Possible playoff change +2 Wild Card

[Skin Blues]

So because we're stuck with arbitrary lines no matter what, we should go with a dozen of the instead of just the one that divides the two distinct leagues that have distinct rules?

You really seem to be hung up on "winning a division", which is and of itself is... not that impressive. Especially when you have 6 divisions with as few as 4 teams (weak ones, at that) in them, and three of the best teams in baseball crammed into a single division. Why not make 8 divisions and have 8 division winners? haha. That'd be much better than having 1 division per league and all those pesky, undeserving wildcards

[Tavish]

Why not make 8 divisions and have 8 division winners? haha. That'd be much better than having 1 division per league and all those pesky, undeserving wildcards

You say that tongue in cheek, but I already suggested that as a serious solution. I would rather have the playoffs have 8 first place teams than have a second place team make it, even if it means that a lesser team makes it because the division is weak. Obviously my scenario would work better if there weren't a few teams with a distinct advantage every year. But having wild card teams is a weak band-aid that just tries to mask the problems, not fix them.

[Skin Blues]

Is it the connotation of the term "wild-card" that bothers you? To me, having one big division for each league with a balanced schedule would ensure the best 4 teams make the playoffs. Versus 8 tiny divisions, where you only have to be better than 2 or 3 other teams to make the playoffs. Quality of playoff teams would be down the toilet (as it kind of is right now), crappy teams would make it EVERY year (as they do right now), but they're technically division winners. I don't know what it is about those arbitrary lines that you find so exciting...

[legoshoe]

I personally don't like having a 162 game season come down to one playoff game....wild card or not.

I think this season and several of the recent past ones show that the reg. season is still relevant until the final out in a few divisions. I hate to see the importance of a season long division or even wild card race washed out by simply one game.

I think the fanbase was completely ok with the current system after many years of grumbling about it. I was too...even with the game 163's with the Twins two years in a row. But do we really want to see what would have been a Boston-TB 1 game playoff and Atlanta-St. Louis one game playoff and lose what was a magical end of the year? It's more diluted and we lose the greatness of the last day that can be brought with it.

Grr Selig.....Grrrrr

[bayside]

a one game playoff is the stupidest thing MLB could possibly do.

[Bloody Sox]

First off, it's only adding 1 wild card per league. Secondly, they are also moving the Astros to the AL so they will/might go to a more fair schedule.

I can't believe all you Red Sox - Yankee haters don't LOVE this. Instead of an annual event of the Sox/Yanks not giving a crap who wins the division and setting up their post season rotation 3 weeks in advance (this year not withstanding), now it is critically important to win the division - otherwise the best you can do is a one game play in game. On top of that, another team that might not otherwise even have a chance gets in, even if its just into the one game play-in.

I actually think this is brilliant.

[mweir145]

Yes, I think it helps the teams in the lesser divisions far more than it helps the Yankees/Red Sox. So in that way, I was glad to see them do this.

Now they've just got to help the teams that are in the Yankees/Red Sox division by creating a balanced schedule.

[bayside]

Now they've just got to help the teams that are in the Yankees/Red Sox division by creating a balanced schedule.

i agree with you on this 100%

[mweir145]

Now they've just got to help the teams that are in the Yankees/Red Sox division by creating a balanced schedule.

i agree with you on this 100%

Of course...it's a very rational idea, like everything I write.

[Urban Cohorts]

As a Sox fan, I LOVE this.

It now makes the Sox and Yankees rivalry that much sweeter. Now every game matters. Considering that the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays win the wild card 90% of the time (rough estimate here), there will be no more mindset of "well we can win 95 games and make it into the playoffs". Now you have to win the division or be at a HUGE disadvantage going into the playoffs.

Though I do think a one game series is a tad crazy. Anything can happen in a one game series. It would make more sense to have a three game series. This would give a definite advantage for the division leaders over the wild card teams. In a three game series, the wild card teams would have to use (up to) their best three SP available. In a one game series, it doesn't have much impact for the division winners IMO.