sorry

This scenario will take a month if each series plays its maximum # of games and allows for travel. Bad weather could extend the playoffs into the second week of November if the regular season ends on Oct 3 rd as it did this year.

If the schedule makers are flexible then the regular season can start April 1st by making sure that the colder weather teams open in warmer climates or in domed stadiums. This will be easier to do now that there will constantly be inter league games all year long!

And the fact that a Native American group said they found it insulting and stereo-typing yet the Braves still encourage it doesn’t speak well for the organization. The fans are one thing, but the organization doesn’t have to prompt it on their own through the P.A. system.

I was referring more to the sustained pressure of the winner take all with no safety net built up throughout the season. There was just something about those great races – just as much as there was nothing about those great blowouts when the pennants seemed decided by mid August.

If anything, this year renewed the value of winning the division. Also, the Rays and Angels were in the race until the final week. You can’t say there was no pressure on any of the teams down the stretch.

There was a picture of Carl Yaztremski on the cover of a magazine late in the 1967 when there was a four team chase for the American League flag. Yaz looked like he was possessed and freaked out after his swing. It was the pressure they don’t feel today – and we don’t get to enjoy.

That actually happened often with the old two team division set up – I think the Twins of 1987 won that many. We know it happened with the 73 Mets.

But at least they were still best of the rest but it really made the other division losers grimace – especially with Minnesota when the AL played a balanced schedule so it was just a matter of which division they were placed it.

Even before divisions, the grumblings were so many second and third place clubs in the national league could have run away with the pennant if in the junior circuit due to it’s lack of stars in the mid sixties.

Frank Wren is an ex-minor league baseball player.
SA is not.
Yet they seem to be preaching the same type of approach at the plate.

Absolutely right about the basic concept of hitting and pitching. It doesn’t take a statitician to appreciate that.

The problem with Sandy, however, is that as an “observer” (as admitted) he believes that his analyzing of advanced statistical information has built up his baseball knowledge to that of a PROFESSIONAL level. Bill James and Branch Rickey had decades of baseball experience behind them and formulated advanced statistical analysis to supplement their understading of the game. They did NOT use stats as their initial building blocks for learning.

Mathematics might be seen as the language of the universe, however, it is folly to believe the sport itself can be expressed in numbers just because there are patterns in baseball as well. Unfortunately Sandy, it seems, honestly believes that by identifying them one can find the key ingredients to best attempt putting together a competitive ball club. Even Branch Rickey in that article for LIFE magazine, said there were factors that stats could never take into account – even simple ones like Babe Ruth’s eyesight and Rodgers Hornsby’s arrogance.

This is what happens when one allows a legal and financial expert to assume the final say in baseball responsibilities. Fred Wilpon should have relinquished his title of CEO (remaining President) and given that to Sandy which is more presentative of Alderson’s talents – and not allowing him to pick his General and Assistant General Managers and to leave that to a search committee.

people seem to forget the years where the yankees and red sox locked up the division and WC early, and both went into get lined up for the playoffs mode early, even though the Sox were only a few games out. basically, winning the division meant less to them than getting their rotation set up and having 1 less home game.

well, that is not going to happen with the new format, which IMO is the best reason to support it. Having more teams in the hunt is 2nd to that.

even this year, weren’t the Yankees and Orioles both locked in before the last weekend? Would baltimore have tried as hard (using up SP) if they could have just coasted into WC and played a normal series?

you can certainly look back after the playoffs end and decide if you want to tweak the WC round (2-3 or whatever), but at least they made winning the division worth something again compared to the WC.

You don’t WORK to get the pitcher out of the game, you play your game to get the pitcher out of the game. What works for one batter does not work for the other ESPECIALLY when it’s the middle of the order’s job to drive them in. And let’s not forget situational hitting too when it’s necessary to move a runner over and there can be a number of reasons for this and one of them is that the starting pitcher is too dominant today, has impeccable control, and you’re going to have to scratch for runs.

Ridiculously stupid concept.

- I agree but I also do not think a best of 5 or 7 series is indicative of the best team either.

- I like the idea of the split doubleheader, but it doesn’t work in a 2/3 format. Because what you’re saying is the “better of the 2 wildcards plays deciding game 3 on the road.” Team owners would never be down for that.

At the end of the day, a wildcard team is lucky to have a chance and whether it’s 1, 3, 5, or 7 game series its still diminishing the value of 162 games.

And by his logic, even if you win the WC playoff because you’re the “better team”, you’ll still lose in the next round because the next team is better than you.

You don’t want to face a one game elimination, then win your division. You want to complain that you wrapped up a play spot so early that your team will “lose that edge” really? So then every team that clinches early is going to lose? If your team can’t find their edge in a one game playoff, then the won’t get it in a three game playoff.

No playoff system is perfect, but i think that this is the best one they have so far.

It keeps the teams in the race longer and gives a reason to win the division. The divisions give a team/fan representation from a wide range of markets across the whole county.