LabattBlue Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 Make the wild card a best of 3 & the division series a best of 7. To make room and keep the schedule from drifting into November, drop 7 games off the regular season and start the postseason by the last week of September. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 Nope, sorry. I wanted the A's and Brewers to win too, but that doesn't change the fact that out of all the bad things baseball has done in recent years, the one GOOD thing is the Wild Card game. If you can't win your five team division, you do not deserve any better than a 50/50 shot to continue on in the playoffs. If you don't like that, get rid of the second wildcard. Or go back to having two divisions and no wild cards. Slowly turning baseball playoffs into hockey or basketball is not the answer. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBud Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 There isn't any way that the owners of the teams that didn't make either the WC or playoffs are going to give up 7 regular season games. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 2 minutes ago, KD in CA said: Nope, sorry. I wanted the A's and Brewers to win too, but that doesn't change the fact that out of all the bad things baseball has done in recent years, the one GOOD thing is the Wild Card game. If you can't win your five team division, you do not deserve any better than a 50/50 shot to continue on in the playoffs. If you don't like that, get rid of the second wildcard. Or go back to having two divisions and no wild cards. Slowly turning baseball playoffs into hockey or basketball is not the answer. I agree 100%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 (edited) the game doesn't really want more 4-playoff-game days (see tomorrow), they conflict with each other and ad $$$ at least up here they've finally figured out they could put the start of another game on another of the 6 channels if the early game goes past 4 hours Edited October 3, 2019 by row_33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Goat Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 8 minutes ago, KD in CA said: Or go back to having two divisions and no wild cards. I wouldn't mind this. (I know I'm in the minority). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 (edited) 13 minutes ago, Golden Goat said: I wouldn't mind this. (I know I'm in the minority). it made for many great entire seasons in the AL East of the 80s, one year 5th finished 3.5 out of first. I enjoyed games meaning something the whole season, instead of hoping to stay around .500 and latch onto a WC spot Edited October 3, 2019 by row_33 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 (edited) Wild card game is great IMO. It also opens up a lot of cool scenarios of 1-off tiebreaker games. However, IMO, MLB and baseball need to change course. They are losing fans, and the ones they do have are aging. MLB also has a major 'tanking' problem, where many teams just let their bottom fall out if they arent going to compete to be in the top 5 in each league. If I was God of sports and could act on a whim (other than establishing a full-on promotion/relegation system), I would move toward decreasing the season to 140-ish games, increase the playoff field, and re-align the league (dont know, either 4 divisions or 8 divisions). 16 teams make the playoffs and have all Best-Of-7 Series. People almost unanimously love playoff baseball. They don't like the Royals and Orioles in September (or even July). This season, assuming a 'conference' alignment, you would have: Rangers vs Astros Red Sox vs Yankees Twins vs Indians A's vs Rays and Cubs vs Dodgers Braves vs Diamond Backs Nationals vs Mets Cardinals vs Brewers. Thats a hell of a 1st round Edited October 3, 2019 by May Day 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 letting teams slack off because of 2 WCs has hurt the value of early games. again the 1980s AL East had seasons where practically every game mattered to the teams, one year the Jays were in first or tied for the first 160 games, then choked it all away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Goat Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 (edited) 13 minutes ago, row_33 said: it made for many great entire seasons in the AL East of the 80s, one year 5th finished 3.5 out of first. I enjoyed games meaning something the whole season, instead of hoping to stay around .500 and latch onto a WC spot For me, there will never be an NLCS that touches Mets-Astros '86. The year before that, the Mets won 98 games and still lost the division. There was no participation trophy, and I was fine with that. (Cue the "get off my lawn" meme guy in .... 3.... 2....1....) Edited October 3, 2019 by Golden Goat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 3 minutes ago, row_33 said: it made for many great entire seasons in the AL East of the 80s, one year 5th finished 3.5 out of first. I enjoyed games meaning something the whole season, instead of hoping to stay around .500 and latch onto a WC spot In that case, the majority of the season in the American League would have been rendered pretty meaningless for everyone not in Houston, Minnesota and 80% of NYC. The Braves and Dodgers would have also been running the NL Divisions with little resistance. As an Indians fan, I am satisfied that the season came down to the final weekend, even though they didnt qualify. I have been there when they are obviously out by May and June and it sucks. With so many entertainment options, what was good in 1980 is not feasible today. Nostalgia loves 24 or 26 teams and actual 'pennant races'. In reality, it would make for a boring league in present-day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 13 minutes ago, May Day 10 said: In that case, the majority of the season in the American League would have been rendered pretty meaningless for everyone not in Houston, Minnesota and 80% of NYC. The Braves and Dodgers would have also been running the NL Divisions with little resistance. As an Indians fan, I am satisfied that the season came down to the final weekend, even though they didnt qualify. I have been there when they are obviously out by May and June and it sucks. With so many entertainment options, what was good in 1980 is not feasible today. Nostalgia loves 24 or 26 teams