Extra Wild Card kind of killed this year’s pennant race drama (1 Viewer)

[The_Man]

Let me start by saying I strongly dislike the new Wild Card in baseball. You work all season to earn that playoff spot, and then you’re tossed into a one-game coin flip, plus you’re at a huge disadvantage moving into the divisional round.

Bud Selig loved the excitement of last year’s final couple of games that he thought adding the extra Wild Card would guarantee that kind of excitement every year. But – for this year anyway – the extra Wild Card killed that excitement.

In the National League, you can say the Wild Card has kept Cardinals and Dodgers fans interested into the final week. But it hasn’t really been compelling. And now you face the prospect of a clearly superior Atlanta team, who is going to finish 6 or 7 games ahead of the other Wild Card, forced into a one-game toss-up.

But the American League is where the excitement was truly killed. There are 2 games to go, with four teams in 2 divisions separated by one game. If it weren’t for the extra Wild Card, not a single one of those 4 teams would have a spot clinched yet. Instead all 4 are already in and they’re just playing for positioning. Can you imagine the drama if Texas and Oakland were battling for the division, and the loser could very well be out of the playoffs? Or at the very least, the loser might be facing a one-game playoff vs. Baltimore to get the final Wild Card spot? It would be insane. Instead, it’s kind of like, eh.

And the Wild Card one-game playoff feels really cheap to me. It’s cool when an entire 162-game season still can’t produce a winner, and so a one-game playoff is needed to settle it. But it feels forced and contrived when a team has played well enough for 162 games to secure a post-season spot and then can have that undone in one afternoon.

 

[jon_mx]

This setup was dumb. Makes no sense. You either make the playoffs or you don't. Theoretically, a wild card team could beat another wild card team when they are 10 games behind the other. I can understand a play-in game in case of a tie, but this setup just blows.

 

[cheese]

I love the new format, but it certainly backfired in the AL this year. It's just an unlucky coincidence IMO.

Those 4 teams still have plenty to play for though. I wouldn't say all 4 are already "in". They're in a 1 game playoff and may not even get a home playoff game at the moment. I'm pretty sure battling for the division is big for those teams.

I will also say that in the NL it kept a lot more teams than STL/LAD interested. Milwaukee, Philly, Pitts, etc all were in the race until this week. In past years, it was obvious in about July that ATL was the top wild card team.

 

[MAC_32]

The wildcard teams are at a big disadvantage to the division winners, there are still plenty of meaningful games in the last 2 days.

 

[The_Man]

The wildcard teams are at a big disadvantage to the division winners, there are still plenty of meaningful games in the last 2 days.

Sure they're meaningful. But think back to Game 162 last year - with the Red Sox losing and the Rays rallying to win, the drama was incredible. If this year's rules had been in effect, they would have been playing to see who would host the Wild Card game. Not nearly as compelling - just my opinion. But I think the effort to contrive drama has stripped away a lot of the genuine excitement produced by last year's Game 162 and that could be happening right now if none of Tex, Oak, NY, and Bal had yet clinched a spot.

 

[MAC_32]

The wildcard teams are at a big disadvantage to the division winners, there are still plenty of meaningful games in the last 2 days.

Sure they're meaningful. But think back to Game 162 last year - with the Red Sox losing and the Rays rallying to win, the drama was incredible. If this year's rules had been in effect, they would have been playing to see who would host the Wild Card game. Not nearly as compelling - just my opinion. But I think the effort to contrive drama has stripped away a lot of the genuine excitement produced by last year's Game 162 and that could be happening right now if none of Tex, Oak, NY, and Bal had yet clinched a spot.

Poor comparison. How many times using the old setup was there a final day that was anything like last year? That was a once in a lifetime day that we'll never forget, but expecting that to be duplicated regardless of format is just ridiculous.

 

[The_Man]

The wildcard teams are at a big disadvantage to the division winners, there are still plenty of meaningful games in the last 2 days.

Sure they're meaningful. But think back to Game 162 last year - with the Red Sox losing and the Rays rallying to win, the drama was incredible. If this year's rules had been in effect, they would have been playing to see who would host the Wild Card game. Not nearly as compelling - just my opinion. But I think the effort to contrive drama has stripped away a lot of the genuine excitement produced by last year's Game 162 and that could be happening right now if none of Tex, Oak, NY, and Bal had yet clinched a spot.

