Seriously! I think they tote their brains away to Neverland when they make the schedule. Can anyone give me one good reason why the Cards and Cubs played their last regular season game against each other right after the All-Star break?
There are certain rivalries in baseball that are so good that you spread them out throughout the season. I could list them all, but we all know who they are. There isn't one person here who could deny that a Cubs-Cards series today or next week would be completely different than the Cubs-Cards series from a few months ago.
Boo, I say! Boo, and a pox on the MLB schedule makers!!!
Get your head out of the sand and recognize that baseball isn't just played on the east and west coasts!
This thread started in response to the thread that wanted to know if it was going to get boring in here this winter. Are you happy, CubsFan?
I agree. A Cubs/Cards series would be huge right now.
Unfortunately, the schedule makers didn't think so.
Yes doctor, I am sick. Sick of those who are spineless. Sick of those who feel self-entitled. Sick of those who are hypocrites. Yes doctor, an army is forming. Yes doctor, there will be a war. Yes doctor, there will be blood.....
I don't know how they compile schedules today (my guess is that it's computerized), but this thread reminded me of an article I read years and years ago. It was in SI, back when it was worth reading (maybe it's worth reading again, wouldn't know, but it became the 'People' Magazine of the sports world); it might have been in their April Fool's edition so take this with a grain of salt, but it's still pretty cool.
Anyhow, the article was about how MLB compiled its schedule. Turns out that there was this old couple who'd been doing it for a really long time. When the article was written they were both in their mid to late 70's. Every year MLB would ask them to put together the schedule, maybe even requesting particular matchups near the end of the year. They would do it by hand, and send it to MLB when they were all done.
I doubt they are still alive, but I always thought it was cool that the schedule makers were, quite literally, a ma and pa organization.
"The game has a cleanness. If you do a good job, the numbers say so. You don't have to ask anyone or play politics. You don't have to wait for the reviews." - Sandy Koufax
eftda wrote:To be honest, Cubs-Cards are not that big Rivals. Not as Big as the BoSox-Yankees and the Dodger-Giants.
BUt the makers did a great job. All the NL PLayoff and AL Playoffconters play each other this month. Giants play the Dodgers and Padres in 9-10 games and then PLay the Astros. A's have to face the Red Sox starting today and then face the Angles and Rangers.
Having the Cubs take a possible 3 games from the Cards wouldn't dent the standings in the NL Central (would be on;lue 14 1/2 back ) Padres - Astros - Giants -Dodgers all have to face each other before the end of the season, so if they tear each other apart then the Cubs have a better chance of going to the playoffs. Thats my rant.
eftda wrote:To be honest, Cubs-Cards are not that big Rivals. Not as Big as the BoSox-Yankees and the Dodger-Giants.
BUt the makers did a great job. All the NL PLayoff and AL Playoffconters play each other this month. Giants play the Dodgers and Padres in 9-10 games and then PLay the Astros. A's have to face the Red Sox starting today and then face the Angles and Rangers.
Having the Cubs take a possible 3 games from the Cards wouldn't dent the standings in the NL Central (would be on;lue 14 1/2 back ) Padres - Astros - Giants -Dodgers all have to face each other before the end of the season, so if they tear each other apart then the Cubs have a better chance of going to the playoffs. Thats my rant.
eftda wrote:To be honest, Cubs-Cards are not that big Rivals. Not as Big as the BoSox-Yankees and the Dodger-Giants.
BUt the makers did a great job. All the NL PLayoff and AL Playoffconters play each other this month. Giants play the Dodgers and Padres in 9-10 games and then PLay the Astros. A's have to face the Red Sox starting today and then face the Angles and Rangers.
Having the Cubs take a possible 3 games from the Cards wouldn't dent the standings in the NL Central (would be on;lue 14 1/2 back ) Padres - Astros - Giants -Dodgers all have to face each other before the end of the season, so if they tear each other apart then the Cubs have a better chance of going to the playoffs. Thats my rant.
The Cards and Cubs aren't a big rivalry?
Just because the fans don't shoot each other or the games don't get as much airtime because it's in the Midwest, doesn't make the rivalry any less than stellar.
Anyway, the point of mentioning that they should play each other in the second half is not that the Cubs might crawl back into the race. The race is over. Instead, it could be a preview for the NLCS, and I would want to be there for sure.
eftda wrote:To be honest, Cubs-Cards are not that big Rivals. Not as Big as the BoSox-Yankees and the Dodger-Giants.
BUt the makers did a great job. All the NL PLayoff and AL Playoffconters play each other this month. Giants play the Dodgers and Padres in 9-10 games and then PLay the Astros. A's have to face the Red Sox starting today and then face the Angles and Rangers.
Having the Cubs take a possible 3 games from the Cards wouldn't dent the standings in the NL Central (would be on;lue 14 1/2 back ) Padres - Astros - Giants -Dodgers all have to face each other before the end of the season, so if they tear each other apart then the Cubs have a better chance of going to the playoffs. Thats my rant.
True, but when the schedules were made, they did not know what the standings would look like. A meeting of the two teams towards the end of the year would have made sense.
Nice post by the way.
Yes doctor, I am sick. Sick of those who are spineless. Sick of those who feel self-entitled. Sick of those who are hypocrites. Yes doctor, an army is forming. Yes doctor, there will be a war. Yes doctor, there will be blood.....
I, for one, would not want the task of making the schedule by hand. I vaguely remember that article ramble2 mentions above and it is done all by hand (or at least used to be).
I tell you guys what, if you don't think it's not tough, do this: sit down with a blank sheet of paper in front of you, write down the entire '05 season schedule (that's all 30 teams which comes out to 4,860 games) and post it here for us.
I'm not trying to be cheeky but you can see it's a daunting task. Now remember you have to deal with all kinds of little idiosyncracies like: markets with two teams can't schedule home games for both teams the same day (i.e. New York); Boston must have a home game in the Spring to coincide with Patriot's Day and the Boston Marathon; interleague play (which is on a rotating basis). I'm sure there's more that I've not mentioned.
Although, I do have to wonder why it can't be computerized. I know there's a lot of variables each season but some things do remain constant, like playing division and league rivals.
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by JTWood » Mon Sep 06, 2004 3:27 am 
) Padres - Astros - Giants -Dodgers all have to face each other before the end of the season, so if they tear each other apart then the Cubs have a better chance of going to the playoffs. Thats my rant.
