Pete Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 And with the Royals loss, the 3 best teams in baseball all play in the NL Central. It is amusing they they will have to go all Thunderdome on themselves to get the NLCS God does the NL East suck 2 of the best 3 teams in baseball won't play a single NLCS game. Madness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 To be fair - 20 years ago - 2 of them wouldn't have even made the playoffs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig H Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I don't get too bugged about the whole 1 of the 3 best teams in baseball not even making the NLDS thing. It's awesome the Cubs are in it, but it all feels very anomalous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuetsar Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 If Selig hadn't fucked up the playoffs, two out three wouldn't make it, as it should be. . . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners Fan in CT Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 The '93 Giants aren't going to give a crap about one of those teams not making it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipGofern Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I disagree. I know this may be sacrilegious to say but I think baseball would be much fairer (and exciting) if they went to a soccer format. Instead of all these stupid divisions, where like 1/3 the teams are misplaced geographically anyway, just do one (or maybe two - East and West) divisions. The top two teams automatically advance, the next four (or two in each division if you do the East-West thing) play a 7 game series to advance to the next round. Anyway, the Pirates did one of those "dress silly during a West Coast road trip" team bonding things when leaving LA yesterday and did a superhero/Sci-fi theme. It's crazy to see your favorite team's locker room look like a group shot from Comicon. I'm pretty sure this was better for AJ Burnett than making his first All-Star Game. (AJ is a huge Batman fan, he even signed a ball to Michael Keaton "From one Batman to an another" earlier this season. The other guy is Jeff Locke - he's one of our starters and he idolizes AJ to the point he follows him around like a lost puppy. So of course he calls himself "Robin.") 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grilledcheese Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 The '93 Giants aren't going to give a crap about one of those teams not making it. Without a doubt, the only 81-81 Dodgers season I have no complaints about. I disagree. I know this may be sacrilegious to say but I think baseball would be much fairer (and exciting) if they went to a soccer format. Instead of all these stupid divisions, where like 1/3 the teams are misplaced geographically anyway, just do one (or maybe two - East and West) divisions. The top two teams automatically advance, the next four (or two in each division if you do the East-West thing) play a 7 game series to advance to the next round. The powers that be don't truly care about fair when it comes to playoff teams. All that matters is TV revenue. Hence an extra game that has "meaning" to stick on TBS. I keep hoping it doesn't turn into the NHL where 16 of 30 get in, but I don't have a ton of faith that it won't get to that point eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 AJ Burnett picturing himself as Batman makes so much sense now. We've been treated to some excellent wild card play-ins so far. I initially hated it but the quality of those games has shut me up. I just hope it doesn't lead to more and more playoff expansion. I love the MLB in large part because of how brief the post-season is and how difficult it is to get into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabe Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 To be fair - 20 years ago - 2 of them wouldn't have even made the playoffsI just - as in yesterday - finished reading a book on the 1968 Tigers, the last of the REAL world champions. One team from each league and learn to live with it, baby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nature Boy Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 To be fair - 20 years ago - 2 of them wouldn't have even made the playoffsI just - as in yesterday - finished reading a book on the 1968 Tigers, the last of the REAL world champions. One team from each league and learn to live with it, baby! I have a good friend who still believes it should be done that way. I can see it both ways. I imagine that pennant races were fun to watch at the season ended but I imagine that MLB would be unhappy if one team just ran away with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Lucia Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 The only change that could happen in the next 15 years is the expansion of the WC game to a WC series (three games?). MLB people are always hesitant about diluting the playoff pool too much, and adding two more WC teams would shoot a whole in the "gotta win the division!" talking point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolfan in NYC Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 Well remember, there's a decent sized rumor that they are (were?) kicking the tires on dropping divisions altogether. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Man Known as Dan Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Which is the correct call to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Well remember, there's a decent sized rumor that they are (were?) kicking the tires on dropping divisions altogether. I think you are confusing baseball with basketball I mean outside of Jeff Passan at Yahoo constantly hyping it - I don't know anyone else who has brought it up. But I am also old and forgetful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuetsar Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 If they do that, the might as well fold the damn thing, because it would be the stupidest thing in the history of ever. