MLB Considering Playoff Expansion

[ctcf]

Not shocking or earth-shattering, but interesting nonetheless.

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/baseball/mlb/04/21/expanded.playoffs.ap/index.html?eref=sihp

[apete6]

Not shocking or earth-shattering, but interesting nonetheless.

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/baseball/mlb/04/21/expanded.playoffs.ap/index.html?eref=sihp

 

I don't think I like this idea. For reference, the amount of #1 & 2 seeds in the NCAAs that lost in the first 2 rounds of the 48 team era (byes) was much higher than the instance now (except Kansas obviously :D )

 

There's something counter intuitive about giving a team extra rest as its some sort of blessing. These guys are creatures of habit and the team that wins the wild card round would have a lot more momentum coming into a series, pitching matchups notwithstanding.

 

If they go back to 154 games (ideally a lot less, but that'll never happen), however, then I'm in support of this idea. I'd rather watch an extra round of playoffs than a bunch of awful games in April and September.

[OleMissCub]

Eh I'm ok with the idea. Just have the wild card round by a 3 game series.

[Andy]

I don't want more playoff teams. We already have too many instances of the World Series not matching the best team in each league.

[imb]

putting the two best teams in the world series is not the point of the playoffs.

[Andy]

putting the two best teams in the world series is not the point of the playoffs.

I know it isn't. Making money is the point of the playoffs. I'm just saying I don't like seeing wild-card teams get to play for a title every other year just because Bud is desperate to make sure the Yankees and Red Sox are always both in the playoffs.

[imb]

i know, i wish they'd redo the ncaa tournament so we could just watch duke and kentucky play every year

[ctcf]

putting the two best teams in the world series is not the point of the playoffs.

I know it isn't. Making money is the point of the playoffs. I'm just saying I don't like seeing wild-card teams get to play for a title every other year just because Bud is desperate to make sure the Yankees and Red Sox are always both in the playoffs.

 

It would also give smaller market teams a chance as well. Look at last season. Yes it would let the Sox in, but the Padres would have gone in on the NL side.

[Andy]

i know, i wish they'd redo the ncaa tournament so we could just watch duke and kentucky play every year

Because the 30-game college basketball season played between over 320 D-I teams is the exact same as a 162-game baseball season played between 30 teams. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

[Andy]

putting the two best teams in the world series is not the point of the playoffs.

I know it isn't. Making money is the point of the playoffs. I'm just saying I don't like seeing wild-card teams get to play for a title every other year just because Bud is desperate to make sure the Yankees and Red Sox are always both in the playoffs.

 

It would also give smaller market teams a chance as well. Look at last season. Yes it would let the Sox in, but the Padres would have gone in on the NL side.

I'm not saying I wouldn't watch or anything. I just like the fact that there's still one sport in which making the playoffs is a real accomplishment rather than something nearly (or more than) half the rest of the league also 'accomplished'. It won't be the same if baseball goes the way of the NBA and turns the entire season into a playoff audition for most of the teams.

[TruffleShuffle]

the point remains that any tournament-style playoff does not necessarily determine the best team in the sport. if you want to do that, just take the best regular season record, adjust for opponent strength, and award the #1 team the championship.

[imb]

i dont even recognize super bowl winners anymore, i just look at whoever won the patriots-colts game and roll with it

[davearm2]

the point remains that any tournament-style playoff does not necessarily determine the best team in the sport. if you want to do that, just take the best regular season record, adjust for opponent strength, and award the #1 team the championship.

Right. Anyone that clings to the notion that the point is to determine the best team should love the BCS.

[Guest]

putting the two best teams in the world series is not the point of the playoffs.

I know it isn't. Making money is the point of the playoffs. I'm just saying I don't like seeing wild-card teams get to play for a title every other year just because Bud is desperate to make sure the Yankees and Red Sox are always both in the playoffs.

 

I hate that wild card teams get to play for a title, that's why I don't like this new format that requires them to win an additional series in order to get there?

[TruffleShuffle]

putting the two best teams in the world series is not the point of the playoffs.

I know it isn't. Making money is the point of the playoffs. I'm just saying I don't like seeing wild-card teams get to play for a title every other year just because Bud is desperate to make sure the Yankees and Red Sox are always both in the playoffs.

 

Yes it would be much better to continue having a significantly lower percentage of teams making the postseason than pretty much every professional sports league, and to have a team like the red sox regularly missing the playoffs despite winning more games than like 90% of the teams in the league.

[erik316wttn]

putting the two best teams in the world series is not the point of the playoffs.

I know it isn't. Making money is the point of the playoffs. I'm just saying I don't like seeing wild-card teams get to play for a title every other year just because Bud is desperate to make sure the Yankees and Red Sox are always both in the playoffs.

 

I hate that wild card teams get to play for a title, that's why I don't like this new format that requires them to win an additional series in order to get there?

 

The argument could be made though that if the other teams were so good, they'd beat the wild-card team

 

I guess I just never understood this "Wild Card teams in the World Series are bad" notion. Wild card teams have won championships in the NFL, NBA, and NHL. Why is it so terrible when it happens in baseball?

[ctcf]

putting the two best teams in the world series is not the point of the playoffs.

