MLB wants to expand the playoffs...

[drebo]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110421&content_id=18094764&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

This is bad. Part of the reason that I can't stand NBA and NFL is that the "playoffs" take such a high percentage of the teams in the leagues and comprise nearly half of the "season".

This seems like nothing more than a money grab. I will lose a lot of respect for the sport of baseball if they do this. There is nothing wrong with the single wildcard, three-tier playoff structure. Adding another tier is just plain money grubbing.

 

[speg]

I would agree if the league had parity.

 

[yinan]

I have no respect for this so called "sport". It is not even a real athletic activity, I mean come on, how often do the players actually have to move....

I haven't watched a game in over a decade

 

[ichy]

Baseball was more fun when you could bring your own cooler of beer to stadiums

 

[rudeguy]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110421&content_id=18094764&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

This is bad. Part of the reason that I can't stand NBA and NFL is that the "playoffs" take such a high percentage of the teams in the leagues and comprise nearly half of the "season".

This seems like nothing more than a money grab. I will lose a lot of respect for the sport of baseball if they do this. There is nothing wrong with the single wildcard, three-tier playoff structure. Adding another tier is just plain money grubbing.

What?

How do NFL playoffs take half the season?

 

[bunnyfubbles]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110421&content_id=18094764&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

This is bad. Part of the reason that I can't stand NBA and NFL is that the "playoffs" take such a high percentage of the teams in the leagues and comprise nearly half of the "season".

This seems like nothing more than a money grab. I will lose a lot of respect for the sport of baseball if they do this. There is nothing wrong with the single wildcard, three-tier playoff structure. Adding another tier is just plain money grubbing.

I think you mean NHL, not NFL

NFL playoffs is 12 of 32 teams and playoffs take only 4 weekends to complete, NBA and NHL playoffs are 16 of 30 teams and take nearly two months.

 

[uclaLabrat]

Both leagues use a 4 round structure, comprising of roughly the same percentage of the regular season. In hockey, 4 rounds of playoffs, even if they go all seven games (which they usually don't) would give 28 games, out of 82, one third of the regular season games. NFL would give 4 games out of 16, so a wuarter of regular season games....am I wrong?

 

[soulcougher73]

This is teh gay. Fuck it. Lets just make the whole season a playoff. All teams are in. Best record at the end is world series champs.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

weak. i hate that in the nba more teams make the playoffs than are out. i wish nba cut it down to 4 teams from each conference too.

 

[Red Dawn]

I have no respect for this so called "sport". It is not even a real athletic activity, I mean come on, how often do the players actually have to move....

Now dressing up as your favorite Anime Character and role playing, that's a sport

 

[shocksyde]

This is teh gay. Fuck it. Lets just make the whole season a playoff. All teams are in. Best record at the end is world series champs.

That's how they used to do college football.

It's the only reason the University of Maryland can say they've won an national championship, hahaha.

 

[chalmers]

Side note: I wish sports leagues gave the team with the best record not to make the playoffs the #1 draft pick. That would prevent teams from tanking...and make everyone compete until the end.

 

[Red Dawn]

Side note: I wish sports leagues gave the team with the best record not to make the playoffs the #1 draft pick. That would prevent teams from tanking...and make everyone compete until the end.

Actually teams that have the best record but don't make the playoffs usually never tank as they are trying to make the playoffs.

 

[trmiv]

Side note: I wish sports leagues gave the team with the best record not to make the playoffs the #1 draft pick. That would prevent teams from tanking...and make everyone compete until the end.

How would that not lead to tanking? Take the NBA, if you're going to be an 7th or 8th seed in the playoffs, but probably get ousted in the first round, it would be far easier to manipulate your way into that #1 pick than it is with the lottery type systems. I wouldn't put that past many teams, especially if there is a really special player available at #1, and how easily a great player can completely change a franchise (especially one already good enough to be an 8th seed) At least with the draft lottery you're not even guaranteed the top pick even if you have the worst record. Since the NBA changed the lottery system in 1990 the team with the worst record has only won twice.

