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The Playoffs Suck

A Boy Named Seo Oct 29 2006 04:10 PM

Not totally, but I still don't like a few things about the structure. The first thing I hate is the best-of-5 first round. One of the reasons that good baseball teams are good is depth (particularly starting pitching depth), and to a large degree, the 5 game series neutralizes it. Baseball's not the NBA where there's not much difference between a first round best-of-5 or a best-of-7. Extend the first round to 7 games so that the traits that make these teams great over a long haul (depth and resiliency in addition to talent) remain at the forefront. I'd also eliminate the rule that says the wild card team can't play the team from their own division. Considering the wild card winner was a second place team, they should be at every disadvantage come playoff time, and if the best team in the league happens to be from their same division, so be it. The late start times are ridiculous. Move them back. I like day games as much as the next guy, but realize most people can't watch a weekday day game. At least make the night game something families can watch from start to finish. Let the team with the best record have home field in the World Series. The All-Star game thing is dumb and should be put to bed with interleague play, whose novelty died years ago and whose only purpose now is to kill the intrigue and mystique that would be there in the World Series if the two leagues didn't play during the regular year. Lastly, ban green screens and superimposed, computer-generated advertisements behind home plate. This isn't NASCAR. It's the fecking World Series. If you must hang an ad, don't make it look like a George Lucas set which distracts from the game. Get on it, Bud.

Nymr83 Oct 29 2006 04:17 PM

]Let the team with the best record have home field in the World Series. The All-Star game thing is dumb and should be put to bed with interleague play, whose novelty died years ago and whose only purpose now is to kill the intrigue and mystique that would be there in the World Series if the two leagues didn't play during the regular year. the all-star game is the worst thing to base it on imo. i'd rather see best record, the old alternating years system, or the league that won the overall interleague play.

metirish Oct 29 2006 04:23 PM

Seo, with you living in Long Beach aren't the start times fine with you...5:19 kick off in Cali,the ALL-Star game should never decide who has home field advantage...but Selig loves it so i don't see that changing....I'm surprised the Union didn't try to get that changed.

A Boy Named Seo Oct 29 2006 04:29 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 29 2006 05:54 PM

metirish wrote: Seo, with you living in Long Beach aren't the start times fine with you...5:19 kick off in Cali,the ALL-Star game should never decide who has home field advantage...but Selig loves it so i don't see that changing....I'm surprised the Union didn't try to get that changed. Yeah, the start times are great for me, but if kids east of me can't stay up late enough to watch the World Series, they're probably not going to give a crap about baseball one way or another as they grow up.

Elster88 Oct 29 2006 04:30 PM

The All-Star thing doesn't bother me so much. Alternating years is just as random. Best record doesn't work either because of the schedule structure. Off the top of my head, I don't even think homefield advantage is that big a deal for playoff baseball. I think looking at game sevens is the best way to judge that, but I'm too lazy.

metirish Oct 29 2006 04:31 PM

Cool that you are thinking about kids out here,not that baseball gives a fillders fuck about them,

Edgy DC Oct 29 2006 04:56 PM

]The first thing I hate is the best-of-5 first round. You have a lot of points here, and don't even mention how the two travel days in seven advantage a weaker pitching team. The realistic side of this is that two more games pushes the World Series two --- or more likely three --- days deeper into Winter. The broader issue here is that we have to buy back some days in the calendar by scheduling double headers (another thing that rewards pitching depth, by the way), at least six times a year per team. ]I'd also eliminate the rule that says the wild card team can't play the team from their own division. Why do we have that rule? I guess it's so that a division champion won't feel like less of one if their divison rival turns around and whomps them in a three-game set? ]The late start times are ridiculous. This remains a problem. I imagine that if you put good stuff on at seven, seven becomes prime time. ]Let the team with the best record have home field in the World Series. There seems to be more to this than meets the eye. They claim to be unable to schedule facilitieson short notice. But they do for the six playoff series. This is a case of Selig fixing something (the All-Star Game) by making it worse. ]Lastly, ban green screens and superimposed, computer-generated advertisements behind home plate. Don't see this happening. Huge revenues from that Viagra sign. It'll take a lot more of that Spider-Man backlash to win this war. I grew up with no ads on the walls of big-league stadia. We should have howled the first time the Yankees got "The Gap" painted on the wall in the right center gap. Now what?

Yancy Street Gang Oct 29 2006 05:03 PM

Weren't there ads on the walls in Ebbets Field? I don't think the concept is new, I just think it's grown out of proportion recently.

metirish Oct 29 2006 05:09 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 29 2006 05:11 PM

I wish FOX would stop bombarding the viewer with promo after promo for it's shows,but with the kind of money they pay for baseball I suppose they see sports events as the perfect come on,today while watching the Giants game I was told that comic GREAT Brad Garrett has a new show on FOX.....

