(02-08-2016 07:21 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(02-08-2016 05:55 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  To make the wild card round more fair, they should play a double header and go by aggregate score like soccer does in some cases. In other words, if one team wins both games, they win the series. If there's a split, then if Team A beats Team B by more points in their win, they win the series.

Ha. If the teams were even on runs after the two games, would the series be decided by an away runs rule, like the away goals rule in soccer ties?

Winner-take-all games (or shorter series) are better entertainment, even if it doesn't give the superior team the best chance of winning. Would March Madness be as popular if the tournament lasted 3 months and Wichita State and Kansas played a best-of-seven series, or if Wisconsin had to beat Kentucky 4 times to advance to the final? Would we have been as entertained by the Super Bowl if it was a best-of-seven series? No. Though I suppose Mike Shula would have liked to have at least 3 more games to try to figure out how to keep the Broncos defense from getting into the Panthers backfield on every play.

How much more fun would it be if each round in the MLB or NBA playoffs was two-out-of-three, or if the NBA played a 16-team double-elimination tournament. Obviously it will never happen because there's more money to be made by soaking the ticket buying fans and TV networks for 3 or 4 rounds of best-of-7 series.

(02-08-2016 07:21 PM)Wedge Wrote:  Ha. If the teams were even on runs after the two games, would the series be decided by an away runs rule, like the away goals rule in soccer ties?

Winner-take-all games (or shorter series) are better entertainment, even if it doesn't give the superior team the best chance of winning. Would March Madness be as popular if the tournament lasted 3 months and Wichita State and Kansas played a best-of-seven series, or if Wisconsin had to beat Kentucky 4 times to advance to the final? Would we have been as entertained by the Super Bowl if it was a best-of-seven series? No. Though I suppose Mike Shula would have liked to have at least 3 more games to try to figure out how to keep the Broncos defense from getting into the Panthers backfield on every play.

How much more fun would it be if each round in the MLB or NBA playoffs was two-out-of-three, or if the NBA played a 16-team double-elimination tournament. Obviously it will never happen because there's more money to be made by soaking the ticket buying fans and TV networks for 3 or 4 rounds of best-of-7 series.

At least in basketball, the better team generally wins and there isn't such disparity between game to game. In baseball, an 85-77 team can throw their ace out against a 98-64 team's third starter on 3 days rest and end their clearly superior season. Having two games neutralizes that issue.

As for how it would be decided if tied, IDK but two games would be better than one imo. It's not about fun, it's about being fair. They'd have been better off leaving the format as it was or taking the top 3 wild card teams, putting them in a pool and giving the division winners a bye if they wanted to emphasize divisions.

I don't think baseball needs realigned, but I do think the WC should be a Best of Three series.

The thing is, they're trying to rush and get the playoffs over before the beginning of winter begins up north. The last thing they want is November baseball.

(02-08-2016 05:55 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  To make the wild card round more fair, they should play a double header and go by aggregate score like soccer does in some cases. In other words, if one team wins both games, they win the series. If there's a split, then if Team A beats Team B by more points in their win, they win the series.

It's not remotely "fair" because the nature of baseball has such a fundamental reliance on one player - the pitcher. If the same pitcher started each game (ha!), your soccer analogy might work.

And Wedge is spot on.

I'm fine with you guys disagreeing, there's no right answer. I personally think it's totally unfair though to make a team that may have finished 10 games better than another to have to play them in a one off game.

Why the big deal about fairness? And how do you even define it? 5 yrs ago this wasn't even an issue because the team you're worried about was watching the playoffs on TV. Once you get past division winners, how many positions below you want in your post-season is completely arbitrary.

If it's not fair, why even play? Granted, non/P-5 teams can all ask themselves that about P-5 schools and their historic control over access to the championship but if you play, why not try to make things as fair as possible?

My plan for MLB, expand to 32. Montreal and Charlotte. Move the Astros back to the NL, and Colorado to the AL.

American League
Eastern - Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit, New York, Tampa Bay, Toronto
Western - Chicago, Colorado, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Oakland, Seattle, Texas

National League
Eastern - Atlanta, Cincinnati, New York, Miami, Montreal, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington
Western - Arizona, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis

Schedule set up:
84 Division Games
48 League Games
24 Interleague Games
6 Interleague Rivalry Games

Playoffs Expand to 4 Wildcards in each league. 2 Wildcard games winners advance to play division champions.

Interleague Rival Setup
Baltimore/Washington
Boston/Philadelphia
Charlotte/Atlanta
Cleveland/Cincinnati
Detroit/Pittsburgh
New York/New York
Tampa Bay/Miami
Toronto/Montreal
Chicago/Chicago
Colorado/Arizona
Kansas City/St. Louis
Los Angeles/Los Angeles
Minnesota/Milwaukee
Oakland/San Francisco
Seattle/San Diego
Texas/Houston

(02-08-2016 04:54 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(02-08-2016 02:51 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  It's a decent idea but the challenge is that a big part of baseball's appeal is its tradition. You've got this aging fanbase (think Bob Costas) who hate things like interleague play and playoff wild cards. They don't want you monkeying with their precious traditions. Mean time, of course, more kids are turning to other sports because baseball is boring. It probably does need some freshening up but its guardians are going to be pretty resistant.

I'm a little suprised to hear C2's desire to see the Astros back in the NL. Most of my Houston friends were resistant to the Astros move but no longer are bothered by it. They wouldn't have even sniffed the 2015 playoffs in the NL.

Just because I don't dwell on it and there are more important things than worrying about the associations of my favorite sports teams doesn't mean I still wouldn't prefer the Astros to get pushed into something they'd have preferred not to go into. The Astros, as I stated, were an NL team for half a century and even had some rivalries, which at times were intense. There's the DH rule and fan preference for either rule among people that live in this part of the country.

I'm over it but that doesn't mean I don't think the Astros shouldn't go back to the NL.

I'm with you. They should have moved the Brewers back to the AL.

LOL, I forgot about the Brew Crew, who started this whole chain reaction.

Man I wish we had an MLB realignment thread. Oh wait...

You should ask for a merger.

Put Pittsburgh in the East where we belong. We are one of the oldest franchises, they should have stuck the Marlins in the Central.

Put the Brewers back in the AL where they belong. Too bad, baby Bud had to have a NL team for Milwaukee.

Abolish interleague play.

(03-09-2016 12:40 AM)HarmonOliphantOberlanderDevine Wrote:  Put Pittsburgh in the East where we belong. We are one of the oldest franchises, they should have stuck the Marlins in the Central.

Put the Brewers back in the AL where they belong. Too bad, baby Bud had to have a NL team for Milwaukee.

Abolish interleague play.

And get off HOOD's lawn!

(03-09-2016 10:43 PM)Erictelevision Wrote:  

(03-09-2016 12:40 AM)HarmonOliphantOberlanderDevine Wrote:  Put Pittsburgh in the East where we belong. We are one of the oldest franchises, they should have stuck the Marlins in the Central.

Put the Brewers back in the AL where they belong. Too bad, baby Bud had to have a NL team for Milwaukee.

Abolish interleague play.

And get off HOOD's lawn!

Darn right!