Adding 1 more Wild card team next..good or bad

[brm7675]

MLB plans on adding another WC team to the playoffs next year for each league...Good/bad or indeference...

[Vottomatic]

I don't like the setup now.

1. eliminate divisions
2. elminate interleague play
3. make it 15 teams per league (NL, AL)
4. all teams in each league play same schedule
5. best 5 or 6 (I don't care) teams per league make playoffs, then #1 plays #6, #2 plays #5, and so on.
6. Salary cap (will never happen)
7. No guaranteed contracts (will never happen either)

[brm7675]

I would rather see them go with an imbalanced schedule based off the teams performance similar to how the NFL does it.

[Vottomatic]

I would rather see them go with an imbalanced schedule based off the teams performance similar to how the NFL does it.

I don't feel that gives you the best teams. It gives an unfair advantage to a weaker team by giving them weaker opponents.

My example would be the Bengals. They suck one year and get an easy schedule the next. They rise up, put together a decent season courtesy of the weaker schedule. Squeak into the playoffs and lay an egg. That's what they've done in Mike Brown's last 20 years.

Even Katie Blackburn tried to encourage fans after last season by saying the team would have an easier schedule this year because they struggled last year. Woo-hoo, Katie! Yippee-de-doo-dah!

Nah, I'd rather everyone have the same schedule, and the best teams win it.

[brm7675]

I don't feel that gives you the best teams. It gives an unfair advantage to a weaker team by giving them weaker opponents.

My example would be the Bengals. They suck one year and get an easy schedule the next. They rise up, put together a decent season courtesy of the weaker schedule. Squeak into the playoffs and lay an egg. That's what they've done in Mike Brown's last 20 years.

Even Katie Blackburn tried to encourage fans after last season by saying the team would have an easier schedule this year because they struggled last year. Woo-hoo, Katie! Yippee-de-doo-dah!

Nah, I'd rather everyone have the same schedule, and the best teams win it.

How often in teh past 20 years has the team with the best overall record in baseball won the title?

[Krawhitham]

If the 2 wild card teams play a winner take all one game series I'm all for it

[brm7675]

If the 2 wild card teams play a winner take all one game series I'm all for it

Not a chance my guess is 2/3, that way each team gets a home game.

[redsfan1995]

Not a chance my guess is 2/3, that way each team gets a home game.

i read the other day that it would be a one game playoff which i like adds more drama and you can decide on who gets the home game by the head to head records betweenthe two.

[brm7675]

i read the other day that it would be a one game playoff which i like adds more drama and you can decide on who gets the home game by the head to head records betweenthe two.

No owner is going to go for that, they all want the added revenue that game brings. Best 2/3 guarentees both teams get a home game.

[Tadasimha]

The problem is that adding more wild card teams takes away from the races now. The excitement at the end of the season as two or three teams scrap to get in would be diluted. Consider this season: where's the excitement for the Rays and Red Sox or the Cards and Braves? They'd all be on cruise control already and the end of the seaons would be less interesting.

Sometimes less is more.

[Ohayou]

I knew this was coming for a while now. I do like it for one reason: it puts the Wild Card team at a disadvantage, which in turn makes the division title that much more important. Granted, there may be situations where one or both of the WC teams have a better record than a division winner, but that's what you get when you have a divisional system; besides, even now a team could have a better record than a division winner and miss the postseason.

I know there will be arguments against it, but "it'll make the postseason too long" is the one that will only be made by those who go full-retard. It's two one-game playoffs; not a whole series.

[Vottomatic]

How often in teh past 20 years has the team with the best overall record in baseball won the title?

Maybe the team with the best record had the easiest schedule and wasn't really the best team after all? Why.........because their are 3 divisions in each league and if you're the best team in a crappy division, it makes your record look better if you beat up on your own division. Just like the Reds winning the weak Central last year. It was probably the worst division in baseball and the Reds were the best team in a bad division.

If everyone plays the same schedule, no need to compare divisions.

[texasdave]

If everyone plays the same schedule, no need to compare divisions.

If everyone plays the same schedule, no need to have divisions then. Right?
Top four teams move on to the playoffs. As it should be.

[texasdave]

I know there will be arguments against it, but "it'll make the postseason too long" is the one that will only be made by those who go full-retard. It's two one-game playoffs; not a whole series.

No. It starts out as two one-game series. I doubt it stays that way. When it comes to the postseason there is always adding on.

[Ohayou]

No. It starts out as two one-game series. I doubt it stays that way. When it comes to the postseason there is always adding on.

From what I understand, the two teams with the best records that didn't win their division would just play 1 game, and would conceivably have to pitch their ace in that game, then travel to play a game the next day.

[redsfan1995]

From what I understand, the two teams with the best records that didn't win their division would just play 1 game, and would conceivably have to pitch their ace in that game, then travel to play a game the next day.

yes that is what i read and i like the idea except the travel the next day.

[drowg14]

I don't like the setup now.

1. eliminate divisions
2. elminate interleague play
3. make it 15 teams per league (NL, AL)
4. all teams in each league play same schedule
5. best 5 or 6 (I don't care) teams per league make playoffs, then #1 plays #6, #2 plays #5, and so on.
6. Salary cap (will never happen)
7. No guaranteed contracts (will never happen either)

No interleague with 15 team leagues wouldn't work. You can't have a team sitting out each series.

[getfoul]

The only way adding an extra team will work is if they eliminate divisions and play a close-to-balanced schedule. My proposal:

156-game schedule in 175 days
50 series in 25 weeks

Play the four former divison teams 11 games over 4 series each
Play the other ten league teams 10 games over 3 series each
Play four interleague series, including two against the city/regional rival

Arizona or Colorado moves to the AL, so both leagues are 7 east, 4 central, 4 west time zones.

Top-3 make the playoffs, earned by playing a balanced schedule. 4- and 5- play each other in a best-of-3 on the weekend after the season ends on Wednesday.

If 3 and 4 and/or 5 and 6 are tied at the end of the regular season, they play a one-game tiebreaker on Thursday.

With the shortened regular season, they can expand the the first round of the playoffs to best-of-7 and still finish the World Series in October.

The problem with just adding another wild card while keeping divisions is that it is very unfair when it comes to strength of schedule. It is also a problem when a potential second best team in a league is playing for the division the final series, lose, and then have to play an 87-win, second wild card team that perhaps clinched early and can hold their best pitcher for a one-game playoff. It's too easy to say, "Well, win your division!" I'd rather they just get rid of divisions and actually have the best teams in the playoffs, seeded in the right order. It's more fair, and a lot more appealing regular season schedule.