Thank you, commish, for watering down the Major League Baseball playoffs and Wild-Card race.
According to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle:
Commissioner Selig confirmed MLB is adding two wild-card teams in 2013. Selig said the additional playoff round likely will be for just one game.
He also wants to get this implemented for the 2012 season, according to Justice.
The two Wild-Card teams will face each other head-to-head in a one game playoff, an occurence that creates even more incentive for teams to win their respective divisions.
Perhaps instead of adding two teams, MLB could lengthen the first round series to a best-of-seven, so a 162-game season isn’t decided by a shortened five-game series (and yes, I felt that way before the Phillies shit in the Cardinals' bed).
Also, the Astros were sold to Jim Crane and will move to the AL West in 2013 (Ed Wade gone?).
33 Responses
Greedy motherfuckers
This is absolutely idiotic. In baseball, the best teams only win about 60% of the time. The worst teams can have no problem sweeping the best teams if the time is right. That is why you have such a long season. It takes 162 games to let the best rise to the top. Adding more playoffs just trivializes the regular season.
If you don’t believe me, PLEASE GO SEE HOCKEY AND BASKETBALL.
So does this mean we will have seven NL-NL series, seven AL-AL series and one inter-league series for the entire season? Because if it means a more balanced schedule, I could go along with that.
I’m not entirely sold on another wild-card team to the post-season mix, however.
“Adding more playoffs just trivializes the regular season.”
it’s one game kids. everyone go back to what you were doing and put the pitchfork down.
Why dont people realize this is good ? it makes it more important to win your division, so teams cant just sit on leads and play shit baseball for 3 weeks.
A 7 game first round is stupid, have you watched the NBA playoffs? thats right, since they made every round 7 games, noone watches until the 7 games series matter.
When the fuck does the best baseball team ever get a fucking break for winning a 102 games? Wheres the payoff there after busting humps all fucking season? I’m relegated to moving this fat fuck around now.
More trophys for losers mentality seeping into professional sports due to greedy fucking tv execs.
What would’ve been the point of having tha braves and Red Sox in the playoffs last year? Prolong thier agony?
Hooray mediocrity!
I wonder how Selig woulda handled the Sandusky scandal
@NickFromGermantown
The NHL has the best playoffs of any sport, not just the four major ones, hands down.
A one-game round? That makes absolutely no sense after a 162-game season.
This is the worst idea Bud Selig’s come up with since he devised the Central Division. The rumor is that the new Wild Card series would add a 5 game series, and give somebody a bye series.
So after a 162 game regular season, which followed a ~20 game pre season, two teams will have to play 5 more games for the privilege of playing another 5 game series for an opportunity to play two more 7 game series.
Oh yeah, the last series will be played sometime in November. And Minnesota, Boston and Chicago all have outdoor fields.
There’s a possibility that a team could play over 180 regular season and post season games. Oh yeah, and we’ve got the World Baseball Classic every couple years, asking guys to play at midseason pressure in February. Anyone else remember what happened to Freddie Garcia when he threw a postseason, WBC, regular season and another postseason all in a row? That’s what’s going to happen to every pitcher.
And if we’re sending a team to the American League, why not send the Brewers back?
This whole thing smacks of dumbass.
I like it. You say it waters things down, and in some ways it will. BUT, at the same time, it will heat up some races. Remember almost every damn year two teams in the AL East are basically done playing by September 1 because they know one will win the division and one will get the wild card? So they don’t play to win, because if they get the wild card, it’s really not THAT much of a disadvantage. Well, now it will be. The division title will matter, because if you don’t capture it you have a one-and-done scenario against a team that was probably hot to get to where they are. That makes most races matter till the end of the year. I don’t see how that’s bad.
If it’s a one game series, I don’t mind. Can you imagine that excitement, for that day, every year? It’ll be amazing. And for those that want to bitch that a one game series is not fair… well, win your division and that won’t be a worry.
