Votto: 2020 WS Winner Would Deserve Full Credit

[marcshoe]

Look, the only way to settle this is for the Reds to win the next two World Series. At least.

[BCubb2003]

Look, the only way to settle this is for the Reds to win the next two World Series. At least.

I like the way you think, kid. You’ve got moxie.

[plantmanky]

Nice of Votto to say this, but the 2020 season will always have an asterisk beside it, just as all the strike-shortened seasons have asterisks beside them. Folks are still debating and questioning the legitimacy of the results from 1994-95. And the 2019 season will always have an asterisk beside it because the Astros cheated their way to a championship.

Losing half or two-thirds of the season will not necessarily give us the best teams competing for a World Series. It will be the hottest teams when the season ends. Nothing wrong with that, but a ten game rough patch can pretty much knock you out of contention. And minor trips to the DL are magnified, especially if your top hitter or top pitcher is out for 15 games.

Winning would be great and far better than not winning. But there will always be that cloud hanging over the season, where there are legitimate questions about winning. There will always be that asterisk of “what if?”

In some ways, Votto is right. Winning will be more difficult. But we will always be left with the question “what if the season had played out normally?”

Doesnt this depend more or less on how the games are scheduled, (as in who plays who). In a short season you cant play all the teams like a normal season. So its more about Scheduling than anything else.

[plantmanky]

I have never once spoken to a person that debates the 94-95 season.

You’ll have to explain to me how after 80 games or so we won’t be able to tell which team’s deserve to be in the playoffs or not.

The season is WAY too long as it stands. 162 games is an obscene amount and completely unnecessary. September, an entire month of games, is completely unnecessary. Half of the teams in the league are playing minor leaguers to see what they have for the next season.

Agreed, only reason for close to 162 games is if you play every team home and home.

[plantmanky]

The Washington Nationals were 40-40 after 80 games last season, and would not have made the playoffs. How do you win the World Series, if you don't make the playoffs?

Simple solution, design a playoff structure that all teams make it (due to short season).

[redsrule2500]

Nice of Votto to say this, but the 2020 season will always have an asterisk beside it, just as all the strike-shortened seasons have asterisks beside them. Folks are still debating and questioning the legitimacy of the results from 1994-95. And the 2019 season will always have an asterisk beside it because the Astros cheated their way to a championship.

Losing half or two-thirds of the season will not necessarily give us the best teams competing for a World Series. It will be the hottest teams when the season ends. Nothing wrong with that, but a ten game rough patch can pretty much knock you out of contention. And minor trips to the DL are magnified, especially if your top hitter or top pitcher is out for 15 games.

Winning would be great and far better than not winning. But there will always be that cloud hanging over the season, where there are legitimate questions about winning. There will always be that asterisk of “what if?”

In some ways, Votto is right. Winning will be more difficult. But we will always be left with the question “what if the season had played out normally?”

Playing 162 games doesn't necessarily give us the best teams competing for a World Series, either.