Concrete ideas to improve the playoff system?

[Sammy Sofa]

I really don't mind the LDS as a 5 game series. Don't forget, we really benefitted from that in 2003.

 

Yep. I don't really mind how it's set up.

 

Yeah. I'd prefer 7 games, but I really don't have a problem with 5.

[Balsa]

The regular season should end in August, and September would be the playoff month.

 

Playoffs and football shouldn't overlap.

[badnews]

Let the Cubs use regular bats and make the other team use whiffle ball bats.

[NCCubFan]

I agree with making the LDS 7 games and leaving the rest of it alone (except for "This Time It Counts," which absolutely must go). I would have liket to have seen what would have happened in the 1984 NLCS if it had been 7 games instead of 5 back then. The Cubs would have returned home for the final two games and perhaps would have pulled it out.

[hardcorecubfan]

Make the NLDS/ALDS 7 games, all you need to do.

 

then back the regular season with several dbl headers and finish sooner so we aren't inot November

[16greenhuskies]

Pardon me, as I have not read all the posts in this thread so I hope I don't mimic another's idea.......

 

My idea is that if MLB insists on a WC then the WC team should only have 1 home game in the DS and keep the 5 game series. Thus it would be a 2-1-2 format. Plus the team with the best record would play the WC team regardless of the WC coming from the same division. This system makes it more difficult for the WC team to advance, as it should be for any non-division winner, and rewards the best record team.

[MPC]

shorten the damn regular season. with the wildcard and expanded playoffs, the regular season is becoming less and less important.

[RedVerbs]

Give it to the team with the best record. That way the Cards would have 2 championships in the last 5 years, and Cubs would still have none.

[SouthSideRyan]

Give it to the team with the best record. That way the Cards would have 2 championships in the last 5 years, and Cubs would still have none.

 

Remember when you came around talking a big game that the Cardinals weren't going away and that we were all blinded by our hatred. And then Cardinals sucked like I told you they did and you went away for awhile.

 

Do that again.

 

None of the other potential wild card teams are better then the Cardinals.

Edited October 6, 2008 by SouthSideRyan

[Soul]

Bring back the 9 game WS.

[squally1313]

Eliminate the wildcard....best of 3 series for the 2 division champs with the worst record, in a 1-2 format. Winner plays the team with the best record in a 7 game set, normal NLCS rules apply. Then 9 game world series. Keep the drama in the division races, with the added drama of finishing with the best record in the league, and stretch out the World Series without going into November.

 

Unfortunately, since the Red Sox and the Yankees play in the same division, it will never happen.

[Bergy92]

What they should do is whoever has the best league record gets to pick who they want to play, instead of this "you can't play the wildcard if it is in your own division" garbage. I would have been much more confident playing the Brewers than anyone else...(except maybe the Mets, maybe we should have played all our players the last 3 games so that the Mets got in...)

[daske17]

Get rid of Dick Stockton, duh. :)

[Lefty]

Require the Cubs to show up. Geez, is this what we're complaining about? If it was best of seven we would have been swept out a day later.

[Sammys Boombox]

I honestly think the best way to go about it would be to take the two best records in each league. Have a best-of-nine LCS and WS with only 1 travel day during each series so if one pitcher pitches more than twice it's on short rest at least once. 162 games is such a long season to throw two teams into a 5-game series and try to eliminate one of them.

[Sammys Boombox]

Count me in with simply making the LDS 7 games, although there's something to be said for the champion having to run the gauntlet of a short series and a couple of long series - not much, but something. And I agree with abandoning the All Star Game as deciding WS home field advantage. One other thing to "clean up" baseball IMO - move the Astros to the AL to get the leagues evened up like they should be. Then you could go back to 18 intra-divisional games with each division team (72 games), 6 games (3 home and away) with every other League team (60 games), and 6 games (3 home and away) against every member of one division in the other League (30 games) on a rotational 3 year basis. That way there would be a lot more to base the Interleague record decision on, beyond the simple fairness of it all. It still would not be 100% fair in determining the WC winner, but it's not any worse in that regard than what we've got right now.

