Greggulator Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Well, here's my question with the second Wildcard:1) What's a better system? What advantage does a team have in winning a division? The only advantage is one home game in a series. That's really not much of an advantage at all. 2) It gets really, really, really cold in October in a lot of markets. You can't really extend the season any more than it has been. A best of 1 to get into a Best of 5 creates so much drama and tension. The Padres/Rockies and Twins/Tigers games were two of the greatest games of our lifetime. We now get a few more chances at "Win or go home" intensity. I'll take that all day, every day.I love the NBA like no other but the playoff chase stinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 The previous system was perfect, and any change was inherently awful. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Dave Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Thank Buddha Sam Holbrook won't be peddling his dogshit in Atlanta for this series. Can't believe we dodged Holbrook AND Bucknor. Every little bit helps... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tele-Viper Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 The Expos were dead after 1994. They were a victim of the strike. But they were also a victim of a French-Canadian culture that struggled to embrace baseball. Don't see how that's true at all. Montreal embraced the Expos whole-heartedly in the 80's and the biggest problems were with Stade Olympique and managment/MLB repeatedly cutting the knees out from under the team. They were the winningest team in their division just before the strike and could've turned things around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabe Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 1) He entered that fray late in the game. The hated between the players' union and ownership developed over the course of four decades. It sucked it was cancelled. Since then, they haven't come close to a labor stoppage -- and he was a huge part in inking the deal that created the longest period of harmony between the two entities since the formation of the MLBPA. Every other team sport has gone into strike (with the NBA and NHL doing it multiple times) since 1994. Sorry, Selig gets the blame for '94. First of all, he became commissioner in 1992. The strike and lost World Series took place in August of 1994 - 2 years later. And why was the situation so bad in 1994? Because the owners had colluded to screw the players and ended up having to pay a $280 million judgment to the players. And who was behind the collusion? Bud Selig. The Union basically doesn’t trust the ownership because collusion was a $280 million theft by Selig and Jerry Reinsdorf of that money from the players. I mean, they rigged the signing of free agents. They got caught. They paid $280 million to the players. And I think that’s polluted labor relations in baseball ever since it happened. I think it’s the reason MLBPA executive director Donald Fehr has no trust in Selig.[15] —Fay Vincent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabe Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 It's a myth that 1994 killed the Expos. They were 11th in attendance in 1994 and improved to 10th in 1995 - with a last place team. They dropped back to the 11th in 1996. What killed the Expos is that they got rid of all their good players and stopped even trying to be competitive. The fans knew that there was no reason to support them because their guys would be gone soon after or the owners would gut the team. Who can blame them? Andres Galarragga, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker, and a host of others all left with not much coming back the other way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Giving the Expos to Jeffrey Loria didnt help. And then the Boston/Florida ownership hustle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 3) There's a ton of parity. For all the talk about large market teams, there sure are a lot of small and mid-market teams that are competitive year in and year out. Having a cagey front office is the most important thing in baseball. The Yankees have every advantage in the world but they (and the Sox and my beloved Phillies) miss the playoffs routinely. Teams like St. Louis can lose Albert Pujols and still compete. It's a great system. Uh, the Yankees have made October 17 out of the last 19 seasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabe Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Giving the Expos to Jeffrey Loria didnt help.And then the Boston/Florida ownership hustle. Yeah, that all kinda ties in with the "it wasn't 1994" theme. It's no coincidence that what we saw in Montreal is exactly what we're seeing in Florida. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranesi Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Selig's done a lot of good for the game, but he's also made his mistakes. I like the second wild card, but despise the joke of a one game play-in (INFIELD FLY LULZ). Comparing him to the other commissioners across sports, he's not actively destroying the league like Bettman and he's not a "right place/right time" guy who is peeling back the best parts of the sport like Goodell. He's a lot like Stern in that there have been issues, but the sport has also grown by leaps and bounds. I'm liking what's happening right now a lot. People have said that either system will work out better or worse on different years. In the N.L. this year, you can argue that it's exactly the same. It would have been the same two teams battling for the same spot, and you would have had the same other two teams fighting to avoid L.A.. But it's easy enough to imagine lots of scenarios in which the 2nd wild card could have meant a lot more intense baseball the last two weeks...if the Nats had been able to get it together at all. But overall, I like the idea that winning your division means a lot. And not winning means you merely have a chance to survive...but have to face the luck-of-the-draw that comes with one baseball game...and you have to likely use up your ace. Serves you right for those extra games what you done lost. So, if you want to avoid INFIELD FLY!!!!: 1) Win your goddamned division, little monsters, or 2) Be The Cardinals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raziel Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 3) There's a ton of parity. For all the talk about large market teams, there sure are a lot of small and mid-market teams that are competitive year in and year out. Having a cagey front office is the most important thing in baseball. The Yankees have every advantage in the world but they (and the Sox and my beloved Phillies) miss the playoffs routinely. Teams like St. Louis can lose Albert Pujols and still compete. It's a great system. Uh, the Yankees have made October 17 out of the last 19 seasons. Yeah, but all the advantages have proven is that you can't buy a championship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Cardinals are going to get swept...up in championship glory! (Hot dog eating contest.