According to Ken Rosenthal, MLB is doing the extended wild-card thing this year instead of waiting until the Astros are in the AL in 2013, which means that there will be 10 teams in the playoffs, not 8, and that the World Series will extend into Thanksgiving.
Okay, I’m exaggerating. But will they really finish up the post-season by November 1st? Nope. What’s more, the weather will be cold and crummy for baseball’s signature games.
I admit I don’t like change, especially when I think the sport is pretty fine the way it is, and I understand that having a one-game playoff will be exciting for the fans of the participating teams (and for FOX and its sponsors). But why mess with the post-season? Why dilute the competition? Why not leave well enough alone?
Shifting gears, I can’t wait to hear where the Yankees are going on their outing tomorrow. (See yesterday’s post.) I vote for the day spa.
Tags: Ken Rosenthal, MLB, new playoff schedule, Yankees
I have this scenario on my mind……..Team1 arrives second in its Division, winning 90 games and the Wild Card race; Team2 is 10 or more games behind in the Wild Card standing; both teams go to the playoffs, and Team2 wins the one-game Wild Card championship. Considering the fact that Team1 showed for 162 games to be better than Team2, and that in a single game could happen pretty much everything, who REALLY deserves to move to the Division Series? The team who played better for six months, or the one who played better for that one important game? I just know that I would freak out if our Yanks would be Team1 next year (at least against the Tigers last year we played bad baseball for more than just one game).
I understand the excitement and business parts of it, but I agree with you Jane, I’m not that happy about this too!
You painted my exact nightmare scenario, Paul. And I don’t just feel that way if Team 1 in your scenario is the Yankees. I think any team that plays well for 162 games and then goes cold in the one-game playoff will get a really raw deal. I don’t even like the best of 5 series!
I absolutely hate this new format they’re talking about, from the very first time they mentioned the possibility of it months ago. You hit it on the head, Jane. It’s all about tv. It’s all about the money. Most of the teams that would’ve made the playoffs with this system the last few years did not deserve post season play. If it really is all about making winning the division matter, then get rid of the wild cards and go with three division winners in the playoffs. The team with the best record gets a bye and the other two play a best of three so the number 1 seed doesn’t have to wait too long. But that doesn’t bring in as much $$$ of course… Instead they’d rather artificially create a night like last season’s final day, or the 163rd games we’ve seen recently. This stinks… This sucks…. And don’t get me started on the Astros moving to the AL and causing all interleague, all the time! Ack!!
“Ack” is the right word for it, YankeeCase. (I’ve missed your “acks,” by the way.) When a one-game playoff happens organically, as in when two teams are tied at the end of the regular season, it’s very exciting and good for the game and all the things we’ve seen. But to manufacture “excitement” by pitting teams with lesser records against each other just for the sake of it, it’s silly.