Just to agree with this wholeheartedly: I think this is the first change to a postseason by *any* of the big four leagues to improve both the postseason *and* the regular season. The NHL and NBA have pointless regular seasons; the NFL has suddenly had low-seeded teams that win the Super Bowl.
On Fri, Oct 5, 2012 at 11:03 PM, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: > I have been a cranky baseball fan for a long time (Televised baseball was > ruined when NBC lost it; inter-league play is a joke that undermines the > credibility of the regular season records since divisional teams do not all > play the same opponents, and dilutes the uniqueness of the World Series). I > still do not approve of the designated hitter rule, which is why I am an NL > guy, (though I do approve of keeping the DH in the AL, since it is one way > to maintain the distinctiveness between the two leagues that has been > otherwise erased by other changes, especially the unification of the > umpires). > > Near the top of my gripes (nothing, not even Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, is > worse than the obscenity that is inter-league play) is the Wild Card, which > for most of its existence has made a mockery of the regular season. It has > been just one step above the Dodo Bird;s Caucus Race approach used by my > son's old T-Ball league, back when he was in Kindergarten, where everyone > won and all got prizes. > > So I was pleasantly surprised when MLB made its best decision since 1947 > this year and added a wild card team in each league. This idea has been > around almost since they started the WC, and MLB has characteristically > refused it, but for some unaccountable reason they actually got around to > doing the right thing. The extra WC team does two things at the same time > which otherwise have proven to be mutually exclusive: 1) increase the number > of teams who still have meaningful games to play in August and September and > 2) decrease the value of the Wild Card berth, and thus increasing the > significance of winning the divisional pennant race. In previous years there > was literally no difference between winning the divisional pennant and > winning the WC; this year there clearly has been a huge difference, and > teams played their hearts out to get that pennant, leading to compelling > late season games. Baseball gets two extra post-season games, the WC team > that advances has really won something, and the rest of the post-season will > be even more meaningful. > > From Northern California - the baseball capital of the world... -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
