note, I agree completely about the imbalanced schedule. I'm not a fan at all and really wish they would go to a balanced schedule.

[CabreraMVP]

Re: Commish: 10 teams in playoffs for '12

If They add playof teams so they have to cut the regular season. The world series is already messed up, going til november and teams playing in 5 degree weather. Great baseball.

[ruiz51]

Re: Commish: 10 teams in playoffs for '12

All about money... Didn't they jockey the schedule around this year so that they can be done with the world series before november?

selig is a joke! the man is an *** who should be fired. hate the all-star
"now it matters" bull... and by the way buddy. There are NO F-ing ties in baseball.

[NYJets]

Re: Commish: 10 teams in playoffs for '12

Don't like it at all. Yes, last season, and other seasons, the Yankees and/or Red Sox have played basically meaningless games in September because they have the wild card as a fall back. So what. There's other races going on, people can watch them. Last year, it just would have allowed the Red Sox into the playoffs, and then even though over the course of 162 games the Yankees were 6 games better than the Sox, they would have had to play a 1 game or best of 3 crapshoot against them. That doesn't seem fair

I get that they want to add more parity, but if they want to do that, they need to fix the salary structure. This would just be a band aid to make things look better, without fixing the real issues.

[Sportsforever]

Re: Commish: 10 teams in playoffs for '12

I think it was touched on earlier in this thread, but I'll re-iterate it: I don't like it when we "force" races/dramatic moments to happen. It feels like that's what a part of this is...oh, let's get more teams involved and then we can hype this play in game, etc. Baseball has tons of dramatic moments, white hot pennant races, etc in the past without anyone having to manipulate the system to make it happen.

[adice15]

Re: Commish: 10 teams in playoffs for '12

Don't like it at all. Yes, last season, and other seasons, the Yankees and/or Red Sox have played basically meaningless games in September because they have the wild card as a fall back. So what. There's other races going on, people can watch them. Last year, it just would have allowed the Red Sox into the playoffs, and then even though over the course of 162 games the Yankees were 6 games better than the Sox, they would have had to play a 1 game or best of 3 crapshoot against them. That doesn't seem fair

I get that they want to add more parity, but if they want to do that, they need to fix the salary structure. This would just be a band aid to make things look better, without fixing the real issues.

If they want to add more parity, they should force the owners to spend all of the luxury tax money on salaries, instead of letting them pocket it. They make more than enough money through sponsorships, tv deals, ticket and food sales to be able to have a payroll bigger than $40 million.

[lilbiggio]

Re: Commish: 10 teams in playoffs for '12

Don't like it at all. Yes, last season, and other seasons, the Yankees and/or Red Sox have played basically meaningless games in September because they have the wild card as a fall back. So what. There's other races going on, people can watch them. Last year, it just would have allowed the Red Sox into the playoffs, and then even though over the course of 162 games the Yankees were 6 games better than the Sox, they would have had to play a 1 game or best of 3 crapshoot against them. That doesn't seem fair

I get that they want to add more parity, but if they want to do that, they need to fix the salary structure. This would just be a band aid to make things look better, without fixing the real issues.

1. Wild card teams should not be getting advantages or feeling they have an unfair draw because we're already telling the #1 team in the division that it's "fair" that you can win the division and still have a team you beat in the standings make the playoffs. The way it is now is highly unfair because with one fluke win, HFA shifts in a heartbeat in a 5 game series and all of those regular season wins are out the window anyway.

As long as there are wildcards there will be someone upset. You don't want to risk playing a team in a 3 game crap shoot.. win the division play hard down the stretch.

2. We don't know if Boston would have been the 5th team if the rule was in place because they only finished one game ahead of #6. Both Boston and Chicago were both out of the wildcard and divisional races that are in place and were playing spoilers in their final games. Would have been a different story if these two teams were fighting for the 5th seed that would be in place now.

As it would go, adding the 5th team would not only make the wildcard team have to play harder than everyone else who won their division, and not have just simply be punished with one less homegame, it would still keep the postseason relatively exclusive because only one extra team is getting in not 5, it would open the door for someone else to get into the playoffs so your season isn't over if one division is having a monster year, it would also increase ticket sales throughout the month of september when the NFL starts coming back, which the MLB as a business would be crazy not to do.

I just don't see why people think the MLB would be crossing the line in going through with this decision if they do it.

[ruiz51]

Re: Commish: 10 teams in playoffs for '12

What about the all important 1 game playoff? talk about excitement.

the new format benefits the choke artist (Mets). You'd be giving a team that can't finish out a season a 2nd chance. you already get 162 oppurtunities to prove they deserve it. i don't think you give a team a second chance to possibly win it all, after blowing it.

[slickdtc]

Re: Commish: 10 teams in playoffs for '12

I like it. It's not too radical to where it's going to hurt the game by watering down the playoffs.

More (reasonable) playoff baseball = good

[TheMatrix31]

Re: Commish: 10 teams in playoffs for '12

A one-game playoff is supposed to be to break ties. It's special.

This crapshoot, manufactured, every year officially nonsense, essentially amounts to "play-in" game in the NCAA tournament.

[Son of Sam99]

Re: Commish: 10 teams in playoffs for '12

Not sure if this has been said yet but people already complain literally every single year that the world series is too late and the weather is too bad... Why are they just digging the hole even deeper!?

This is exactly like the NFL 18 game season, and 96 teams in the NCAA BBall tourney... 'Oh we have a good thing, more of it automatically makes it better right?'... Wrong. This is a dumb idea!

[stlducks]

Lincecum's quote about playoffs

"Personally I think it's kind of funky, just because the game has been this way for so long," Lincecum said Friday before the Giants' series opener against the Atlanta Braves. "Why mess it up, other than for monetary purposes, and that's probably what (Selig) is looking at. That's like, 'OK, don't worry about us as human beings or players.' "

What do you guys think?

I think lincecum should know the playoffs have only been like this for like 15 years so it's not that long. And to say it's only for the money? Really this guy makes 14 mil. A year but he has problems with MLB making more money, most likely his team making more money to pay him. And then to say Selig is not treating them like humans is just funny. It is going to be one game more, three at the most which in baseball is not a lot compared to a 162 game season.