OlerudOwned Oct 29 2006 05:10 PM

metirish wrote: I wish FOX would stop bombarding the viewer with promo after promo for it's shows,but with the kind of money they pay for baseball I suppose they see sports events as the perfect come on,today while watching the Giants game I was told that comic GREAT Brad Garrett has a bew show on FOX..... The worst is ESPN. Monday Night Football, I had to sit through interviews with Hank Williams Jr. and Emmitt Smith (who talked about DANCING WITH THE FUCKIN' STARS). Argh.

Gwreck Oct 29 2006 05:12 PM

I think we can leave the 5 game series, but what I'd like to see is: 1. Wild Card plays the team with the best record, regardless of division. 2. Change the structure of the games to 2-1-2. Wild Card team gets 1 home game in the first round. Make winning the division a bigger priority.

metirish Oct 29 2006 05:12 PM

] Monday Night Football, I had to sit through interviews with Hank Williams Jr. and Emmitt Smith (who talked about DANCING WITH THE FUCKIN' STARS). Yes and we missed a few plays on the field because of it...but did they ever claim that Brad Garrett is a comiic great?

OlerudOwned Oct 29 2006 05:14 PM

metirish wrote: ] Monday Night Football, I had to sit through interviews with Hank Williams Jr. and Emmitt Smith (who talked about DANCING WITH THE FUCKIN' STARS). Yes and we missed a few plays on the field because of it...but did they ever claim that Brad Garrett is a comiic great? Brad Garrett voiced the big dog in "2 Stupid Dogs", and his career after that is nothing to me.

Edgy DC Oct 29 2006 05:15 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 29 2006 05:15 PM

Money is at stake here. The World Series is a loser financially for FOX any way they slice it. They see it as having greater value as a vehicle for pimping their fall lineup than selling that time to advertisers.

Valadius Oct 29 2006 05:15 PM

I never made the connection! Whoa! I used to love that cartoon!

Nymr83 Oct 29 2006 05:22 PM

does it really matter if you have to watch annoying FOX commercials or annoying commercials from that advertisers?

A Boy Named Seo Oct 29 2006 05:53 PM

]You have a lot of points here, and don't even mention how the two travel days in seven advantage a weaker pitching team. The realistic side of this is that two more games pushes the World Series two --- or more likely three --- days deeper into Winter. The broader issue here is that we have to buy back some days in the calendar by scheduling double headers (another thing that rewards pitching depth, by the way), at least six times a year per team. Yeah, you're right. If they scheduled more doubleheaders and nixed some playoff travel days, they could expand the first round and still get the playoffs over a bit earlier than they do now. With all the rainouts this postseason, FOX and MLB proved that they can operate successfully without a travel day. Axe the first travel day between games 2 and 3 (play five straight, if necessary) and start the games a little earlier. The turnaround time would be the same for the teams and the network, but more fans would be able to watch the games, the playoffs would come closer to simulating a regular season environment, and one less travel day per series helps to "buy back" a calendar day. As for the ads behind home plate- I get the reason they do it and I'm fine with it, but the way they do it now looks ridiculous and is distracting to me. If they want a Budweiser Select sign back there, then have a rotating sign installed that switches between innings or have two people run out and change it during a TV break. It's not that difficult.

Yancy Street Gang Oct 29 2006 05:57 PM

I wouldn't object to them starting the season a week or ten days early, either. You'd have more foul weather days up front, perhaps, but it may be better to have cold games at the beginning of the season than in the championship games. I don't want them to go to a 154-game schedule. Sportswriters all seem to like the idea, probably because it means less work for them. But as a fan, I'd rather see more games, not less.

Johnny Dickshot Oct 29 2006 06:31 PM

Add a 2nd Wild Card team, make the 2 Wild Card winners face off in a loser-goes-home 1-game playoff, then start the DS. This puts a premium on winning the division and challenges the WC winner by making them burn an xtra starter before facing the top finisher. If they win in that arrangement they've earned it. I think bb would be fine with 7pm starts. I don't think there's any sense arguing against dumb commercials, Fox star placements, and other stuff like that. It's here to stay. What we should be vigilant against is it creeping into play itself (ads on the grass, logos stiched onto unis and caps). That day is coming but as fans we have to watch out. Not sure it was the Yanks who brought back wallvertising. You shouldn't be surprised to know the first place I saw it return was Milwaukee, which sold its tarp cover to Scott's.

metirish Oct 29 2006 06:35 PM

] Add a 2nd Wild Card team, make the 2 Wild Card winners face off in a loser-goes-home 1-game playoff, then start the DS. This puts a premium on winning the division and challenges the WC winner by making them burn an xtra starter before facing the top finisher. If they win in that arrangement they've earned it. IIRC Al Leiter was an adovate for that....

Johnny Dickshot Oct 29 2006 06:45 PM

I forget whose idea (xtra WC team, 1-game playoff) it was initially but I'm in favor of that, if we're not gonna whack the WC entirely. I think I might live with a 154-game season.

metirish Oct 29 2006 06:55 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 29 2006 07:02 PM

I think we are stuck with the way things are...owners would never agree to 154 game sked,I remember the extra WC thing getting some pub a few years ago but not recently..

