I would say, yes, you nailed it. And so did STL, along with ATL for not winning their division, but finishing as top two WC teams. Altanta hosted STL and lost. So be it.
I can't wait until a .500 team playing good baseball at the right time gets into the world series because of this new format.
If they beat a bunch of top teams in the playoffs to do it IMO they deserve it. It's not like Atlanta was celebrating and Bud walked into the room with an evil grin and said "Hahahahahahha surprise you have to play a sudden death game now!" Teams knew from the start there were two spots and what it would mean to finish in one of those two spots.
Some people think that the 162 game season is where you earn your shot at the world series. Others clearly don't. That's really the difference here. If MLB does not want to treat the wild card as a division with a clear winner than they should eliminate it and go back to the old way. The Phillies were playing some pretty good ball down the stretch and I'm almost positive they could make some noise this month if they were in. Why not just bring them in for some drama and ratings while we're at it? Why not just seed the top six runner ups and have a nice single elimination tournament?
Muscle, that really is sourgrapes....yes, ATL had 162 to win the division. They failed, and per the new playoff rule, a 2nd team was going to be added, a team like ATL that had 162 to win their division, but if it failed would also qualify. This gave a 2nd fanbase to get excited. Atlanta had the #1 WC position and HOSTED the #2 WC position team. What are you really complaining about?
Nope, they should have stuck with the old way or scrapped the wild card if they hate it so much. Think about the last day of the MLB season last year. It was pretty intense and crazy. That all would have meant little under this new format. The Braves, Cardinals, Rays, and Sox would have all been playing for nothing in that regular season finale that day. We won't see anything like that again thanks to the new format. Just artificially manufactured drama for the sake of television ratings. Not anything that built up over the grinding 162 game season.
That's fine, give it another year or two it won't just be me. Let's go with the NCAA tournament to make sure that every fanbase can stay excited all season long no matter how far back their team is.
Yeah, that is sourgrapes...they changed the playoff format to make it: 1) more exciting for more fanbases. 2) create a greater advantage to teams that WIN the division. come on thats like saying back when the WC was created and added that it was stupid back then, blah, blah, blah. Its big time sour grapes strictly because ATL lost. Better luck next year.... P.S. you do realize that the same 4 teams battling for 1 WC slot like what happened in 2011 with Braves, Cards, TB and Sox, has the same chance as happening with that 2nd WC slot down the line. Nothing is preventing it, and frankly, its more likely for the #2 WC and #3 WC and even #4 WC teams being bunched closer to increase the chance for a play-in game to a play-in game.
Actually, based on history, the more seasons go by, the more FANS fall in love with the format and fully understand the risk/reward of not winning the division. From a sourgrapes standpoint, what has a better chance of happening is something along the lines of a 4th division being created, and then 2 WCs being set up, like the NFL, and fans will ***** that they changed it again, and blah, blah, blah, my team that hosted a game and lost should never have been in that situation if the 4th division wasnt added, blah, blah, blah. Really, Atlanta's season is over....step back, regroup and get em next year. Dont take it so seriously, where you get to a point left blaming a format change that has been in the works the entire season to prepare you for this outcome.
Perspectives from around MLB. There were positive too, shockingly the Cardinals loved the new format. This is another effect you're going to see every year. You're going to get a number one WC seed going in with everything to lose and a runner up going in who are just thrilled that they are even there and have nothing to lose. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...wild-card-playoffs-dramatic-but-fair/1614451/
You can go back in this thread and see that I said I didn't like the format before yesterday's game was even played. I'm glad you now know what I'll ***** about. That's cool that you can read my mind. With four divisions there would be no need for any wild card.
They both have the same thing to lose! Win the division and avoid this drama...thats the real take away.
No need to read your mind, when you yourself "self-analyzed" your view as sour grapes. And the "YOU" I referenced was a "generic" fan and not "you" personally. Sorry if that wasnt clear.
If I was an Atlanta fan I would be pissed too, but not at the format...just everything that transpired. The format isnt the issue to me. Just like from Yanks traveling the first two games of a best of five game series into Baltimore. It is what it is, but they have to take care of business. Frankly, from a fans perspective, this quirk in the format which will not be the case in following years sucks more, atleast the #1 WC hosting a 1 game play in vs the #2 WC. Atleast that was standard advantage, and will be the same going forward. It just so happened that ATL and TEX didnt hold serve at home.