Poor comparison. How many times using the old setup was there a final day that was anything like last year? That was a once in a lifetime day that we'll never forget, but expecting that to be duplicated regardless of format is just ridiculous.

Well, there's a pretty good chance this year could have been exactly like that. But not now.

 

[jon_mx]

I love the new format, but it certainly backfired in the AL this year. It's just an unlucky coincidence IMO.Those 4 teams still have plenty to play for though. I wouldn't say all 4 are already "in". They're in a 1 game playoff and may not even get a home playoff game at the moment. I'm pretty sure battling for the division is big for those teams.I will also say that in the NL it kept a lot more teams than STL/LAD interested. Milwaukee, Philly, Pitts, etc all were in the race until this week. In past years, it was obvious in about July that ATL was the top wild card team.

Unlucky? I think this format was lucky it did not come out with a more distarous scenerio. We could of had playoff games for the divisional crowns, followed by play in games for the final WC spot to be followed by a playin game into the real series. We could have teams that lost a playoff game still making it into a divisional series. Just stupid, IMHO.

 

[Tom Servo]

The wildcard teams are at a big disadvantage to the division winners, there are still plenty of meaningful games in the last 2 days.

The WC should be at a disadvantage IMO. This isn't football, thank goodness.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

What are all the tiebreakers between these four teams?

Texas

Yankees

Orioles

A's

We might have a scenario where the AL East goes to a tiebreaker and the loser has to play the next day (possibly traveling across the country). What if that game goes extra innings? I think that second wildcard adds a whole bunch of new scenarios at the end of the season, and it definitely benefits the division winners (which it should).

 

[MAC_32]

The wildcard teams are at a big disadvantage to the division winners, there are still plenty of meaningful games in the last 2 days.

The WC should be at a disadvantage IMO. This isn't football, thank goodness.

I agree, which is why I like it. Maybe the new setup minimizes the potential for last day drama, but I think it's better for the game. So long days when it didn't matter if you won your division or just settled for the wildcard.

 

[Smack Tripper]

I disagree.

The emphasis on the division is phenomenal and a very real motivator to avoid really that crap shoot. The rays and Angels have no kit coming to them. Both underperformed dramatically for long stretches this season. If they had both won one more game, this would be a night that would smoke last years last night.

Last year is a bit overrated, it was more the failure of the braves and sox tied with the mail in effort by the Yankees. It was drama but not drama because teams played their best. This years drama has had 5 teams(Os, yanks, rays, angels and As really 6 with the tigers playing championship baseball in September.

I mean, Texas, the class of the league, could still be the 1 seed or they could be flying cross country in 48 hours to play for their lives. It's working for me.

 

[ctdub]

What are all the tiebreakers between these four teams?TexasYankeesOriolesA'sWe might have a scenario where the AL East goes to a tiebreaker and the loser has to play the next day (possibly traveling across the country). What if that game goes extra innings? I think that second wildcard adds a whole bunch of new scenarios at the end of the season, and it definitely benefits the division winners (which it should).

H2H tiebreakersNYY has tb on TexTex has tb on BaltOak has tb on BaltNYY and Oak split season series 5-5, not sure next criteria

 

[Doctor Detroit]

What are all the tiebreakers between these four teams?TexasYankeesOriolesA'sWe might have a scenario where the AL East goes to a tiebreaker and the loser has to play the next day (possibly traveling across the country). What if that game goes extra innings? I think that second wildcard adds a whole bunch of new scenarios at the end of the season, and it definitely benefits the division winners (which it should).

H2H tiebreakersNYY has tb on TexTex has tb on BaltOak has tb on BaltNYY and Oak split season series 5-5, not sure next criteria

Thanks

 

[Ghost Rider]

I like it. Win your division and you don't have to worry about having your whole season undone in one "coin flip" wild card game. Sounds simple to me. And this gives more of an advantage to the 1 seed, as the wild card game winner likely won't be able to use their best pitcher against them twice.

 

[cheese]

I love the new format, but it certainly backfired in the AL this year. It's just an unlucky coincidence IMO.Those 4 teams still have plenty to play for though. I wouldn't say all 4 are already "in". They're in a 1 game playoff and may not even get a home playoff game at the moment. I'm pretty sure battling for the division is big for those teams.I will also say that in the NL it kept a lot more teams than STL/LAD interested. Milwaukee, Philly, Pitts, etc all were in the race until this week. In past years, it was obvious in about July that ATL was the top wild card team.