 

This is Bob Costas' plan right? I think it's brilliant for the regular season. However, since the season is SOOO long, only the two best teams should make the playoffs in each league.

[jersey cubs fan]

Count me in with simply making the LDS 7 games, although there's something to be said for the champion having to run the gauntlet of a short series and a couple of long series - not much, but something. And I agree with abandoning the All Star Game as deciding WS home field advantage. One other thing to "clean up" baseball IMO - move the Astros to the AL to get the leagues evened up like they should be. Then you could go back to 18 intra-divisional games with each division team (72 games), 6 games (3 home and away) with every other League team (60 games), and 6 games (3 home and away) against every member of one division in the other League (30 games) on a rotational 3 year basis. That way there would be a lot more to base the Interleague record decision on, beyond the simple fairness of it all. It still would not be 100% fair in determining the WC winner, but it's not any worse in that regard than what we've got right now.

 

This is Bob Costas' plan right? I think it's brilliant for the regular season. However, since the season is SOOO long, only the two best teams should make the playoffs in each league.

 

It would never happen and I don't think it should. Elimating 4 playoff teams elimates another 5-10 teams from playing meaningful games in August and September. You have to provide hope for fans to get excited. Sports produces "flawed" champions all the time. Being the best team doesn't guarantee a title. I would be in favor of adding extra incentives for the higher seeded teams, like a 4-1 home field advantage in round 1, or maybe a 7 game series, but I don't see any reason why the number of playoff teams should be reduced.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I'd make the following changes:

 

Best record plays WC regardless of whether they are in the same division.

LDS series remain five game series, with the series between the two division winners remaining as it is now, but in the series with the WC, the WC team gets only one home game. It would be a 2-1-2 format.

[badnews]

Just a note, when the Cubs finally do win the World Series I could see it as the horribly-flawed-team-unexpectedly-sneaks-into-the-World-Series-via-the-wild-card-and-disappears-next-season scenario, so I wouldn't complain too strenuously.

[Sammys Boombox]

Count me in with simply making the LDS 7 games, although there's something to be said for the champion having to run the gauntlet of a short series and a couple of long series - not much, but something. And I agree with abandoning the All Star Game as deciding WS home field advantage. One other thing to "clean up" baseball IMO - move the Astros to the AL to get the leagues evened up like they should be. Then you could go back to 18 intra-divisional games with each division team (72 games), 6 games (3 home and away) with every other League team (60 games), and 6 games (3 home and away) against every member of one division in the other League (30 games) on a rotational 3 year basis. That way there would be a lot more to base the Interleague record decision on, beyond the simple fairness of it all. It still would not be 100% fair in determining the WC winner, but it's not any worse in that regard than what we've got right now.

 

This is Bob Costas' plan right? I think it's brilliant for the regular season. However, since the season is SOOO long, only the two best teams should make the playoffs in each league.

 

It would never happen and I don't think it should. Elimating 4 playoff teams elimates another 5-10 teams from playing meaningful games in August and September. You have to provide hope for fans to get excited. Sports produces "flawed" champions all the time. Being the best team doesn't guarantee a title. I would be in favor of adding extra incentives for the higher seeded teams, like a 4-1 home field advantage in round 1, or maybe a 7 game series, but I don't see any reason why the number of playoff teams should be reduced.

 

I know it will never happen and I understand why. I'm just stating what I wish it would be/should be. The season is just too long to let 8/30 (more than 1/4) into the playoffs.

[ELCABALLO45]

Leave it the way it is. Its fine.

[Soul]

Let's keep playing games until we win. Then go back to the normal format the next year.

[16greenhuskies]

Vance_the_cubs__fan,

 

Your idea is the same as mine as seen earlier. Our plan allows for a WC, doesn't lengthen an already long post-season and gives the best record team 4 of 5 games at home in the DS. Winners all the way around. Of course, MLB will never do this as it makes good sense.

[wekse]

two divisions, east and west, in both leagues...top two teams make the playoffs from each league....LCS's are 7 games, WS are 9 games.