@MisterMiles
Where did you get the report of it being an extra 5 game series, with a team getting a bye? That will NEVER fly. The players would revolt. You are going to PUNISH the best team by making them sit up to a week between games? NO WAY. You don’t need tons of rest in baseball, you need to stay in your groove. I call bullshit on your theory until I get links for proof
I think Kyle buried the lead. The bigger story here is the Astros’ move to the AL. Now there are two 15-team leagues, meaning an interleague game every day basically.
30 interleague games per team per season. Major implications for how NL teams build their roster/bench now.
@Andrew
Good point. More interleague games means let’s get rid of the fucking DH.
Gay, this is how average teams win the WS
Selig is just as bad as Sandusky
@Steve
Two things:
– Hockey is a different sport than baseball and the interplay between the regular season and the postseason have different dynamics.
– Contending that hockey has the best playoffs in any sport doesn’t change the fact that the regular season might as well be a footnote. 16 of 30 teams make it into the playoffs!
The other problems with this are that they further open the door for more playoff expansion by setting new limits and they also put onerous travel requirements on a team, which further trivializes what is essentially a play-in game. On that last point, imagine if LAD and SFO were both on the East Coast for the last game of the season and had to travel back to Los Angeles to play this game.
This is worse than the MLS Playoffs. I know you soccer fans are few and far between, but you know exactly what I mean. A one game playoff? What the hell is that? I can’t wait till that team wins the World Series and is even less deserving of a title than say, I don’t know… this year’s winner.
And inter-league play SUCKS. I’m so pissed there is now going to be more.
Fuck it… just go to a single table like the English Premiere League. Why even have divisions…
I’ll fuck anybody…….except Ron Noel
dumb
Look at it like this- it benefits the best team in the league EVEN more. They will play the wildcard winner in the divisional round… the wildcard winner just having exhausted every bit of strength they have to win that one game playoff. So now their pitching is even worse, because they can’t set it up even a little bit.
I see this as punishing the wild card team more and making it more of a benefit to win your division… I just don’t think the cons outweigh the pros.
In all seriousness, what exactly is MLB’s reasoning for not having a 7-game series in the first round? Who does it hurt, other than the wildcard team?
MLB makes money, home teams make money. What exactly is the drawback?
Simply put, dumb as shit.
I’m not joking at all when I say this is something all true baseball fans must protest. This isn’t even adding a playoff team; it is just creating the possibility that a team who earns the right to play in the post season can get bumped out by a team behind them in the standings based off one game. Even if that never happens — which it will happen — the team that wins that game will likely not get to use their ace twice in the DS. Way to make sense commish. I agree one hundred percent with Kyle. The logical thing here would be a 7 game DS.
Tyson: Good luck getting the player’s union to agree on abolishing the DH. You have a better chance of winning the Powerball Lottery than seeing THAT happen in your lifetime. Meanwhile, this extra Wild Card stuff is sheer nonsense, but then, that’s what Bud Selig excels in.
A one game playoff is FUCKING stupid. One game playoff are for settling ties at the end of the year.
This is not a big deal. It’s actually a great idea. It really only affects wild card teams anyhow. It’s great for what baseball is trying to accomplish ($$$). It’s good for the fans in general…think about it..at least one extra team in each league has hope for the post season.
So be it.
Love it. But the divisional round still has to go to a 7 game series. Love the idea of a one game playoff for the shitty wildcard spot. Want the 162 game season to mean something? Win your division. Want to show that you worth being in the playoffs as a wildcard? Beat your divisional opponent in a 7 game series. Love it. Just needs a 7 game LDS to make it perfect.
I think the rule saying you can’t play a division opponent in the first round is total BS too. If the Braves would’ve made the playoffs, the Phillies wouldn’t have been able to play their floundering asses….which takes away the effect of EARNING the #1 seed.
7 game division series is a must.
Bud has been a disgrace since he became commish!! This is just another distraction from what MLB desperately needs…REPLAY!!! We don’t need more playoff teams just competent playoff umps!!!!
What happens when two teams are tied for the 2nd wild card spot? do we have a 1 game playoff to get to a 1 game play to get to a 5 game playoff?
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