Unlucky? I think this format was lucky it did not come out with a more distarous scenerio. We could of had playoff games for the divisional crowns, followed by play in games for the final WC spot to be followed by a playin game into the real series. We could have teams that lost a playoff game still making it into a divisional series. Just stupid, IMHO.

Disasterous? That sounds awesome.

 

[The_Man]

I love the new format, but it certainly backfired in the AL this year. It's just an unlucky coincidence IMO.Those 4 teams still have plenty to play for though. I wouldn't say all 4 are already "in". They're in a 1 game playoff and may not even get a home playoff game at the moment. I'm pretty sure battling for the division is big for those teams.I will also say that in the NL it kept a lot more teams than STL/LAD interested. Milwaukee, Philly, Pitts, etc all were in the race until this week. In past years, it was obvious in about July that ATL was the top wild card team.

Unlucky? I think this format was lucky it did not come out with a more distarous scenerio. We could of had playoff games for the divisional crowns, followed by play in games for the final WC spot to be followed by a playin game into the real series. We could have teams that lost a playoff game still making it into a divisional series. Just stupid, IMHO.

Disasterous? That sounds awesome.

Say Oakland is the Wild Card, the Orioles win the next 2 at TB, and the Red Sox-Yankees get rained out tonight. Then they play a doubleheader Wednesday and split, which means the Yankees and Orioles are tied. That tie-breaker game is in Baltimore -- so New York has to truck down to Baltimore for the Thursday tie-breaker game after playing a double header the night before.Meanwhile Oakland would host the Orioles in the Friday Wild Card game, but play at New York. Do they go to Kansas City and wait out Thursday's tie-breaker? I guess they would have to, because it would be a hell of a trip to wait until Thursday's game is over to find out you're going from Oakland to New York for a Friday Wild Card game.You could also have the Orioles playing in Tampa on Wednesday night, in Baltimore on Thursday, then in Oakland for the Wild Card game on Friday (if they lose a Thursday tie-breaker with New York) and then in Texas on Saturday.

 

[larry_boy_44]

I love the new format, but it certainly backfired in the AL this year. It's just an unlucky coincidence IMO.Those 4 teams still have plenty to play for though. I wouldn't say all 4 are already "in". They're in a 1 game playoff and may not even get a home playoff game at the moment. I'm pretty sure battling for the division is big for those teams.I will also say that in the NL it kept a lot more teams than STL/LAD interested. Milwaukee, Philly, Pitts, etc all were in the race until this week. In past years, it was obvious in about July that ATL was the top wild card team.

Unlucky? I think this format was lucky it did not come out with a more distarous scenerio. We could of had playoff games for the divisional crowns, followed by play in games for the final WC spot to be followed by a playin game into the real series. We could have teams that lost a playoff game still making it into a divisional series. Just stupid, IMHO.

Disasterous? That sounds awesome.

Say Oakland is the Wild Card, the Orioles win the next 2 at TB, and the Red Sox-Yankees get rained out tonight. Then they play a doubleheader Wednesday and split, which means the Yankees and Orioles are tied. That tie-breaker game is in Baltimore -- so New York has to truck down to Baltimore for the Thursday tie-breaker game after playing a double header the night before.Meanwhile Oakland would host the Orioles in the Friday Wild Card game, but play at New York. Do they go to Kansas City and wait out Thursday's tie-breaker? I guess they would have to, because it would be a hell of a trip to wait until Thursday's game is over to find out you're going from Oakland to New York for a Friday Wild Card game.You could also have the Orioles playing in Tampa on Wednesday night, in Baltimore on Thursday, then in Oakland for the Wild Card game on Friday (if they lose a Thursday tie-breaker with New York) and then in Texas on Saturday.

You know... I agree... this sounds awesome...

 

[MAC_32]

I love the new format, but it certainly backfired in the AL this year. It's just an unlucky coincidence IMO.Those 4 teams still have plenty to play for though. I wouldn't say all 4 are already "in". They're in a 1 game playoff and may not even get a home playoff game at the moment. I'm pretty sure battling for the division is big for those teams.I will also say that in the NL it kept a lot more teams than STL/LAD interested. Milwaukee, Philly, Pitts, etc all were in the race until this week. In past years, it was obvious in about July that ATL was the top wild card team.