It kind of happened in 2006 when the Cardinals were a .516 team and won the whole thing, but they were the NL Central champ not a wild card team. It's going to happen, just a matter of when.
The difference we're having now is that you are not looking at the old wild card for whatever reason as functioning as a separate division in baseball. I don't know how anyone can make the claim that the wild card had not previously been set up as a separate, fourth division race to be won. They gave the wild card winner all of the rights and privileges of any division winner [though automatically seeded them fourth which is fair] but decided they hated them this year for some reason. It is not that easy to be the best team that didn't win the normal division in a league. The wild card division created plenty of drama at the ends of regular seasons. For some reason the commissioner deemed it necessary to take a leak all over that division. Also you obviously think the home field thing means more in sports today than I do. It's convenient but is not that big of a deal anymore that it gives some commanding advantage, especially in baseball.
I think this will certainly make it more common. I mean if you put the Astros in that wild card game they will win it a quarter of the time.
Changing the subject, I saw a couple of situations last night where Freddi did a pretty poor job managing IMO. A safety squeeze with Freddie Freeman at third? Seriously? Later in the game when it was still 4-2 and the Cards had a guy on third with only one out Freddi brought in Chad Durbin instead of considering Kimbrel, the guy who spent the whole year striking out guys at a historic rate. Also, none of you know how relieved I was that Chipper's last career AB wasn't a K to end the game.
You're making it seem like so many teams get in....at the start of the season every team knew the format. I bet if you were fighting for that second wildcard spot and won the WS you wouldn't say anything. You'd be pumped about it. I think anyway, I won't speak for you. You don't play 162 games to get to the WS, you do it to get to the playoffs. Both teams made the playoffs basically....my only gripe is I do believe it should have been a three game series. I'm sorry it turned out poorly for you. Try being a Marlins fan every year, it's filled with so much disappointment as well. Anyway moving on...Nats are my team this postseason.
I actually hated the idea at first but I'm starting to warm up to it. I still think MLB should either have two division per league but definitely there should be a better balanced schedule.
I don't really like the Nats a whole lot but it's hard not to get behind them. The first playoff games in DC since the 30s. They're definitely due. Seeing the O's advance last night I'd love to see a beltway World Series with the O's coming out on top.
not talking about the umps, but rather the fans causing a riot to the point they needed NYPD to go on the field in 04. I haven't seen that happen really up until now
then they wouldn't be a .500 team. Its not like football, a wild card team is still going to have to have a pretty decent record People hate the new system now because its new, and fans of those teams who would of won the 1st wild card team are like, if they kept it the same as last year my team would have had a chance in a 5 game series. As time pass, people are going to get used to it. I like it because it creates more competition. It makes winning your division mean something. There have been years that the Yankees would rest people and basically give up the Division because the Wild Card was just as good. There needs to be importance on winning the division. Made the Yankees a better team this year for it. They became more competitive this season.
It's weird rooting for a team in my own division. I could NEVER do that in football. Somehow though I feel their pain (being a Marlin fan) I know what it's like to have some terrible teams. When you finally make it to the postseason it's exciting. They've got some great young players that like you said...its hard not getting behind them.
Yeah in the NFL I could never root for anyone in our division to win the super bowl, but in baseball, the only team I don't root for is the Red Sox.
One of the memorable final days in regular MLB history happened under the old format. Amazing that MLB felt a new gimmick system was needed after that. It's worth noting that after the Cardinals clinched the wild card on that memorable evening on September 28th they lost the first postseason game they played. Under the new rule they would have been heading back to the house after everything they had to do to get in the postseason to begin with.
What I do like about the format is that before there was absolutely no disadvantage to winning the WC rather than your division.
NATS and CIN....each taking one of the first two road game is huge for 5 game series with this year having games 3, 4, and 5 be at home for top seed. DET winning both at home is huge disadvantage to better seeded A's now having to head home and run off 3 straight. That's tough to ask but it is what it is this year unfortunately. Just need Yanks to take one of their first two in BAL and I will breathe easier setting up the return to the Stadium.
It may take the weather a while to cooperate over here for the BAL/NYY game. I thought about taking the family out to that one but the tickets were a little too rich for my blood.
there is no reason this game should be in Baltimore. It sucks. 2-2-1. how hard was it to get that format right?
