Personally, I think it's awful. Last year's Padres prove a perfect example. I'm not saying I'd like a reversion to East/West but I think MLB has GOT to stop rewarding mediocre teams. NFL has a similar structure but a much better playoff scheme; I think MLB needs to look into that.

8/16/2006 12:13:47 PM

Eh. The NFL sometimes rewards mediocrity too. There's genuinely at least 1 (if not 2-3) 9-7 team, sometimes even 8-8 or 7-9, that make it. I mean the only have 4 teams in a division. The only division where baseball has a problem is in the AL East, where the other 3 teams have very little chance, simply due to the payroll's of the big 2.

8/16/2006 12:29:09 PM

Quote :

"The only division where baseball has a problem is in the AL East, where the other 3 teams have very little chance, simply due to the payroll's of the big 2."

i think he's more talking about divisions like the NL West, who (before the Dodgers made their latest run) essentially had the 1st place team with a .500 record

8/16/2006 12:45:30 PM

I mean, I don't even understand the point of the divisional format. It isn't even forming rivals and when you stretch a "division" from Tampa Bay all the way to NYC nobody takes it seriously.

8/16/2006 12:51:11 PM

i dont see it being much different than the NBA letting half the league in its playoffs

8/16/2006 12:51:34 PM

well take the NBA and only let 4 teams in, and only two of those teams have legitimately been winning teams. it's stupid.

8/16/2006 12:59:38 PM

Go back to no divisions. Teams at the top of the AL and NL by season's end play in World Series. That guarantees that the two best teams from each side play.

This would, of course, be financially disastrous to all teams in the middle of the league or lower.

8/16/2006 1:00:07 PM

the difference is that the nba has a pretty long-standing precedent for that now, at least as far as having a playoffs that involves way more than just the division winners

back in the day, it used to be the two league champs for the world series until 1969, and for a long time after that, it was just nlcs and alcs until 1995

/geezer tone

^ good call on the financial situation for the second-tier teams, fans still can hold out hope for a late-season miracle run and continue to buy tickets that many probably otherwise wouldn't



[Edited on August 16, 2006 at 1:03 PM. Reason : ]

8/16/2006 1:02:00 PM

Quote :

"Quote : "The only division where baseball has a problem is in the AL East, where the other 3 teams have very little chance, simply due to the payroll's of the big 2." i think he's more talking about divisions like the NL West, who (before the Dodgers made their latest run) essentially had the 1st place team with a .500 record "

I know what he's saying. But I also said the NFL is not really any different. In 2004, an 9-7 Seattle, 8-8 St. Louis, & an 8-8 Minnesota all made the playoffs. How is that any better?

8/16/2006 1:22:47 PM

a while back buster olney suggested a 'rotating' divisional format so that teams like tampa bay might actually stand a chance

i'd like to see it back with just 2 divisions and no wild card

of course that would mean half of the teams would be out of the race by july so it would never fly

8/16/2006 1:32:48 PM

Quote :

"i think he's more talking about divisions like the NL West, who (before the Dodgers made their latest run) essentially had the 1st place team with a .500 record"

The NL West is actually good this year, that is part of the problem. The last place team is just a handful of games under .500 and 3 teams are over .500. Just did a little math and the division, as a whole, has a better winning percentage than both the NL East and NL Central.

8/16/2006 1:52:19 PM

Quote :

"NFL has an identical similar structure"

except that their divisions are more fucked in terms of geography

Quote :

"It isn't even forming rivals"

you dont think the central has formed a staunch rivalry b/w chi, minny and cleve?



so basically you think all leagues should have an east and a west conf and no divisions, then the top X teams from each division get in?

[Edited on August 16, 2006 at 2:02 PM. Reason : s]

8/16/2006 2:02:04 PM

No, because at this point I just want the white sox to beat EVERYONE. When a 95% percentile team starts worrying about the wildcard, the system is fucked up.

8/16/2006 2:11:32 PM

so then you want my suggestion?

8/16/2006 2:16:11 PM

not fair, you edited your post

8/16/2006 2:18:24 PM

no my post edit was just b/c i fucked up my strikethrough

Quote :

"[Edited on August 16, 2006 at 2:02 PM. Reason : s] 8/16/2006 2:02:04 PM Crede All American 2226 Posts user info edit post No, because at this point I just want the white sox to beat EVERYONE. When a 95% percentile team starts worrying about the wildcard, the system is fucked up. 8/16/2006 2:11:32 P"

[Edited on August 16, 2006 at 2:31 PM. Reason : check the tiems]

8/16/2006 2:31:08 PM

go braves

8/16/2006 2:36:39 PM

I don't really mind the wild card format because it gives teams hope when, if the wild card didn't exist, they would have no hope (see Phillies this year).

Obviously the situation in the AL sucks because two really good teams (Red Sox, White Sox, or Twins) are going to be left out when each one of them is probably as good as the best team in the NL. The wild card too has not worked out as well in the AL historically because up til now, the Red Sox always seem to get it while the Yanks take the East.

An expansion to the NFL rules wouldn't be a bad idea because it would reward the best teams with first round byes while giving teams like the Blue Jays (who are solid but have zero hope at the playoffs) a chance.

8/16/2006 3:22:23 PM