Unlucky? I think this format was lucky it did not come out with a more distarous scenerio. We could of had playoff games for the divisional crowns, followed by play in games for the final WC spot to be followed by a playin game into the real series. We could have teams that lost a playoff game still making it into a divisional series. Just stupid, IMHO.

Disasterous? That sounds awesome.

Say Oakland is the Wild Card, the Orioles win the next 2 at TB, and the Red Sox-Yankees get rained out tonight. Then they play a doubleheader Wednesday and split, which means the Yankees and Orioles are tied. That tie-breaker game is in Baltimore -- so New York has to truck down to Baltimore for the Thursday tie-breaker game after playing a double header the night before.Meanwhile Oakland would host the Orioles in the Friday Wild Card game, but play at New York. Do they go to Kansas City and wait out Thursday's tie-breaker? I guess they would have to, because it would be a hell of a trip to wait until Thursday's game is over to find out you're going from Oakland to New York for a Friday Wild Card game.You could also have the Orioles playing in Tampa on Wednesday night, in Baltimore on Thursday, then in Oakland for the Wild Card game on Friday (if they lose a Thursday tie-breaker with New York) and then in Texas on Saturday.

You know... I agree... this sounds awesome...

And motivation to avoid the wildcard and just win the division, there was no motivation to win the division before - just get in.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

I love the new format, but it certainly backfired in the AL this year. It's just an unlucky coincidence IMO.Those 4 teams still have plenty to play for though. I wouldn't say all 4 are already "in". They're in a 1 game playoff and may not even get a home playoff game at the moment. I'm pretty sure battling for the division is big for those teams.I will also say that in the NL it kept a lot more teams than STL/LAD interested. Milwaukee, Philly, Pitts, etc all were in the race until this week. In past years, it was obvious in about July that ATL was the top wild card team.

Unlucky? I think this format was lucky it did not come out with a more distarous scenerio. We could of had playoff games for the divisional crowns, followed by play in games for the final WC spot to be followed by a playin game into the real series. We could have teams that lost a playoff game still making it into a divisional series. Just stupid, IMHO.

Disasterous? That sounds awesome.

Say Oakland is the Wild Card, the Orioles win the next 2 at TB, and the Red Sox-Yankees get rained out tonight. Then they play a doubleheader Wednesday and split, which means the Yankees and Orioles are tied. That tie-breaker game is in Baltimore -- so New York has to truck down to Baltimore for the Thursday tie-breaker game after playing a double header the night before.Meanwhile Oakland would host the Orioles in the Friday Wild Card game, but play at New York. Do they go to Kansas City and wait out Thursday's tie-breaker? I guess they would have to, because it would be a hell of a trip to wait until Thursday's game is over to find out you're going from Oakland to New York for a Friday Wild Card game.You could also have the Orioles playing in Tampa on Wednesday night, in Baltimore on Thursday, then in Oakland for the Wild Card game on Friday (if they lose a Thursday tie-breaker with New York) and then in Texas on Saturday.

You know... I agree... this sounds awesome...

And motivation to avoid the wildcard and just win the division, there was no motivation to win the division before - just get in.

 

[ctdub]

I love the new format, but it certainly backfired in the AL this year. It's just an unlucky coincidence IMO.

Those 4 teams still have plenty to play for though. I wouldn't say all 4 are already "in". They're in a 1 game playoff and may not even get a home playoff game at the moment. I'm pretty sure battling for the division is big for those teams.

I will also say that in the NL it kept a lot more teams than STL/LAD interested. Milwaukee, Philly, Pitts, etc all were in the race until this week. In past years, it was obvious in about July that ATL was the top wild card team.

Unlucky? I think this format was lucky it did not come out with a more distarous scenerio. We could of had playoff games for the divisional crowns, followed by play in games for the final WC spot to be followed by a playin game into the real series. We could have teams that lost a playoff game still making it into a divisional series. Just stupid, IMHO.

Disasterous? That sounds awesome.