Nymr83 Oct 29 2006 07:01 PM

i don't like getting rid of the WC (not that they'd EVER agree to get rid of the extra round of playoff revenues.) i'd love to add a 2nd wildcard for a 1 game playoff (or a 3-game set, but then we're facing even more calendar issues) because it would keep the wildcard while giving meaning to winning the division. as part of this you MUST eliminate the rule that the best record can't play a wild card from their own division, because the best record deserves to play the wild card team that just had to (potentialy) burn its best pitcher and/or bullpen in the 1-game playoff.

Frayed Knot Oct 29 2006 09:49 PM

- The reason you don't want the WC playing the champ from its own division is that it creates the situation where a team proves over a 162 game sked that they're the better team ... and then is asked to go prove it all over again in a best-of-5. That's telling folks that the reg season doesn't mean so much fromt he sport that has managed to maintain the most integrity for its reg season. At least this way you're forcing the WC team to go beat someone else first before earning a 2nd chance at dethroning the winner. As long as the current set-up remains the same so should this 1st round exemption. And while we're at it, I'm against trying to messing w/the home-field stuff in the 1st round simply to make it tougher for the WC team to advance. Fans are overwhelmingly in favor of having a WC team in the playoffs but then seem to want to rig the format so they won't advance. If you're not willing to keep them out entirely, IMO, then you've got to treat them as equals once they're there. - On the other hand, I'd be in favor of inputting the double-WC/1-game play-in format which treats the WC team(s) as lesser entrant by making them go through an additional (1-game) round. It also would lessen the need for the in-divison 1st-round ban (cuz it wouldn't really be a 1st round anymore) and also greatly increases the advantage not only of being a div winner instead of a WC but also in having the best record among the div winners as now the best-of-the-best gets the weakened play-in survivor in the first round. Final week tussles for best overall record among teams w/a spot already locked up also take on more meaning. - I'm against lengthening the 1st round. Sometimes less is more (they're having trouble selling out all the 'inventory' they've got now) plus they're dodging weather bullets as it is. One of these days Colorado's going to win and advance and then ... (2 feet of snow the other day while the WS was going on) - They'll change the starting times for games when MLB (or any of the other leagues for that matter) agree to take less money for selling their product. The games start at 8:00-something Eastern because they attract the most viewers at that hour. As it is the spike in viewership is in those post-10PM/11PM hours, exactly the ones an earlier time would eliminate.

Valadius Oct 29 2006 10:05 PM

You have to keep the Wild Card. Getting rid of it would be foolish, IMO. What should be done is that baseball should bring back the scheduled double-header. That would compress the season enough to allow for some off-days during the playoffs and possibly an extra 1-game or 3-game round between two wild-card teams.

Frayed Knot Oct 29 2006 10:45 PM

Insisting on DHs is the same as shortening the season in many ways; it's telling the owners they now have fewer dates to sell. It ain't gonna fly. The reason DHs existed in the first place is that the 2-for-1 offer was a necessary attraction to customers and the extra days off were needed for travel. Clearly they don't need the travel dates in this post-train era and stadiums are playing to a much larger pct of capacity these days in virtually every city and every season. The incentives just aren't there. On yeah, and DHs aren't going to be over in 4-1/2 hours any more. More like 6-1/2.

A Boy Named Seo Oct 30 2006 01:15 AM

]The reason you don't want the WC playing the champ from its own division is that it creates the situation where a team proves over a 162 game sked that they're the better team ... and then is asked to go prove it all over again in a best-of-5. That's telling folks that the reg season doesn't mean so much fromt he sport that has managed to maintain the most integrity for its reg season. I guess, but for example, if a team who won 87 games and the WC has the chance to play and beat a 97-win team from their division in the playoffs, be it the first or the second round, for me, does kinda say that the regular season isn't all that important. Maybe I'm in the minority there. ]Fans are overwhelmingly in favor of having a WC team in the playoffs but then seem to want to rig the format so they won't advance. If you're not willing to keep them out entirely, IMO, then you've got to treat them as equals once they're there. I agree there are fans who overwhelmingly want the WC and fans who want to make it tough for the WC to advance, but I'm not sure they're the same people. I'm not crazy about the WC, but since we do have it, I think the WC team should have every disadvantage. ]- On the other hand, I'd be in favor of inputting the double-WC/1-game play-in format which treats the WC team(s) as lesser entrant by making them go through an additional (1-game) round. I think that idea is pretty good, too, but would still like to see a best-of-7 in the first round.

Edgy DC Oct 30 2006 08:34 AM

Here's my particular playoff gripe: if you're going to have two outfield umpires, put them back where the line meets the wall, instead of even with the outfielders. The base umpires are perfectly good at fair/foul calls in front of the outfielder and trap/catch calls on balls the outfielder is charging on, yet these are the calls these extra guys are positioned to help out with. Back them up to the wall and they get the calls that the base umpires are most vulnerable to missing: whether a ball went inside or outside the fair pole, whether a ball cleared the fence or not, fan interference, and, very rarely, fair/foul calls on balls behind the outfielder.