I don't have a link as Buster Olney of ESPN is just breaking the story. Buster is announcing that MLB is prepared to announce a new playoff format beginning in 2012. The new 10 team playoff will add a wildcard round with division winners receiving a bye.
I personally hate the idea. In baseball rest = rust. A bye in baseball means your team is sitting at home getting rusty for 1.5-2 weeks as you watch other teams play. Terrible idea IMO. Thoughts?
EDIT: Link added
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7630682/mlb-union-close-finalizing-expanded-playoffs
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I don't understand why if they want change they don't cut 40 games out of the season and add a playoff round the right way. Adding games to a ridiculously long season is dumb. I know its all about dollars and the more games = more money but it is making a bad product. -
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What he doesnt realize is he is really hurting division winners in the process. Terrible idea, plus scheduling will be a mess. -
It says nothing about adding a full round.
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If I had to choose its the 1 game playoff but either plan is a horrible idea and hope it is never implemented. -
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1 game playoffs sounds so foolish to me. Its baseball saying:
- 9 innings now mean more than 1458 previous innings
- 1 game > 162 games
They should just eliminate like 40 regular season games. I know stats guys will hate it but oh well, lets adapt to the times. Then add a wildcard the right way, with no bye weeks. the loss in 40 games opens up time needed in the schedule for the playoffs. -
finyank13 likes this.
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I'm in favor.
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Tougher road for the WC winner to the WS?
The Marlins say challenge accepted. -
Dont know how Buster was spinning it or what words he used....but this is not new; its the same one that was pushed by Selig....a 1 game Wildest WC playoff just to get it to be where it is right now,....so 5 teams and one game gets it to the 4 team playoff we know it to be since WC was originally added.
It still as silly as it was originally proposed, and its not guaranteed to be passed for 2012 season.....personally, I dont think any change to playoffs should occur (if at all) until HOU comes to AL to balance the two leagues to 15 teams each (which is long overdue).
Then focus on balanced schedule and frankly 15 teams if not increased to 16 or cut to 14 will force an INTERLEAGUE game to be played every day. Not a huge fan of that idea...but thats a whole other topic. -
Mainge likes this.
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Or have the pitchers bat in both leagues.
Watching pitchers bat isn't nearly as bad as you make it out to be.muscle979 likes this. -
The NL is the only league in the world that still makes the pitcher bat. It's time to modernize the game. -
Case in point, AJ Burnett broke a bone in his face a few days ago working on a bunting drill. Dustin Moseley tore his shoulder swinging a bat last year. A few years ago Chien Ming Wang broke his foot running the bases and hasn't been the same since. Why risk the injury?
The DH is never going away, the union wouldn't allow it as players would lose their jobs over it. If anything you'll see the NL incorporate the DH.
Plus it would help close the talent gaps between the AL & NL a little bit more too. -
To be fair, the injuries aren't very common. There aren't many more examples besides the ones you've listed. In fact, that might be the end of the list.
Also not sure how there would be jobs lost. it's still a 25-man roster. They'd just be replaced by an extra bullpen arm or bench bat. -
I appreciate he different game in both leagues and actually like it. Creates some unique situations and moves when the different leagues play each other. I prefer the DH game much more but can still appreciate the NL game.
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And the injuries I listed are towards the end of the list as I wanted to use recent examples that people are more farmiliar with.
My wording was poor but you'd see older guys start to be pushed aside even more so if there were no DHs. Someone like David Ortiz probably would have been out of a job a few years ago. Guys like Raul Ibanez probably wouldn't have been able to find a job this season (or Johnny Damon last season) if it wasn't for the DH spot.
Also a point I didn't bring up is the salary for a DH which is a big deal for the union to help fight to keep the DH. The average DH makes a lot more money than an extra bullpen arm or bench player. A player like Victor Martinez probably wouldn't have gotten the contract he did from the Tigers last offseason if there wasn't a DH spot for him to go to and I wonder how much Pujols or Fielder would have been offered if there wasn't the DH spot as a back up option for them. -
Sure the risk is there but I don't believe it's so significant that it's worth mentioning. No more perilous than carrying veal down a set of stairs or Guitar Hero.
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Dammit Ray, why are you making me defend pitchers batting? There's plenty of other legitimate reasons to point at for getting a universal DH that don't involve protecting a professional athlete from literally jogging some bases. -
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Jt0323 likes this.
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You generally get a couple of pitcher ABs in an entire game. Maybe three if your starter goes deep. Oh the humanity!! Maybe to further minimize a pitcher's injury risk they should have a shadow player standing near the mound to do any defensive fielding that may be required. Because you know sometimes pitchers are injured stretching for or fielding hit balls. Pitchers can hit when they're in the game. It's not an issue. Leave the NL alone, they don't want or need a DH.
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Make the playoffs into a 20-team round-robin, triple-elimination.
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MLB has officially announced the expanded format.
The 2012 Postseason will feature a 10-team format that includes two additional Wild Card Clubs and an elimination game in each League prior to the Division Series, Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced today … a single Postseason game would be played between each League’s two Wild Card Clubs, with each winner advancing to compete among the three division champions from each League in the Division Series.
For the 2012 Postseason only, the five-game Division Series will begin with two home games for lower seeds, followed by up to three home games for higher seeds. This one-year change will eliminate a travel day prior to a decisive Game Five of the Division Series and was necessary because the 2012 regular season schedule was announced before the agreement on the new Postseason was reached. Next year, the Division Series will return to the 2-2-1 format used in previous years.
It means that a division winner will open on the road for two games (in a best of 5 series) against the winner of the 1-game wild card playoff for 2012. -
1) The pitcher hitting is amazing. It brings an element of actually having to ummm MANAGE into the game. Sacrifice bunts, pinch hitters, double switches. I'd stop watching baseball if the NL went to a DH. **** that ****, the DH is the most boring thing ever, I cant even watch American League games. Yuck.
2) Hate this new rule. Why should there be a playoff for a wildcard team that finished 7 games ahead of the #5 team? ******ed. -
Jt0323 likes this.
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In fact why don't we just do it NCAA Basketball style. We will have the twenty top teams ranked based on their performance in the regular season. Division, League, don't matter. After the season is over and teams are ranked we play one game series where the #1 seed plays the #20 seed and so on. Oh and we can have a play in game for the #20 spot.
Man I REALLY hate this new change Im sorry. -
One thing I do hate about it is, we will never see what in my mind, is the greatest day in baseball again
[video=youtube;cVOwMO6H5AI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVOwMO6H5AI&feature=related[/video]BigDogsHunt likes this. -
2) Why does the wildcard team deserve anything? Don't like it? Win your division.Ray Finkle likes this. -
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