Say Oakland is the Wild Card, the Orioles win the next 2 at TB, and the Red Sox-Yankees get rained out tonight. Then they play a doubleheader Wednesday and split, which means the Yankees and Orioles are tied. That tie-breaker game is in Baltimore -- so New York has to truck down to Baltimore for the Thursday tie-breaker game after playing a double header the night before.Meanwhile Oakland would host the Orioles in the Friday Wild Card game, but play at New York. Do they go to Kansas City and wait out Thursday's tie-breaker? I guess they would have to, because it would be a hell of a trip to wait until Thursday's game is over to find out you're going from Oakland to New York for a Friday Wild Card game.

You could also have the Orioles playing in Tampa on Wednesday night, in Baltimore on Thursday, then in Oakland for the Wild Card game on Friday (if they lose a Thursday tie-breaker with New York) and then in Texas on Saturday.

You know... I agree... this sounds awesome...

And motivation to avoid the wildcard and just win the division, there was no motivation to win the division before - just get in.

I hear this a lot, but I have to disagree. There is always a motivation to 1) Be the division champs & 2) Have a homefield advantage. Obviously now there is more of an advantage to win the division than before.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

I love the new format, but it certainly backfired in the AL this year. It's just an unlucky coincidence IMO.Those 4 teams still have plenty to play for though. I wouldn't say all 4 are already "in". They're in a 1 game playoff and may not even get a home playoff game at the moment. I'm pretty sure battling for the division is big for those teams.I will also say that in the NL it kept a lot more teams than STL/LAD interested. Milwaukee, Philly, Pitts, etc all were in the race until this week. In past years, it was obvious in about July that ATL was the top wild card team.

Unlucky? I think this format was lucky it did not come out with a more distarous scenerio. We could of had playoff games for the divisional crowns, followed by play in games for the final WC spot to be followed by a playin game into the real series. We could have teams that lost a playoff game still making it into a divisional series. Just stupid, IMHO.

Disasterous? That sounds awesome.

Say Oakland is the Wild Card, the Orioles win the next 2 at TB, and the Red Sox-Yankees get rained out tonight. Then they play a doubleheader Wednesday and split, which means the Yankees and Orioles are tied. That tie-breaker game is in Baltimore -- so New York has to truck down to Baltimore for the Thursday tie-breaker game after playing a double header the night before.Meanwhile Oakland would host the Orioles in the Friday Wild Card game, but play at New York. Do they go to Kansas City and wait out Thursday's tie-breaker? I guess they would have to, because it would be a hell of a trip to wait until Thursday's game is over to find out you're going from Oakland to New York for a Friday Wild Card game.You could also have the Orioles playing in Tampa on Wednesday night, in Baltimore on Thursday, then in Oakland for the Wild Card game on Friday (if they lose a Thursday tie-breaker with New York) and then in Texas on Saturday.

You know... I agree... this sounds awesome...

And motivation to avoid the wildcard and just win the division, there was no motivation to win the division before - just get in.

I prefer this:Baltimore wins two in TampaYankees win tonight and get rained out Wednesday, play makeup on Thursday with Sux and loseOakland wins division with two straight over TexasYankees go to Baltimore Friday for AL East, Baltimore winsBaltimore heads to Detroit for Saturday evening Game 1Texas goes to NYY on Saturday for an early afternoon game, Yankees winYankees leave NY Saturday evening and fly to Oakland for a game 1 on Sunday

 

[Tom Servo]

Baltimore beats Tampa 1-0. Yanks losing 2-1 bottom 8.

 

[The_Man]

Baltimore beats Tampa 1-0. Yanks losing 2-1 bottom 8.

If that holds up and A's beat Texas, all 4 would be 93-68 going into Game 162. Pretty cool. Would be cooler still if they were fighting for their playoff lives, rather than just positioning

 

[Doctor Detroit]

What are all the tiebreakers between these four teams?TexasYankeesOriolesA'sWe might have a scenario where the AL East goes to a tiebreaker and the loser has to play the next day (possibly traveling across the country). What if that game goes extra innings? I think that second wildcard adds a whole bunch of new scenarios at the end of the season, and it definitely benefits the division winners (which it should).

H2H tiebreakersNYY has tb on TexTex has tb on BaltOak has tb on BaltNYY and Oak split season series 5-5, not sure next criteria

Thanks

Oakland holds the third tiebreaker over the Yankees

 

[Tom Servo]

Baltimore beats Tampa 1-0. Yanks losing 2-1 bottom 8.

