MLB to Change Playoff Format?
In a move that made me upchuck my Coffee Frappachino the other day, Commander of the Idiot Brigade Bud Selig said that he is not opposed to the idea of expanding postseason play. In fact, the concept of expanding baseball’s postseason by making the Division Series round best-of-seven or even adding teams to the field is building support from the Major League Baseball Players’ Association. According to the MLBPA, players are generally receptive to the idea, but changes likely would not be implemented until 2012 at the earliest because they’re subject to collective bargaining.
Many have defended or straight out encouraged the idea, citing the 16 team playoff format utilized by the NBA and the 12 team playoff format in the NFL. But quite frankly, how absolutely pathetic do you feel even tuning in to the 1 seed versus 8 seed series in Round One of the NBA Playoffs? No one should want to reward a .500 Indiana Pacers team with a playoff berth. It’s plain retarded. It seems to take an entire MONTH of NBA playoff action to even get into the meat of the competition between quality teams. If the MLB went NBA on everyone’s asses, do you know who we would have had to endure in the playoffs this year? The motherfucking Florida Marlins and Detroit Tigers!!! And for what, so we can reward the 12 loyal fans of the Florida Marlins who survived their team’s truly mediocre season? I’ll tell you what, if the Marlins really want to be a perennial fixture in the postseason, perhaps they should stop having fire sales following every one of their World Series appearances. Even my beloved St. Louis Cardinals would have made the playoffs under the proposed new playoff format. But did the underperforming Cardinals deserve to be in the 2010 playoffs? Sadly, no. And I quite like seeing the best-of-the-best face off starting on day one of the playoffs.
If we are going to let so many damn teams into the thing to begin with, why even have a grueling 162-game schedule? Let’s just play April, get a sense of things, and then start the playoffs in the first week of May. Or we can change baseball completely and just have the entire season be one big tournament with every team invited to participate until one team is left standing.
But I have to go catch a flight to Milwaukee now because I have a date with an upper decker in Bud Selig’s master bathroom.
Could not agree with you more. Terrible idea. One of the good things about MLB is that the regular season actually means something — as it should after 162 games.
I think at least part of the reason they’re considering it is to ensure for the networks that the Yankees and the Red Sox both make the playoffs every year. Ratings, etc. Just another theory.
But it is an utterly terrible idea.
http://www.brushbackpitch.com/2010/12/02/disingenuous-playoff-expansion-further-coddling-to-big-markets/
How do you really feel about it?
More importantly, how do you feel about Selig’s refusal to embrace replay when it will make the game better by eliminating blown calls and costing Gallaraga his only claim to fame?
How dare you hate on the beloved Bud Selig. He as done more to bring fans of all teams closer together and appreaciate baseball for how it should be. He acheived this monsterous and unselfish task by placing a trophy of himself in Miller Park for all baseball fans to appreciate and piss on.