Oh, sure, for several years now some people have been crying for an expanded playoff session for baseball. Well, now it seems thing are moving beyond the talking phase. Some players (and fans, and maybe even an owner or two) say that baseball has the lowest team-to-playoff percentage of all major professional sports. Granted, it is a true statement. Half the hockey teams and half the basketball teams make it to the playoffs. "Only" eight baseball teams make it to the playoffs.
I am not in favor of expanded playoffs. To me, the fact that so many teams make it in hockey os part of the reason I have become disenfranchised with NHL in general (though, yes, I will watch the Pens if they are on). Frankly, why bother even watching the regular season if HALF the teams are going to be in the playoffs anyway? Oh, and then the playoffs seem to last just as long as the regular season. No thanks.
I'm not a baseball purist by any stretch (I am completely in favor of expanded instant replay), but I see no reason to stretch the playoffs any more than they already are. Though, I suppose if they were expanded to include more teams, surely they would be reduced to best-of-three. Please!! Seriously, best-of-5 is bad. Best-of-7 is ludicrous. Frankly, I think it should be like football. You have one game that decides it all.
Oh, I know, "But what if a team just has a bad day?" Well, I say they picked the wrong day to have a bad one. Sorry, boys. Better luck next year.
Thoughts?
BTW, more info: http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2010-10-26/baseball-union-would-consider-expanded-playoff-field
I'm still not fond of the wild cards... I think it cheapens the division title chase.
ReplyDeleteThe only expanded playoff idea that I've heard that I liked was adding a second wild card in each league and making the two wild card teams play a one-game playoff before the Division Series starts. It would certainly provide more motivation for a team to win their division outright.
I'm pretty much a straight-forward purist. I don't like the idea of adding teams. But if the A.L. were to add 2 teams, then they could split each league up into 4 divisions and eliminate the goofy wild card crap. I could handle that.
ReplyDeleteI like 5-game or 7-game playoff matchups. It's baseball. It fits. It's a truer indicator. Leave the one-game-and-your-out nonsense to football.
My question is what are they going to do when it snows on the games? I guess they're thinking about cutting back the regular season. But that would cut into revenue for teams.
I actually like the system as it is. The lack of teams making the postseason is what helps set the sport apart from the boring ones like basketball and football. I like the series as well. Baseball isn't football or basketball, at least one key player changes every game.
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