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Man Known as Dan Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 If they do that, the might as well fold the damn thing, because it would be the stupidest thing in the history of ever. . . Reason? Cause having two teams who currently sit 2nd and 3rd in all of baseball have to do the stupid one game play in is significantly more stupid. Also, the "go back to one team from each league" thing discussion is, I hope, sarcastic, cause that would completely destroy attendance for baseball late in the season when it's down to about 4 teams that are playing for anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuetsar Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 The third place team shouldn't even make the playoffs. One wild card was perfectly fine, the only way there should be a playoff game is if there is a tie. Bud Selig is a sinner and will burn in hell(well baseball version anyway) for introducing the second wildcard. The rules were harsh, but fair. Win your division or have the next best record in the league(and shy of expansion for 32 teams, 8 divisions and winner take all) is the best system possible. The regular season in baseball should mean something, not just be a setup for playoffs, like the NHL or NBA. . . . Fuck interleague play, and the Astros in the AL too. . . . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Man Known as Dan Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 The third place team shouldn't even make the playoffs. One wild card was perfectly fine, the only way there should be a playoff game is if there is a tie. Bud Selig is a sinner and will burn in hell(well baseball version anyway) for introducing the second wildcard. The rules were harsh, but fair. Win your division or have the next best record in the league(and shy of expansion for 32 teams, 8 divisions and winner take all) is the best system possible. The regular season in baseball should mean something, not just be a setup for playoffs, like the NHL or NBA. . . . Fuck interleague play, and the Astros in the AL too. . . . But why should a team be rewarded for winning a shitty division? What have the Mets done to earn a playoff spot more then the Cubs or Pirates other then play in a division with 3 of the worst teams in baseball and another team that OD'd in July? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuetsar Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 The third place team shouldn't even make the playoffs. One wild card was perfectly fine, the only way there should be a playoff game is if there is a tie. Bud Selig is a sinner and will burn in hell(well baseball version anyway) for introducing the second wildcard. The rules were harsh, but fair. Win your division or have the next best record in the league(and shy of expansion for 32 teams, 8 divisions and winner take all) is the best system possible. The regular season in baseball should mean something, not just be a setup for playoffs, like the NHL or NBA. . . . Fuck interleague play, and the Astros in the AL too. . . . But why should a team be rewarded for winning a shitty division? What have the Mets done to earn a playoff spot more then the Cubs or Pirates other then play in a division with 3 of the worst teams in baseball and another team that OD'd in July? Geography and 115 years(or more depending on how you want to count it) of tradition. Its all baseball has, and yeah occasionally a team will get screwed, but that part of it too. If you want to make the playoffs, be a better team in the regular season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Man Known as Dan Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Fuck Tradition. If we are going by tradition, the Mets should be in the same division as the Cubs, Cards, and Pirates anyway and should be sitting in 4th place. If we wanted to go by tradition baseball should only have 16 teams, black players should be in a different league, the DH wouldn't be a thing, and New York would have about 4 teams. And fuck geography too, for that matter. Geography didn't affect shit for 100 years. You can't use "Geography and Tradition" in the same argument because using one discredits the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Logistically you can't just say "FUCK TRADITION~!" This isn't the early 50s - where everyone was in two time zones. So Geography did mean shit. You need divisions for schedule making reasons - otherwise the season is going to be 4 times as long as it is because there is no fair way to do the schedule otherwise. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuetsar Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 I'd be fine with going back to two divisions and no interleague play. But why the hell should a third place team make the playoffs? But to follow the no divisions logic, go to a completely balanced schedule with no rivalries at all/ Talk about an attendance killer, all for one year that was a fluke anyway. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 I also hope Dragon felt this way in 2003 when the Cubs had the NL's 4th Best record and won the Central or 2007 when the Cubs had the NL's 6th Best record and won the Central 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig H Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Holy shit, if tradition is the reason to not do something to try and improve things, then throw out mound height changes, replays, divisions, expansion teams, 162 games and so many other things for fucks sake. The best teams in baseball should always compete for the championship. If you need divisions, Jesus, go back to two divisions then. It is fucking stupid to say, "be a better team in the regular season" when you were, in fact, a better team in the regular season than the Dodgers, Mets, Nationals or anyone else considered a NL contender that isn't St. Louis, Pittsburgh or Chicago. Yes, the regular season in baseball should mean something, like you said Kuetsar. To say that and also say everything else you've said in the same breath is maddeningly stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Man Known as Dan Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Logistically you can't just say "FUCK TRADITION~!" This isn't the early 50s - where everyone was in two time zones. So Geography did mean shit. You need divisions for schedule making reasons - otherwise the season is going to be 4 times as long as it is because there is no fair way to do the schedule otherwise. Fine then. Division winners are promised a playoff spot, but playoffs are reseeded by record. Simple. Division still has something to play for, and you have a 0% chance of running into stupid crap like "The 3 teams with the best record in baseball all have to get through each other just to get to the NLCS." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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