If that holds up and A's beat Texas, all 4 would be 93-68 going into Game 162. Pretty cool. Would be cooler still if they were fighting for their playoff lives, rather than just positioning

Eh, better than no reason to watch at all. Oakland-Texas on MLB Network today at 3:30 PM Eastern. AL West title on the line!!!

 

[The_Man]

So, this year with the new Wild Card format, we'll see Baltimore at Texas in a one-game showdown on Friday to see who advances to the ALDS.

Under the old format, we would have seen Baltimore at Texas in a one-game showdown on Thursday to see who advances to the ALDS.

Meanwhile in the NL, an Atlanta team who might be the second best team in the NL will be forced into a one-game coin flip that could see them eliminated by a mediocre STL team, instead of locked up in a great first-round battle.

Not a big fan.

 

[Ghost Rider]

So, this year with the new Wild Card format, we'll see Baltimore at Texas in a one-game showdown on Friday to see who advances to the ALDS.

Under the old format, we would have seen Baltimore at Texas in a one-game showdown on Thursday to see who advances to the ALDS.

Meanwhile in the NL, an Atlanta team who might be the second best team in the NL will be forced into a one-game coin flip that could see them eliminated by a mediocre STL team, instead of locked up in a great first-round battle.

Not a big fan.

Hyperbole much? Atlanta tied for the 3rd best record in the NL, but now they might be the 2nd best team?

And a team 14 games over .500, the Cardinals, is hardly mediocre.

If you don't like the setup, just say it, but resorting to such absurd comments makes you look like a complainer.

 

[The_Man]

So, this year with the new Wild Card format, we'll see Baltimore at Texas in a one-game showdown on Friday to see who advances to the ALDS.

Under the old format, we would have seen Baltimore at Texas in a one-game showdown on Thursday to see who advances to the ALDS.

Meanwhile in the NL, an Atlanta team who might be the second best team in the NL will be forced into a one-game coin flip that could see them eliminated by a mediocre STL team, instead of locked up in a great first-round battle.

Not a big fan.

Hyperbole much? Atlanta tied for the 3rd best record in the NL, but now they might be the 2nd best team?

And a team 14 games over .500, the Cardinals, is hardly mediocre.

If you don't like the setup, just say it, but resorting to such absurd comments makes you look like a complainer.

I have been saying I don't like the set-up. In fact, I started a thread saying it. Is it absurd to say that at Atlanta team who was 13-5 in the final weeks of the season and made up 5 games on Washington after Strasburg was shut down might now actually be better than Washington? So the Cards have 88 wins - which would tie them for 7th most wins in the AL. And they went 15-15 over the final month of the season. To me that's kind of, eh, mediocre.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Oh, so an average stretch makes you mediocre? Okay, let's ignore the fact that they were 73-59 before that; A 30-game stretch of .500 ball is more indicative of them as a team than a 132-game stretch. Got it.

 

[MAC_32]

Is it absurd to say that at Atlanta team who was 13-5 in the final weeks of the season and made up 5 games on Washington after Strasburg was shut down might now actually be better than Washington?

Then they should have been better in the first 144 games.

 

[Michael Brown]

Oh, so an average stretch makes you mediocre? Okay, let's ignore the fact that they were 73-59 before that; A 30-game stretch of .500 ball is more indicative of them as a team than a 132-game stretch. Got it.

Didn't the 06 Cardinals team that won the World Series have a horrible second half of the season? I vaguely remember something about them and Detroit being among the worst teams in baseball record-wise after the ASB that year. Worked out pretty well for them.

 

[The_Man]

Oh, so an average stretch makes you mediocre? Okay, let's ignore the fact that they were 73-59 before that; A 30-game stretch of .500 ball is more indicative of them as a team than a 132-game stretch. Got it.

Didn't the 06 Cardinals team that won the World Series have a horrible second half of the season? I vaguely remember something about them and Detroit being among the worst teams in baseball record-wise after the ASB that year. Worked out pretty well for them.

