We've already introduced the idea of Major League Baseball expanding the playoffs to 10 teams, 5 in each league. We've talked about the players' reaction to the potential change here, particularly with the response of one outspoken ace pitcher. The reason for why Bud Selig, the MLB, and the owners want to expand the postseason is obvious. Having more games means selling more tickets, and generating bigger tv contracts for all-around more revenue. This seems to be the sole reasoning for such a change to the playoff system. The only other suggested positive that comes from it is that an extra team in each league enhances the chances of a small market team making the playoffs in a league that favors big markets so strongly. Much like a hot goalie in hockey can carry a team through the playoffs, a hot pitching staff can carry a team in baseball when it comes to October. This means you could see a major run by a wildcard team, potentially a small market, and a better chance for a smaller market to win it all. That strategy has a flaw in my opinion though, and I'll get to that in a minute. I have to start at the beginning of the flaws of a proposed expanded MLB playoff system first.
With that said, having a 10 team playoff system does major damage to specific qualities the MLB season has. The most major damage that I can find is that adding teams to the playoffs diminishes the importance of the 162 game regular season. Baseball's played over the course of 6 months. Its a long arduous process, but there's a reason for that. 162 games is a large sample size. What that means is that the chances of fluke teams overachieving or underachieving is significantly decreased because it would be incredibly hard to over/underachieve for such a long time period. The main point is baseball doesn't need a playoff system to tell who the elite teams are. Baseball has a 162 game season that already does that leg work. The only thing that could come out of an expanded playoffs is to have an undeserving 5 seed team get hot and make it deep into the playoffs. That pennant winning, 1 seed that was best in the league is no longer afforded their deserved chance at the World Series because they got beat in a fluke 3 game, 5 game, or 7 game series by a team that threw a couple good games together. For instance, say the team that wins the league season pennant with 95 wins. The 5 seed (85 regular season wins) beats the 4 seed in a 3 game play-in and then goes on to beat the pennant winner in a 5 game series. According to this system, the 5 wins the 5 seed got trump not only the 95 wins of the pennant winner of 6 months, but the 10 win difference between the two teams. Not only that is the case, but the 5 seeds wasn't even good enough in the regular season to win their division, or even be the best team not to win their division. I just don't find that just. Why bother with a 162 game season if its rendered meaningless by the playoffs?
The proposed expanded postseason has a practical fault as well. If there's a play-in 3 game series like has been proposed for the wildcard between 4 and 5 seeds, then its going to take at least 5 days to play those games. What are the other, already set teams going to do for those 5 days? Remember in 2007 when the Colorado Rockies went on a rampage, won 20+ straight games including playoff the NLDS and NLCS and then had to wait a week for their World Series opponent? The Rockies came out cold because they hadn't played in a week and the hottest team in the game got swept in the World Series because of it. This isn't the NFL, there should not be bye weeks. Too many days off would put the teams that did better in that all-important regular season at a disadvantage, when they should be put at an advantage. It simply doesn't make sense or do justice.
Also, an expanded playoffs means the playoffs will go deeper into the fall, which is ridiculous. We're a year removed from playing World Series games in November. The regular season schedule was tweaked this offseason to prevent such an occurrence this year. The last thing we need is another round of playoffs so that we have November World Series baseball in New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, or Cleveland (I can dream can't I?). We'd have snow outs. Its impractical and not necessary.
Further, there are other ways to get more small market teams incorporated in the playoffs and with a better chance to compete. The most obvious is a salary cap, which is long overdue, but almost certainly not going to happen. Other options include restructuring divisions, particularly the AL East, or even doing away with divisional play entirely (an idea I really support). Any of these ideas wouldn't create any of the impracticalities that an extended playoffs would.
The problem is these ideas don't make more money, and that's what the MLB is all about, which it should be since it is a business, but not to the point it ruins the sanctity of the sport or the quality of it. That's what this expansion idea borders on. Maybe its the traditionalist in me, many people had similar arguments when Selig decided to incorporate one wildcard after 1994. I think the system as is though is successful and of particular quality. 8 teams is just enough. Unfortunately, my say doesn't really count.
What's the baseline?
Outside of more money generated for the league, MLB playoff expansion serves no purpose. It ruins the importance of the MLB's long regular season and creates impractical elements in its use. Unfortunately money talks and rules, and so does Bud Selig. I'd be interested to see how watered down a longer MLB playoffs would end up being, but not enough interested to actually want to see the change. I might see it anyway.
No comments:
Post a Comment