New playoff format

[thomas35forever]

https://twitter.com/craigcartonlive/status/1494353722507411458?t=mctS6Jwui598Cyuts0JoWw&s=19

We've known this is happening for at least two years, but it's still such a stupid revision.

[SaltyPretzel]

https://twitter.com/craigcartonlive/...yuts0JoWw&s=19
We've known this is happening for at least two years, but it's still such a stupid revision.

Horrible idea. Too many teams and a bye in baseball just makes the 1st place team rusty going into the playoffs.

[Kobo]

This isn't happening. Union is willing to expand to 12 teams, not 14.

[Nellie Fox]

This isn't happening. Union is willing to expand to 12 teams, not 14.

There are already too many teams, and the season is too long. We Don't need more rounds of playoffs. A 162 game season that means not much more than determining playoff seeding is stupid.

[Lipman 1]

There are already too many teams, and the season is too long. We Don't need more rounds of playoffs. A 162 game season that means not much more than determining playoff seeding is stupid.

Agree but the owners are all for it. Playoff TV money is much larger than regular season payments. Remember it's all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. So what if fans have to sit through 35 degree weather in November in the North/New England or you get bad baseball because guys are bundled up trying to stay warm.

[Nellie Fox]

Agree but the owners are all for it. Playoff TV money is much larger than regular season payments. Remember it's all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. So what if fans have to sit through 35 degree weather in November in the North/New England or you get bad baseball because guys are bundled up trying to stay warm.

Hell, in Minneapolis they could be sitting through a blizzard.

[whitesox5187]

It's a terrible idea that further negates the point of a 162 game regular season but it will provide that sweet, sweet TV money to line owners' pockets until the RSN bubble bursts.

[voodoochile]

I like the "gets to pick their opponent" aspect of it. That's gonna up the emotional aspects of the playoffs. "OH YOU WANT SOME OF THIS?!?!?!"

Nothing like having your opponent say to the world, "you are the weakest link" right before the games start.

[LITTLE NELL]

At least the one game wild card game will be gone, that was the pits.

[voodoochile]

At least the one game wild card game will be gone, that was the pits.

^THIS!

Man I hate that crap...

[Hitmen77]

There are already too many teams, and the season is too long. We Don't need more rounds of playoffs. A 162 game season that means not much more than determining playoff seeding is stupid.

Agreed. This further waters down a long regular season. Plenty of people already think the regular season is boring and too long. Having about half the teams make the playoffs will make it even more meaningless to many. Remember when a playoff berth actually had people dancing in the streets over a division title like what happened in Chicago in '83 and '84? Now, people will just shrug and say wake me up when the team makes the LCS round.

Agree but the owners are all for it. Playoff TV money is much larger than regular season payments. Remember it's all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. So what if fans have to sit through 35 degree weather in November in the North/New England or you get bad baseball because guys are bundled up trying to stay warm.

I wonder what the diminishing returns will be. More and more playoff games that fewer and fewer fans give a hoot about. Every year, they seem to say MLB playoffs had their lowest ratings ever.

[Lipman 1]

Agreed. This further waters down a long regular season. Plenty of people already think the regular season is boring and too long. Having about half the teams make the playoffs will make it even more meaningless to many. Remember when a playoff berth actually had people dancing in the streets over a division title like what happened in Chicago in '83 and '84? Now, people will just shrug and say wake me up when the team makes the LCS round.



I wonder what the diminishing returns will be. More and more playoff games that fewer and fewer fans give a hoot about. Every year, they seem to say MLB playoffs had their lowest ratings ever.

There's a lot of truth in the comment about ratings.

[ChiTownTrojan]

I agree with what others have said, that an expanded playoffs further waters down the importance of the regular season. I just wanted to point out though, that the MLB playoffs really hasn't been about identifying the "best team" for a long time. It's actually pretty rare that the objectively best team goes on to win the World Series. The Dodgers of 2020 are a recent example where this did happen, but they're the exception rather than the rule (it's ironic that this occurred in the pandemic-shortened season, which was supposed to result in some short-season randomness that would have made it less possible). Last year I don't think anybody would say that the 88-win Braves were a better team top to bottom than the 107-win Giants or the 106-win Dodgers, or even the 95-win Astros that they ended up beating.

This isn't to say that the Braves didn't "deserve" to win though. They went out on the field and performed when the lights were brightest and the pressure was highest. That in it's essence is what the MLB playoffs is all about - crowning the team that rises to the moment. Maybe it's just a month-long hot streak, but there's something poetic about that, making heroes out of players like Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler that 50 years from now most baseball fans would have completely forgotten about had they not had a few huge moments over a 3-week stretch in October. It makes no difference that they're not the best players in the league, or that if the playoffs were replayed 100 times the Braves would have won maybe 10 of them. They did it in the only version of reality that matters.

No matter the playoff format, there's still going to be one team left standing in the end that are "deserving" of being World champions.

[Lipman 1]

I agree with what others have said, that an expanded playoffs further waters down the importance of the regular season. I just wanted to point out though, that the MLB playoffs really hasn't been about identifying the "best team" for a long time. It's actually pretty rare that the objectively best team goes on to win the World Series. The Dodgers of 2020 are a recent example where this did happen, but they're the exception rather than the rule (it's ironic that this occurred in the pandemic-shortened season, which was supposed to result in some short-season randomness that would have made it less possible). Last year I don't think anybody would say that the 88-win Braves were a better team top to bottom than the 107-win Giants or the 106-win Dodgers, or even the 95-win Astros that they ended up beating.

This isn't to say that the Braves didn't "deserve" to win though. They went out on the field and performed when the lights were brightest and the pressure was highest. That in it's essence is what the MLB playoffs is all about - crowning the team that rises to the moment. Maybe it's just a month-long hot streak, but there's something poetic about that, making heroes out of players like Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler that 50 years from now most baseball fans would have completely forgotten about had they not had a few huge moments over a 3-week stretch in October. It makes no difference that they're not the best players in the league, or that if the playoffs were replayed 100 times the Braves would have won maybe 10 of them. They did it in the only version of reality that matters.

No matter the playoff format, there's still going to be one team left standing in the end that are "deserving" of being World champions.

Jerry Koosman told me one time that it is harder to win the playoffs than a division over the course of a season. When I asked why he said because in 162 games talent will usually win out but in a short series anything can happen. An injury, a bad call by an umpire, a fluke play or even the weather can decide who wins and who loses.