and actual 'pennant races'. In reality, it would make for a boring league in present-day. the game is mostly about a private TV$$$$ deal bringing in billions, and those teams are annually among the playoff contenders Toronto's ownership doesn't pay market for the TV rights, although possibly the richest ownership in North America, so the team is dead from the get-go with a half-effort. the main trouble with today's game is the imbalance in the scheduling, letting teams have an equal right to a WC spot while playing a clearly lower strength of schedule but it's not as though i'm gnashing my teeth over a team losing out on a WC spot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 1 hour ago, LabattBlue said: Make the wild card a best of 3 & the division series a best of 7. To make room and keep the schedule from drifting into November, drop 7 games off the regular season and start the postseason by the last week of September. You're removing 105 regular season games off the schedule and replacing them with at most 4 extra playoff games. That's a lot of revenue spread out across all of the teams, which is why it will never happen. You're also leaving teams with an odd number of games, so an unequal number at home and on the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinceThe70s Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 Two changes I'd like to see, neither of which I think has any chance of happening: - eliminate more post-season off days. They play 162 games with a five man rotation and then all of the post season travel days allow teams to shorten the rotation. - East Coast bias here, but start the night games earlier. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted October 3, 2019 Author Share Posted October 3, 2019 All good points. I guess from a selfish pov, I just want more meaningful baseball and less late September games which are useless for more than 1/2 the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 13 minutes ago, LabattBlue said: All good points. I guess from a selfish pov, I just want more meaningful baseball and less late September games which are useless for more than 1/2 the league. what do you actually watch as a fan of the game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 (edited) No. Go back in time. Best in AL & NL meet best of nine. Season should be playoffs. Play harder in June. Don't put field positions in as pitchers during blowouts (and vice versa). Here's looking at you Joe Maddon. Edited October 3, 2019 by ExiledInIllinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 i watch a game a day until football starts, then i pick up again for some playoff series, the Yankees continuing is the best thing for baseball audiences 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Flanders Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 2 hours ago, LabattBlue said: Make the wild card a best of 3 & the division series a best of 7. To make room and keep the schedule from drifting into November, drop 7 games off the regular season and start the postseason by the last week of September. Won't happen. First, you would never get the owners to go for a shortened schedule. And why seven? Why not the pre-sixties standard of 154? That said, however, owners would still balk at the idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Fan Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 1 hour ago, Golden Goat said: I wouldn't mind this. (I know I'm in the minority). Still pissed about the Cardinals winning the World Series in 2006 with 83 wins 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 7 minutes ago, Ned Flanders said: Won't happen. First, you would never get the owners to go for a shortened schedule. And why seven? Why not the pre-sixties standard of 154? That said, however, owners would still balk at the idea. I know it wont happen, but the owners (and players) should do stuff that may cost some short-term revenue (such as the Orioles selling $2 tickets in September)... in exchange for things that will make the league and sport appealing long-term into new generations. I think and fear that baseball is heading toward the way of Horse Racing and Boxing within 50 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted October 3, 2019 Author Share Posted October 3, 2019 (edited) 59 minutes ago, row_33 said: what do you actually watch as a fan of the game? I want to watch competitive baseball between good teams. What I don’t want to watch is teams playing in September as they close in on 100 losses. ...and to other replies, 7 was just a number I threw out there as I was thinking about looping a “week” off the end of the season. Could be 6, 8 or 10. Edited October 3, 2019 by LabattBlue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 23 minutes ago, LabattBlue said: I want to watch competitive baseball between good teams. What I don’t want to watch is teams playing in September as they close in on 100 losses. ...and to other replies, 7 was just a number I threw out there as I was thinking about looping a “week” off the end of the season. Could be 6, 8 or 10. the game needs more fans to actually sit there and watch or attend games. i'm back in watching mode, watched the 2 WC games, will tape and watch the 2 today, try to get through the 4 tomorrow (that's pushing things...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv's Neighbor Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 The seasons are too long. If Reggie was playing now he'd be Mr Thanksgiving instead of Mr October. I know, it's all about the money but look at the empty seats at most sporting events, NFL included. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 12 minutes ago, Marv's Neighbor said: The seasons are too long. If Reggie was playing now he'd be Mr Thanksgiving instead of Mr October. I know, it's all about the money but look at the empty seats at most sporting events, NFL included. the startup of football season kills a lot of interest unless there is something highly compelling for your baseball team the only year without a decent playoff race in the 7 team AL East was Detroit in 1984 starting off 35-5 and coasting in to a deserved World Series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 the Jays contending every year from 1983 to 1993 made it fun even with only one team making the playoffs. my high school and undergrad years, every game is remembered as mattering and watched or listened to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Goat Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 51 minutes ago, Another Fan said: Still pissed about the Cardinals winning the World Series in 2006 with 83 wins ****ing Beltran. Not that I'm bitter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Flanders Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 52 minutes ago, May Day 10 said: I know it wont happen, but the owners (and players) should do stuff that may cost some short-term revenue (such as the Orioles selling $2 tickets in September)... in exchange for things that will make the league and sport appealing long-term into new generations. I think and fear that baseball is heading toward the way of Horse Racing and Boxing within 50 years. The Orioles also let kids nine and under in free all year with a paid adult ticket and still finished near the bottom of MLB attendance. Bottom line: Winning cures all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 20 minutes ago, Ned Flanders said: The Orioles also let kids nine and under in free all year with a paid adult ticket and still finished near the bottom of MLB attendance. Bottom line: Winning cures all. Rays can't draw fans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafu Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 3 hours ago, Golden Goat said: For me, there will never be an NLCS that touches Mets-Astros '86. The year before that, the Mets won 98 games and still lost the division. There was no participation trophy, and I was fine with that. (Cue the "get off my lawn" meme guy in .... 3.... 2....1....) '86 ALCS (Red Sox-Angels) was almost as good. And then the Series... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Goat Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 6 minutes ago, snafu said: '86 ALCS (Red Sox-Angels) was almost as good. And then the Series... Excellent point. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Fan Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 1 hour ago, Golden Goat said: ****ing Beltran. Not that I'm bitter. I was more annoyed with him in his opening press conference with the Yankees he still complained about the Mets without seemingly being provoked into it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 34 minutes ago, snafu said: '86 ALCS (Red Sox-Angels) was almost as good. And then the Series... 86 playoffs put to the test those eternal baseball questions about choking in big moments. Gene Mauch choked worse than the Red Sox the Red Sox choked games 6 and 7 away to the Mets so everything was alright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 1 hour ago, Golden Goat said: ****ing Beltran. Not that I'm bitter. Oh, I'm still plenty bitter! And don't even get me started on Jeurys Familia and his mother ***** "slide step" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, KD in CA said: Nope, sorry. I wanted the A's and Brewers to win too, but that doesn't change the fact that out of all the bad things baseball has done in recent years, the one GOOD thing is the Wild Card game. If you can't win your five team division, you do not deserve any better than a 50/50 shot to continue on in the playoffs. If you don't like that, get rid of the second wildcard. Or go back to having two divisions and no wild cards. Slowly turning baseball playoffs into hockey or basketball is not the answer. I'd actually like to see the NHL have win-or-go-home tournaments among all the non-playoff qualifiers(even the Sabres!) for each conference with the 2 winners getting the last playoff bids. Would give them a good excuse to expand to 32 and if you can win "game 7's" just to get to the playoffs then nobody should care if you had a poor regular season. Too many reasons to tank in pro sports and not enough intrigue in seasons for the fanbase of moribund franchises like the Sabres. (My math is off you end up with 18 playoff teams that way but you get my drift........even the poor teams get a lottery ticket) Edited October 3, 2019 by BADOLBILZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 3 hours ago, SinceThe70s said: Two changes I'd like to see, neither of which I think has any chance of happening: - eliminate more post-season off days. They play 162 games with a five man rotation and then all of the post season travel days allow teams to shorten the rotation. - East Coast bias here, but start the night games earlier. Absolutely on the first one Absolutely No flippin' way on the second one* I'm still at work when the games start as it is!!! * edited since I moved from east to west coast 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 sad that Tampa won, Oakland's uniforms and stadium is a million times better, as well get the west coast time feed into scheduling now we have this circus joke of a stadium and 5,000 bandwagon fans with cowbells? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 30 minutes ago, row_33 said: sad that Tampa won, Oakland's uniforms and stadium is a million times better, as well get the west coast time feed into scheduling now we have this circus joke of a stadium and 5,000 bandwagon fans with cowbells? More like 5,000 Yankee fans cheering for the Rays in the hopes they can miraculously avoid Houston in the ALCS. Plus, no more chance for a dirt infield during Raiders games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinceThe70s Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 42 minutes ago, KD in CA said: Absolutely on the first one Absolutely No flippin' way on the second one* I'm still at work when the games start as it is!!! * edited since I moved from east to west coast Yeah, I get it. Years ago I was on the left coast on a football Sunday and it was bizarre to have games starting at 10 AM. I used to hate the late starts because my kids couldn't stay up for the late innings - now t's because I have a hard time staying awake. With regard to the OP, you nailed it early in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinceThe70s Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 4 hours ago, snafu said: '86 ALCS (Red Sox-Angels) was almost as good. And then the Series... '92 Braves-Pirates was another good one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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