Written by Ok, so BIG news coming out of the owners’ meetings I guess. I’m pretty sure it’s all part of Bud Selig’s favorite wet dream too… I can say that on the internet right? it’s a private blog? anyway…
Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
The sale of the Houston Astros has finally been approved – on one condition: they have to move… figuratively speaking at any rate. They move from the National League to the American League West which now evens up the AL/NL league balance at 15 a piece.
Normally, my love of symetry and equality would love this! And actually, I don’t think I have a problem with the 15/15 thing and I’m one of those supposedly cursed baseball fans who LIKES interleague play anyway… it’s what goes along with this change that is kind of rubbing me the wrong way.
They are adding yet more playoff games.. at the moment it’s just a one-game Wild Card playoff (no more game 163 magic moments) but, unless I’m reading this wrong, it’s all part of adding more Wild Card teams and another round of playoffs (IMO) as part of the ever increasing “revenue opportunities” the owners are always looking for.
Shall we talk about screwing with tradition? I’m sorry but I don’t believe any part of the October Classic should be played in November. I’m already done with the playoffs WELL before they are finished because they keep extending days off in between in order to get those great playoff games on the RIGHT nights on TV.. *rolls eyes* I’m just not liking the direction that is going at all and it’s not like we haven’t seen it coming. I’m just aggravated by the ongoing assault on our time with the ever-increasing length of the baseball season.
You know I hate the off-season right? I do! But honestly, just like the Stanley Cup shouldn’t be played in June and the Superbowl shouldn’t be in February, they really need to knock this shit off.
But Congrats to the Astros on their new owner, Jim Crane, and welcome to the AL!
Babs, Babs, Babs… Marriage must be turning your mind to mush. I’ll blame it on Andrew.
The new playoff plan might just be the best thing Bud Selig has ever brought to baseball… hell, it might be the ONLY good thing he’s done as Commissioner. The fact that he says he was the only person among on the committee looking at this issue who DIDN’T like the one-game wild card playoff format should tell you right away what a good idea it is!
In fact, this is the “Knuckleballs Playoff Plan”. I declared as much back in April. I also advocated for this plan in September of 2010! I love this plan… and you do, too! You just don’t realize it yet.
(Here are the links to those two posts: http://knuckleballsblog.com/2010/09/lets-have-another-game-163-every-year/ and http://knuckleballsblog.com/2011/04/call-it-the-knuckleballs-playoff-plan/ )
You say you don’t like extending the season, but then you lament “no more game 163 seasons”. Did those seasons extend the playoffs too long… or at all? I don’t think so. Likewise, there’s no reason ONE extra wild card play-in game in each league should either (but a best-of-three series that Selig preferred would have!).
As for not having any more game 163 “magic moments”, nothing could be further from the truth. There will be guaranteed TWO “game 163 magic moments” EVERY SEASON! Nothing in baseball is as exciting as a “deciding game”… a “game 7″ (or “game 5″ of the LDS). But in some seasons, you never have ANY of those “deciding games” if none of the playoff series go the full number of games.
That can never happen again. There will ALWAYS be at least two “no tomorrow” games. On top of that, there can still be “game 163″ possibilities because adding an extra wild card spot doesn’t preclude the possibility of seasons ending in ties that would still occasionally require a “game 163″.
As a bonus, it means there’s finally a serious incentive for teams to go all-out to win their division instead of coasting to the finish once they have a wild card spot wrapped up. Teams have done that often because they’ve been more concerned about setting up their rotation than whether they have home field advantage in the LDS.
I love this idea and if taking the Astros in to the AL is the price, I’m OK with that.
I think this is another swing and a miss for Bud Lite Selig. Worse than the All Star game winner getting home field. Plus who wants the sappy and crappy AssTros in the AL. We have enough bad teams in the AL KC, SEA,BALT. Guess you can throw the Twins into that group too.