By this logic, maybe we should run MLB like it was during the strike-interrupted 1981 season, and declare two half-season champions who both make it to the playoffs.For any Cardinals who have their feathers ruffled, my thread is not aimed at them. They just happen to be the first NL beneficiaries of a system that I think is stupid and antithetical to baseball.The new Wild Card did very little to add drama - though Cardinals fans are naturally happy to be in the post-season - and devalued the regular season, not only by expanding the number of playoff teams but also taking a team (Atlanta) that had a clearly superior season to St. Louis and putting them into a one-game gimmick Wild Card game. If two teams play 162 games and are tied, then it's only natural you play one more game to pick a winner. But if one team finishes far ahead of another, I don't think it's fair to force them into a one-game showdown.

 

[Eephus]

If the Friday games get good TV ratings, it will be justification enough for MLB.

Your opinions don't matter.

 

[MAC_32]

Oh, so an average stretch makes you mediocre? Okay, let's ignore the fact that they were 73-59 before that; A 30-game stretch of .500 ball is more indicative of them as a team than a 132-game stretch. Got it.

Didn't the 06 Cardinals team that won the World Series have a horrible second half of the season? I vaguely remember something about them and Detroit being among the worst teams in baseball record-wise after the ASB that year. Worked out pretty well for them.

By this logic, maybe we should run MLB like it was during the strike-interrupted 1981 season, and declare two half-season champions who both make it to the playoffs.For any Cardinals who have their feathers ruffled, my thread is not aimed at them. They just happen to be the first NL beneficiaries of a system that I think is stupid and antithetical to baseball.The new Wild Card did very little to add drama - though Cardinals fans are naturally happy to be in the post-season - and devalued the regular season, not only by expanding the number of playoff teams but also taking a team (Atlanta) that had a clearly superior season to St. Louis and putting them into a one-game gimmick Wild Card game. If two teams play 162 games and are tied, then it's only natural you play one more game to pick a winner. But if one team finishes far ahead of another, I don't think it's fair to force them into a one-game showdown.

Atlanta should have won the division then. Texas too.The new setup rewards division winners, the old one did not.Cheers, MLB!

 

[DropKick]

Let me start by saying I strongly dislike the new Wild Card in baseball. You work all season to earn that playoff spot, and then you’re tossed into a one-game coin flip, plus you’re at a huge disadvantage moving into the divisional round.Bud Selig loved the excitement of last year’s final couple of games that he thought adding the extra Wild Card would guarantee that kind of excitement every year. But – for this year anyway – the extra Wild Card killed that excitement.In the National League, you can say the Wild Card has kept Cardinals and Dodgers fans interested into the final week. But it hasn’t really been compelling. And now you face the prospect of a clearly superior Atlanta team, who is going to finish 6 or 7 games ahead of the other Wild Card, forced into a one-game toss-up. But the American League is where the excitement was truly killed. There are 2 games to go, with four teams in 2 divisions separated by one game. If it weren’t for the extra Wild Card, not a single one of those 4 teams would have a spot clinched yet. Instead all 4 are already in and they’re just playing for positioning. Can you imagine the drama if Texas and Oakland were battling for the division, and the loser could very well be out of the playoffs? Or at the very least, the loser might be facing a one-game playoff vs. Baltimore to get the final Wild Card spot? It would be insane. Instead, it’s kind of like, eh.And the Wild Card one-game playoff feels really cheap to me. It’s cool when an entire 162-game season still can’t produce a winner, and so a one-game playoff is needed to settle it. But it feels forced and contrived when a team has played well enough for 162 games to secure a post-season spot and then can have that undone in one afternoon.

Feared this would be the problem when the idea was first raised. The Braves are a worst case scenario - only 3 teams in baseball won more games and now they're replaced in the play-offs by a lesser team. Six games in the standings is significant... decide that with a one game play-off? Throw on on a bad call for the ages and a season goes down the drain. Nice job, MLB!

 

[DropKick]

Oh, so an average stretch makes you mediocre? Okay, let's ignore the fact that they were 73-59 before that; A 30-game stretch of .500 ball is more indicative of them as a team than a 132-game stretch. Got it.

Didn't the 06 Cardinals team that won the World Series have a horrible second half of the season? I vaguely remember something about them and Detroit being among the worst teams in baseball record-wise after the ASB that year. Worked out pretty well for them.

By this logic, maybe we should run MLB like it was during the strike-interrupted 1981 season, and declare two half-season champions who both make it to the playoffs.For any Cardinals who have their feathers ruffled, my thread is not aimed at them. They just happen to be the first NL beneficiaries of a system that I think is stupid and antithetical to baseball.