I know it isn't. Making money is the point of the playoffs. I'm just saying I don't like seeing wild-card teams get to play for a title every other year just because Bud is desperate to make sure the Yankees and Red Sox are always both in the playoffs.

 

I hate that wild card teams get to play for a title, that's why I don't like this new format that requires them to win an additional series in order to get there?

 

The argument could be made though that if the other teams were so good, they'd beat the wild-card team

 

I guess I just never understood this "Wild Card teams in the World Series are bad" notion. Wild card teams have won championships in the NFL, NBA, and NHL. Why is it so terrible when it happens in baseball?

 

I've never understood this either. What's the problem? Half the point of the playoffs is to give the underdog a shot

[Soul]

putting the two best teams in the world series is not the point of the playoffs.

I know it isn't. Making money is the point of the playoffs. I'm just saying I don't like seeing wild-card teams get to play for a title every other year just because Bud is desperate to make sure the Yankees and Red Sox are always both in the playoffs.

 

I hate that wild card teams get to play for a title, that's why I don't like this new format that requires them to win an additional series in order to get there?

 

The argument could be made though that if the other teams were so good, they'd beat the wild-card team

 

I guess I just never understood this "Wild Card teams in the World Series are bad" notion. Wild card teams have won championships in the NFL, NBA, and NHL. Why is it so terrible when it happens in baseball?

 

I've never understood this either. What's the problem? Half the point of the playoffs is to give the underdog a shot

 

They'd still have a shot with this system. Just a little less.

[Guest]

Reposting this here because I'm curious about the response:

 

It would never, ever, ever happen, but I wonder if a detachment of the regular season and the playoffs/tournament wouldn't be awesome for baseball. Something like the soccer model where you get so much credit for regular season success but there's still tournament trophies on the line kept separate. I'm just spitballing at this point, but what if finishing in the Top 8 of each league qualified you for next year's "tournament", and then the best record in each league played a 5 game series before that tourney. So if the season ended today, Colorado and Cleveland play a best of 5 after the regular season, and the next week you start a 16 team tournament(Best of 3, best of 3, best of 5, best of 5?) with a bracket like this:

 

TB/FLA

TEX/SD

 

CIN/CHW

SF/TOR

 

PHI/OAK

ATL/BOS

 

MIN/STL

NYY/COL

 

 

In that type of model you have 20-25 teams with something to play for all the way through September, but you satisfy the traditionalists who want to see the teams who proved they were the best over 162 games have a shot at the hardware. This type of setup would underscore the need for a more balanced schedule, though. Which is fine with me since I've been an advocate of that for a while.

[pitchcs]

TT's post

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My head

[Tarver]

Reposting this here because I'm curious about the response:

 

It would never, ever, ever happen, but I wonder if a detachment of the regular season and the playoffs/tournament wouldn't be awesome for baseball. Something like the soccer model where you get so much credit for regular season success but there's still tournament trophies on the line kept separate. I'm just spitballing at this point, but what if finishing in the Top 8 of each league qualified you for next year's "tournament", and then the best record in each league played a 5 game series before that tourney. So if the season ended today, Colorado and Cleveland play a best of 5 after the regular season, and the next week you start a 16 team tournament(Best of 3, best of 3, best of 5, best of 5?) with a bracket like this:

 

TB/FLA

TEX/SD

 

CIN/CHW

SF/TOR

 

PHI/OAK

ATL/BOS

 

MIN/STL

NYY/COL

 

 

In that type of model you have 20-25 teams with something to play for all the way through September, but you satisfy the traditionalists who want to see the teams who proved they were the best over 162 games have a shot at the hardware. This type of setup would underscore the need for a more balanced schedule, though. Which is fine with me since I've been an advocate of that for a while.

 

That might give Murray Chass a stroke.

[erik316wttn]

Also like soccer the team with the worst record gets relegated to AAA the following season.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Soccer is dumb, and other sports should never try to be more like it.

[erik316wttn]

Soccer is dumb, and other sports should never try to be more like it.

 

This.

[davearm2]

Reposting this here because I'm curious about the response:

 

It would never, ever, ever happen, but I wonder if a detachment of the regular season and the playoffs/tournament wouldn't be awesome for baseball. Something like the soccer model where you get so much credit for regular season success but there's still tournament trophies on the line kept separate. I'm just spitballing at this point, but what if finishing in the Top 8 of each league qualified you for next year's "tournament", and then the best record in each league played a 5 game series before that tourney. So if the season ended today, Colorado and Cleveland play a best of 5 after the regular season, and the next week you start a 16 team tournament(Best of 3, best of 3, best of 5, best of 5?) with a bracket like this:

 

TB/FLA

TEX/SD

 

CIN/CHW

SF/TOR

 

PHI/OAK

ATL/BOS

 

MIN/STL

NYY/COL

 

 

In that type of model you have 20-25 teams with something to play for all the way through September, but you satisfy the traditionalists who want to see the teams who proved they were the best over 162 games have a shot at the hardware. This type of setup would underscore the need for a more balanced schedule, though. Which is fine with me since I've been an advocate of that for a while.

Or, skip all that, keep things as-is with the postseason, and simply add a trophy that commemorates the regular-season champion in each league.

 

Or you could give the Giles and Harridge Trophies to the regular season winners, rather than the LCS winners.

 

If winning the regular season is deserving of a trophy, then give a trophy.