So it comes down to the Rangers and Angels. That's the only playoff race left in baseball, despite eight playoff slots. How did we come to this lamentable result?
We came to to this lamentable result because there are eight playoff slots. Duh.
This is the unintended consequence of Wild Cards. Carmakers developed four-wheel drive cars with traction control and anti-lock brakes, with the unintended consequence that people who buy them drive with impunity in snow storms and crash by the mini-van load. Designed to increase late season drama, the Wild Card has anti-locked the pennant race while halving the value of making the post-season.
Imagine if we returned to the days of two divisions in each league. The annual chewing of the nails could commence in full force in the Northeast for the AL East Battle Royale between New York and Boston. Assuming that Detroit and Cleveland would head East, the current AL West dogfight would be unchanged. Sorry Tigers, no contention for you. Does that mean Justin Verlander is no longer an MVP candidate? (Good luck defending that argument.)
In the NL, Philly has turned the competition to mush, so it wouldn't matter that Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis would go east. Milwaukee and Arizona could scrap for the West title where the Giants have faded into batlessness.
The result, three playoff races instead of one, each of which leaves the victor four wins from the World Series. It would be a bummer for fans in Detroit and Atlanta this year, but a gargantuan net gain for baseball. In the current environment, September games are losing the TV rating wars to Wheel of Fortune re-runs and -- God help us -- presidential addresses. Even Yankee-Red Sox tilts have been drained of their zing.
On top of that, a shorter playoff schedule would eliminate November World Series nightmares, reducing the likelihood -- now 100% -- of flurries, freezing rain and hard frost during the Fall Classic. Which brings us back around to the playoff races, which this year have devolved into a hard frost themselves.
b
4 comments:
What about the talk of an additional wild card (not saying I favor it) resulting in the need for a 1 game playoff. Giving teams incentive to take the division (looking at the Yankees who would ate to see Verlander in a 1 game contest)?
Of course you forgot to me tion the other race - AZ and Brew Crew in the "Race to avoid the Phillies". Heh heh heh.
More playoff teams is a lousy formula no matter how you execute it. The loser of a play-in will not feel like they made the post-season. And the additional game lengthens the season, which is the opposite of a good idea.
If I'm the Phils, the Brewers worry me.
You noticed they are 9 outs from a sweep of Brewers, right?
Ok, so they didn't sweep after all. Why worry? Now if I were a Red Sox fan, I'd sure be worried. Lookout, here come the Rays. Please let it be NYY the Phils crush in the WS and not Tampa once more.
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