The new Wild Card did very little to add drama - though Cardinals fans are naturally happy to be in the post-season - and devalued the regular season, not only by expanding the number of playoff teams but also taking a team (Atlanta) that had a clearly superior season to St. Louis and putting them into a one-game gimmick Wild Card game.

If two teams play 162 games and are tied, then it's only natural you play one more game to pick a winner. But if one team finishes far ahead of another, I don't think it's fair to force them into a one-game showdown.

Atlanta should have won the division then. Texas too.

The new setup rewards division winners is based on greed , the old one did not tended to put the best teams in the play-offs.

Cheers, MLB!

Fixed.

 

[DropKick]

So, this year with the new Wild Card format, we'll see Baltimore at Texas in a one-game showdown on Friday to see who advances to the ALDS.

Under the old format, we would have seen Baltimore at Texas in a one-game showdown on Thursday to see who advances to the ALDS.

Meanwhile in the NL, an Atlanta team who might be the second best team in the NL will be forced into a one-game coin flip that could see them eliminated by a mediocre STL team, instead of locked up in a great first-round battle.

Not a big fan.

Hyperbole much? Atlanta tied for the 3rd best record in the NL, but now they might be the 2nd best team?

And a team 14 games over .500, the Cardinals, is hardly mediocre.

If you don't like the setup, just say it, but resorting to such absurd comments makes you look like a complainer.

With imbalanced schedules, you could debate these things but I don't see the point.To me, the problem is you have a system that could eliminate a team in a one game play-off even if they won a 100 games.

 

[Wrigley]

Lol at rider showing his cardinal love.

 

[pollardsvision]

Really? I thought it added to the Division races.

I hated this idea at first, of course, as it completely screws the 1st "WC" team (which turned out to be my Braves, who then got more screwed) and the words "single elimination" should never be applied to MLB.

But this stupid format accomplishes a few things that are very good.

It made the Division races more meaningful.

MLB got in on this single-elimination candy that helps football so much. It's terrible that they have to stoop to such a level, but they've got to do something.

The most amazing thing that happened yesterday is that there are 2 baseball related threads in the FFA. That doesn't happen without a stupid single elimination game and a bad call (which wouldn't have mattered in a series). I think MLB is at the point where they just need the general public to care, no matter how negative it is.

So, they get a lot of benefit and the only party screwed is the 1st WC team, who doesn't deserve anything anyway.

Now, when those GD Cardinals go win it all, as I know they will, I'll forget I ever called this a good idea. This is a franchise that won a WS Title with a freaking 83 win team a few years ago. Of course, they'll be the ones to benefit from this new BS format.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Lol at rider showing his cardinal love.

LOL at Cubs fans.

 

[bryhamm]

Let me start by saying I strongly dislike the new Wild Card in baseball. You work all season to earn that playoff spot, and then you’re tossed into a one-game coin flip, plus you’re at a huge disadvantage moving into the divisional round.

Bud Selig loved the excitement of last year’s final couple of games that he thought adding the extra Wild Card would guarantee that kind of excitement every year. But – for this year anyway – the extra Wild Card killed that excitement.

In the National League, you can say the Wild Card has kept Cardinals and Dodgers fans interested into the final week. But it hasn’t really been compelling. And now you face the prospect of a clearly superior Atlanta team, who is going to finish 6 or 7 games ahead of the other Wild Card, forced into a one-game toss-up.

But the American League is where the excitement was truly killed. There are 2 games to go, with four teams in 2 divisions separated by one game. If it weren’t for the extra Wild Card, not a single one of those 4 teams would have a spot clinched yet. Instead all 4 are already in and they’re just playing for positioning. Can you imagine the drama if Texas and Oakland were battling for the division, and the loser could very well be out of the playoffs? Or at the very least, the loser might be facing a one-game playoff vs. Baltimore to get the final Wild Card spot? It would be insane. Instead, it’s kind of like, eh.

And the Wild Card one-game playoff feels really cheap to me. It’s cool when an entire 162-game season still can’t produce a winner, and so a one-game playoff is needed to settle it. But it feels forced and contrived when a team has played well enough for 162 games to secure a post-season spot and then can have that undone in one afternoon.

 

[Wrigley]

Lol at rider showing his cardinal love.

LOL at Cubs fans.