But...
The issue of tobacco doesn't go far enough for some people. HGH testing still has its kinks to be worked out. And people still couldn't care less about the All-Star game (though hopefully this will be a step in the right direction). Really, the part of this deal that means the most both in terms of popularity and practicality (besides the expansion of instant replay, I'll talk about that in a different post) is a clause I didn't mention: The 2nd Wild Card Team.
Yes, it has been talked about for years and Bud Selig's greatest desire (besides a Milwaukee Brewer's dynasty) has come to fruition.There will now be ten teams in the playoffs looking towards the World Series. This means there will be one extra Wild Card team in each league. This would be followed by a single playoff game between these two teams to decide who will go to the "real post-season".
That's right. I'm referring to the current structure as the "real post-season". That's because a one game wildcard playoff does not constitute a playoff at all. What is the point of making a controversial revolution to the sport when its result is so insignificant? I'm no prognosticator, but I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that, in most of the battles, the victor will be the team with the better record. The team who would have made it anyway.
There are many reasons this is not the way to go, far more than I know or agree with. I'm sure people opposed to the wildcard spot in general will have their bit to weigh in on the matter. I have few problems with the wild card team as is. If you read my recent article on the Crazy September of the 2011 season, you know I believe baseball will have that kind of an end based on fate no matter what the structure is. But this system just feels like they want to squeeze juice from an empty Capri Sun.
One of the big problems is that this isn't how baseball is played. Teams play in series' throughout the regular season, therefore, teams should play in series' in the post season. That's quite a simple formula if you ask me. But now there will be a one game play-off series. That just sounds dumb!
Now obviously, sometimes a one game playoff is necessary. The 2009 post-season comes to mind. Were both of these teams in the "playoffs" as soon as the tie was set? No. They were simply teams trying to fight to get into the playoffs. But the odds of the Tigers and Twins tying it up like that were not good and the game was necessary by chance. It was not manufactured like the new challenges will be. It was fate. This is business.
Let me play Bayless's Advocate for a second. Let's say the Cardinals secure a Wild Card Spot in mid-September. Throughout the whole month The Padres and Braves are fighting back and forth and end up tying at the end of the season for the second wild card spot. They would then have to play a one game playoff in order to get into the one game playoff. Now this could very well be exciting to have this play at the end of the season (especially with the string of upsets the Cardinals pulled off this year) but I feel the repetitive and unnatural nature of these events will take away from the product the MLB is trying to put out. Take the oddity of the tie for the wild card spot out of it, and you still have a hard to buy result.
As I've said, I am not against the second wild card team, but I do think there are better ways of working it into the post-season. Possibly making it simply a three game series? This fixes the problem a little bit but still feels as if the extra team is just there for the sake of being there. I feel the solution is to give a series bye to the team with the best record. Football does it and it's worked plenty well for them. This would mean each playoff team would have to play a division leader. I feel this is the perfect scenario because it gives a consequence to the teams that didn't win the division, an idea that is, in my opinion, very necessary and overlooked.
Now, it could be that I'm just salty about the lowly Cardinals beating out my Phillies in a best of five series (102 wins people!), but I do feel this is the best situation for the baseball post season. I respect what the Cardinals were able to do and I love that you can do something like that in this sport. But I have a message for the front offices of MLB (Dear Mr. Torre or Selig or whoever wants to take my call), what happened can't happen every year. And trying to force it is just kind of sad. Let me put it in a way you guys can understand: It's not "two-years-in-a-row-of-small-market-world-series" sad, it's more Michael Jordan, Baseball Edition sad. Y'know what I mean?
Yes, it has been talked about for years and Bud Selig's greatest desire (besides a Milwaukee Brewer's dynasty) has come to fruition.There will now be ten teams in the playoffs looking towards the World Series. This means there will be one extra Wild Card team in each league. This would be followed by a single playoff game between these two teams to decide who will go to the "real post-season".
That's right. I'm referring to the current structure as the "real post-season". That's because a one game wildcard playoff does not constitute a playoff at all. What is the point of making a controversial revolution to the sport when its result is so insignificant? I'm no prognosticator, but I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that, in most of the battles, the victor will be the team with the better record. The team who would have made it anyway.
There are many reasons this is not the way to go, far more than I know or agree with. I'm sure people opposed to the wildcard spot in general will have their bit to weigh in on the matter. I have few problems with the wild card team as is. If you read my recent article on the Crazy September of the 2011 season, you know I believe baseball will have that kind of an end based on fate no matter what the structure is. But this system just feels like they want to squeeze juice from an empty Capri Sun.
One of the big problems is that this isn't how baseball is played. Teams play in series' throughout the regular season, therefore, teams should play in series' in the post season. That's quite a simple formula if you ask me. But now there will be a one game play-off series. That just sounds dumb!
Now obviously, sometimes a one game playoff is necessary. The 2009 post-season comes to mind. Were both of these teams in the "playoffs" as soon as the tie was set? No. They were simply teams trying to fight to get into the playoffs. But the odds of the Tigers and Twins tying it up like that were not good and the game was necessary by chance. It was not manufactured like the new challenges will be. It was fate. This is business.
Let me play Bayless's Advocate for a second. Let's say the Cardinals secure a Wild Card Spot in mid-September. Throughout the whole month The Padres and Braves are fighting back and forth and end up tying at the end of the season for the second wild card spot. They would then have to play a one game playoff in order to get into the one game playoff. Now this could very well be exciting to have this play at the end of the season (especially with the string of upsets the Cardinals pulled off this year) but I feel the repetitive and unnatural nature of these events will take away from the product the MLB is trying to put out. Take the oddity of the tie for the wild card spot out of it, and you still have a hard to buy result.
As I've said, I am not against the second wild card team, but I do think there are better ways of working it into the post-season. Possibly making it simply a three game series? This fixes the problem a little bit but still feels as if the extra team is just there for the sake of being there. I feel the solution is to give a series bye to the team with the best record. Football does it and it's worked plenty well for them. This would mean each playoff team would have to play a division leader. I feel this is the perfect scenario because it gives a consequence to the teams that didn't win the division, an idea that is, in my opinion, very necessary and overlooked.
Now, it could be that I'm just salty about the lowly Cardinals beating out my Phillies in a best of five series (102 wins people!), but I do feel this is the best situation for the baseball post season. I respect what the Cardinals were able to do and I love that you can do something like that in this sport. But I have a message for the front offices of MLB (Dear Mr. Torre or Selig or whoever wants to take my call), what happened can't happen every year. And trying to force it is just kind of sad. Let me put it in a way you guys can understand: It's not "two-years-in-a-row-of-small-market-world-series" sad, it's more Michael Jordan, Baseball Edition sad. Y'know what I mean?
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