Yup, definitely don't want it to be competitive. I want the Wild Card to fight for it like nothing else. It should be a major upset when the Wild Card wins the World Series, not a common occurrence. Or they should just get rid of the Wild Card, have 2nd and 3rd place teams fight it out and give the first place team a guaranteed slot. If you're the best team in the AL/NL, you deserve more than a one game home field advantage. It should be set up so that the Wild Card feels as if its a blessing that they are allowed to compete at all.
MLB Talk - 2010 Season
- Thread starter tomalak301
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I think that stretches the division system too far. With unequal schedules and competition solely among division rivals, it does not follow that the best three teams in each league will make the playoffs. With the Wild Card, it makes it more likely than not that the best four will make it and, if not, at least three of the four will be the best. The Wild Card is the equalizer saying "the division system isn't perfect." If the Wild Card team wins, maybe they are the best team.
Now I actually feel there are problems with the system in that the hot team has a huge advantage and that team is often the Wild Card team, but that's more a testament to the streaky nature of baseball.
Now I actually feel there are problems with the system in that the hot team has a huge advantage and that team is often the Wild Card team, but that's more a testament to the streaky nature of baseball.
BTW, I did some quick math. In the past 5 seasons, the Wild Card is 32-37 with zero World Series championships. The last time they made a World Series was 2006 and the last time a WC team won the world series was 2004. Most of these teams don't make it out of the first round and when they do they lost in the second. I don't see the big deal.
EDIT: Based on your logic, why have a playoff at all?
Also, should a division with four terrible teams and one good team be taken into account? If the team has the best record because the majority of its games were against bad teams are they really the best team.
EDIT: Based on your logic, why have a playoff at all?
Also, should a division with four terrible teams and one good team be taken into account? If the team has the best record because the majority of its games were against bad teams are they really the best team.
I'd love it if there wasn't a play off. Both seasons are long enough that the best should have risen to the top. MLB wants more money though so they won't shorten either the season or the playoffs.
Doesn't change my opinion. My current team of choice plays in the toughest division in the entire league and would be impacted by this the most.
Oh, well that's an entirely different argument. I was talking about how to make the playoff itself more interesting. I argued that by keeping it small, it'll keep interest higher, but by rigging it so the Wild Card team probably won't win, it'll be less interesting. If you want to simply remove the playoffs, I don't even think there's mutual ground for discussing this subject.
If you had read my posts, you would have seen that I actually said "I don't know as much as the purists." Baseball is my 4th league down the favorite list and I don't know the history as well as I know that of the NHL, so shoot me.
MLB's structure kills teams in markets where teams don't do well. The two reasons those teams survive are 1) No sports in the summer to compete and 2) Usually in markets where no other major sports league is. The fact is the in last year's NHL's Eastern Conference Finals, the two teams both made the playoffs on the last weekend as the final two seeds. I wouldn't call the first two rounds worthless.
Tell the fans of Kansas City or Seattle or us fans in Toronto or any team that has been out of the playoffs for several years that the format works.
Like I said before, the MLB, like every one outside of the NFL, needs parity.
Or, maybe, the teams not doing well is what's killing them?
^ Agreed. The only way our teams can survive is if they WIN.
I know I've got some nerve saying that because I'm a Yankee fan, but if my team was not doing well (and tonight, they definitely did not
), I would not expect anyone to give them a handout or a bailout. One can complain all one wants about how it always seems to be the same teams making the postseason, but the fact is, those teams do it because they're the BEST.
That being said, I do hope the Yanks get in as the AL East winner rather than the wildcard (I think they've got a better chance against the Rangers than they would against the Twins), but after tonight, I'll take either one.
(why the hell did Girardi keep Vazquez in the game for so long? Dude hit three batters IN A ROW with pitches!
)
I know I've got some nerve saying that because I'm a Yankee fan, but if my team was not doing well (and tonight, they definitely did not
), I would not expect anyone to give them a handout or a bailout. One can complain all one wants about how it always seems to be the same teams making the postseason, but the fact is, those teams do it because they're the BEST. That being said, I do hope the Yanks get in as the AL East winner rather than the wildcard (I think they've got a better chance against the Rangers than they would against the Twins), but after tonight, I'll take either one.
(why the hell did Girardi keep Vazquez in the game for so long? Dude hit three batters IN A ROW with pitches!
)
Ah, that was a good year.
On another note, why is there even a debate for the Cy Young between Felix Hernandez and CC Sabathia? Hernandez completely thrashes Sabathia in every category except for wins (which is far, far overrated, as it's so dependent on the rest of the team), and I guarantee you that if the two of them switched teams, Sabathia wouldn't be leading Hernandez in that category, either.
Honestly, I sort of agree. Maybe it's just because I catch his bad games, but whenever I watch CC I never feel he is as dominant as others say he is. He is a great pitcher, don't get me wrong but still. That being said, a win is still a win and that's the whole point of the sport.
He was the Braves ace last year and on top of his game last year. I wonder what happened.
Well, tonight we'll see if Andy Pettitte has still got it...
Look at the predictions I made in March: whoops
AL East - Yankees
AL Central - Twins
AL West - Angels
AL Wild Card - Red Sox
NL East - Braves
NL Central - Cubs
NL West - Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Phillies
AL East - Yankees
AL Central - Twins
AL West - Angels
AL Wild Card - Red Sox
NL East - Braves
NL Central - Cubs
NL West - Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Phillies
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