Baseball had just had an amazing end to the season. A heart stopping race to the final day where nobody knew which way the post season would shape up.
One of the best teams in the game, or at least a consensus pick, would be on the outside looking in. And the balance seemed to tip from game to game.
It was the perfect exhibition of why the current playoff system worked!
And then they changed it. Added more teams. And fans couldn't believe they were watering down the post season, especially after we just saw that the old system not only wasn't broken but worked perfectly.
The new format would deny us such a great finale.
What year am I talking about?
Am I talking about the new one game Wild Card playoff to finish the year?
Or am I talking about the introduction of the Division Series right on the heels of the amazing NL West race in 1993, where the 103 Giants missed the playoffs completely?
Or am I talking about the beginning of Division play in 1969, when the furious American League race of 1967 had four teams going into the final weekend with a shot at the pennant before the Red Sox won it?
Take your pick.It could be any of them. Whenever a new wrinkle is thrown into the playoff system, people will complain and act like the playoffs will never be the same and that undeserving teams will advance.
And those same people will then defend the system they used to bitch and moan about.
I think the new change is good.
It puts a premium on winning the Division and every year gives us a do or die shot at the playoffs which will probably mean starting a pair of aces.
And it means that 1/3 of the teams will technically be a playoff team.
Conspiracy theorists are saying this is a ploy to make sure the Red Sox and Yankees make it every year.
But this format would have given some small market teams a shot at October. The 2007 and 2010 Padres would have been in. The 2000 and 2005 Indians would have given fans some hope. The 1996 Expos would have played. Who knows? Maybe they would have advanced and save baseball in Quebec!
Either way, the change is here. And why be the person who complains? There will be more exciting baseball down the stretch AND in October.
And I guess we can't have that.
0 (now 1) comment, your blogs remain amazing
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ReplyDeleteI love baseball and am all for more games... but I strongly dislike the new playoff format between the 2 Wild Card teams.
ReplyDeleteFor one, 8 playoff teams is enough. There is no reason to turn this into hockey or basketball and increase the number of teams making the playoffs.
This also isn't football and one game shouldn't be allowed to decide anything unless it is a tiebreaker game. If the first place Wild Card team has 93 wins and the second Wild Card team has 85 wins - one win by either Wild Card team shouldn't advance them. The first place Wild Card team may have been fighting for their division too and probably won't have their best pitcher available for this one game. If you must add a new playoff round then at least make it a best of three series.
When it comes down to it, 1/3 just seems like too much.
I'm the guy that complains. I haven't even started my rant on Selig yet...
I don't have a problem with more playoff games except that the World Series will need to start very, very late in the year. If they want to add another round of playoffs, they need to look at making the LCS series into best of 5. It's Mr. October not Mr. November.
ReplyDeleteI love the one game playoff. I would like to see the World Series start earlier, The way I would like to see it is to bring back the Sunday Doubleheaders, But I know that will never happen.
ReplyDeleteWe always love baseball and looking forward for more games. They say that nothing is constant is these world and the world of baseball is no exception. Change is always good all we have to do is hope for the better. I think the new change is fine.
ReplyDeleteyou know some times when you are such a huge fan of a team and that team is not very successful or it is not having a good time in the league, you gotta quit whining and keep supporting them
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