 

[Blackjack200]

My wish list for baseball:

1. Put a salary cap in place so all teams can compete on a level playing field
2. Get rid of the playoffs - top team in each league goes to WS
3. Get rid of the draft. With a salary cap in place all teams can compete for free agents whether they're 17 or 40.
4. Get rid of the trade deadline.

 

[twinrider1]

My wish for baseball:

1. Shorten the season by 1/3...maybe more.

 

[AstroManLuca]

This doesn't make any sense for baseball since they already have 162 regular season games to determine who's better than who, and even if they only have three rounds of playoffs, they're playoff series with multiple games each, so you can't accuse a team of winning a fluke game. Plus every team that makes the playoffs gets at least one game at home.

In the NFL, there's a lot more randomness, so the playoff system has to factor that in. They play another round and give advantages to teams that did especially well in the form of home field advantage and first round byes. An extra round is necessary since single-game rounds mean you always have the chance of a worse team getting a fluke win (see the Seahawks last season). Not much chance of that in baseball.

Looks like baseball is going down the same road as the NBA and NHL. Enjoy your long, irrelevant playoffs and baseball in November.

 

[Numenorean]

My wish for baseball:

1. Shorten the season by 1/3...maybe more.

That would be wrong. There is already 5-6 months without baseball. Screw that idea.

 

[drebo]

I would agree if the league had parity.

Baseball has plenty of parity. Just look at the standings now. Washington has a better record than Boston? How's that not parity?

8 distinct WS Champs in the last 10 years, some from small market areas? That's pretty much parity for me.

As Boston has so aptly demonstrated this year, money doesn't buy wins.

A salary FLOOR is more likely to help some teams compete than a salary cap. Then again, the Mets and Cubs throw that theory out the window, as they spend gobs and gobs of money and still suck every year.

I think the fact that the season is so long and the playoffs are relatively exclusive drastically reduces the impact of salary on the end results.

 

[shocksyde]

Baseball has plenty of parity. Just look at the standings now. Washington has a better record than Boston? How's that not parity?

8 distinct WS Champs in the last 10 years, some from small market areas? That's pretty much parity for me.

Base your statement on less than 20 games into the season, you should not.

 

[drebo]

Base your statement on less than 20 games into the season, you should not.

Ok, how bout basing it on last year, when neither Boston, the Mets, nor the Cubs made the playoffs, but Minnesota, Cincinati, and Texas did, with Tampa Bay winning the AL East?

Again, seems to me that teams people think should win because of salary did not do so well.

 

[shocksyde]

Ok, how bout basing it on last year, when neither Boston, the Mets, nor the Cubs made the playoffs, but Minnesota, Cincinati, and Texas did, with Tampa Bay winning the AL East?

Again, seems to me that teams people think should win because of salary did not do so well.

Yeah, basing it on last year is perfectly fine.

Believe me, if I could, I would've ended the season after 7 games. Orioles win the division at 6-1! YESSSSSSSS.

 

[drebo]

Yeah, basing it on last year is perfectly fine.

Believe me, if I could, I would've ended the season after 7 games. Orioles win the division at 6-1! YESSSSSSSS.

And would the Orioles be any better off if no other team spent more money than they did?

There were teams that spent less and did better.

 

[Jadow]

NFL 12 / 32 teams make the playoffs: 37.5%
NBA 16 / 30 teams: 53%
MLB: 8 /30 teams: 26%

IMO the NBA clearly has too many teams in the playoffs, it's a joke when < .500 teams regularly make the playoffs, sometimes like 10 games under .500

The NFL has it just right in my opinion.

I'm also fine with where they are, they should get rewarded for doing well in that 162 game season, don't want to cheapen the games really.

 

[tokie]

This means the Blue Jays won't be screwed forever because we are in the AL East.

I'm ok with this.