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizium Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Looking at their attendance through the 80s-94, the Expos generally hovered between 1 300 000-1 600 000, with a few years higher and a few years lower (the late 70s-80s even saw them push over 2 million on a few occasions). Obviously those numbers put them in the bottom half of the NL, but are certainly respectable and shows that there was definitely a strong support base. I don't think it can be said enough how terrible of a stadium the Big Owe is. It is a mess to try and get to and was pretty well run down by the mid 80s. It is one of the largest architectural scams in history (it wasn't even fully paid for until a couple years ago and ended up costinf over a billion dollars...for a stadium built in the 70s) and it is no coincidence that the Alouettes have become very successful since leaving it. If you think the Trop is a mausoleum, step into the Owe sometime, where there is the added bonus of possibly being killed by some crumbling awning. That, and the team showing no willingness after the mid 80s, of even attempting to hang onto any of their star players (whether they'd stay or not) pretty much killed any new support from growing. 1994 was just the slap in the face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Plus you haven't even all touched on the other farce of a thing with the Expos Letting Jeffrey Loria cherry pick the Marlins and MLB just assuming control. Selig loves to pick and choose with ownership The Dodgers are in trouble??? SEIZE CONTROL OF THE TEAM! The Mets are in trouble??? FUCK THEM! Or rejecting the Dodgers/Fox Sports deal so baseball guy Stan Kasten could get them (well and MAGIC JOHNSON~! FACE OF THE FRANCHISE!) Or the fiasco that is the Nats/Os MASN deal because Peter Angelos convinced Bud that Washington DC was the Orioles property Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tele-Viper Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 All this talk just makes me miss the Expos all the more. I really hope that feasibility study shows that baseball can still be supported in Montreal and that the team comes back in some form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizium Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Piranesi's joking about Tony LaRussa aside, I know who we really need as the new commissioner. "¿Yo?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuetsar Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 The second wild card is the single worst thing to happen to baseball since the strike. I wish I could give this a million likes. . . . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuetsar Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 1) He entered that fray late in the game. The hated between the players' union and ownership developed over the course of four decades. It sucked it was cancelled. Since then, they haven't come close to a labor stoppage -- and he was a huge part in inking the deal that created the longest period of harmony between the two entities since the formation of the MLBPA. Every other team sport has gone into strike (with the NBA and NHL doing it multiple times) since 1994. Sorry, Selig gets the blame for '94. First of all, he became commissioner in 1992. The strike and lost World Series took place in August of 1994 - 2 years later. And why was the situation so bad in 1994? Because the owners had colluded to screw the players and ended up having to pay a $280 million judgment to the players. And who was behind the collusion? Bud Selig. The Union basically doesn’t trust the ownership because collusion was a $280 million theft by Selig and Jerry Reinsdorf of that money from the players. I mean, they rigged the signing of free agents. They got caught. They paid $280 million to the players. And I think that’s polluted labor relations in baseball ever since it happened. I think it’s the reason MLBPA executive director Donald Fehr has no trust in Selig.[15] —Fay Vincent Selig was also one of, if not, the hawkish owner for the strike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuetsar Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Oh and the second wildcard is one of pussiest things done in the history of sports. It used to be HARD to make the playoffs. . now? Way to fucking easy. As a Red Sox they have their titles because of the wild card, but a big part of me wants two divisions, and fuck you if you aren't good enough. I have accepted the wildcard, but Selig will rot in hell for the second. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranesi Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Divisions? Pussies. National League: 8 Teams. Best record takes the pennant American League: 8 teams. Best record takes the pennant First of all, that's 14 useless cities and teams we can get rid of. And we can get this shit done by Aug. 25. ...and here all you tough guys are whining about not having a team in Montreal? In my day there was no Montreal. There was just Vermont and then "Territory." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 RT @TBrownYahoo Ron Washington, on "matching wits" with Joe Maddon: "I'm not wittin' wit' Joe." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizium Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Divisions? Pussies. National League: 8 Teams. Best record takes the pennant American League: 8 teams. Best record takes the pennant First of all, that's 14 useless cities and teams we can get rid of. And we can get this shit done by Aug. 25. ...and here all you tough guys are whining about not having a team in Montreal? In my day there was no Montreal. There was just Vermont and then "Territory." Disputed Indian Lands was such a good team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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