Sunday, September 07, 2008
This One's for you, EO
It's happening again folks. Only this time, the beneficiaries of it may be my life long team, the LA Dodgers. I mention my dear friend Eric because we had a debate over this matter last season. I felt a need to post one last time on this subject, because this year, my team may very well be in a position in which they have no business being. Right now, the Dodgers have won a whopping 73 games, but sit one and a half games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks in first place. No matter who wins the NL West, they will not deserve to be in the playoffs unless they run the table in September. Though I acknowledge that the NL West winner will be legitimate, I simply wish the rules were different. Right now, the Dodgers have the 7th best record in the NL, but under the current rules (in a game that should reward goodness over a long season), they would be one of the four teams to have a shot at the World Series. If the baseball gods are really smiling on the situation, somehow this lackluster Dodgers or Diamondback team will end up taking out the Cubs, who haven't been in the Series in 63 years, haven't won it in 100 years, but have the best record in the NL this year.
Last year, my friend Eric and I debated the matter on this blog, and while I was a total wet blanket, I offered no alternative, making me wholly negative. This year, I think I have an idea. If I were commisioner, I would do this. First, I would eliminate the divisions. Second, I would reformulate the schedule so that all teams had the same schedule. Every team in the NL and AL would play all the other teams the same amount of times (the admitted drawback here is fewer games between classic division rivals like Cubs/Cards, Yanks/Sox and Giants/Dodgers, but it's a sacrifice worth making). This would also involve needing to eliminate interleague play for fairness' sake. Third, in order to not take away much needed playoff gate receipts from the owners (I hope you can detect my sarcasm), I would reward the four teams with the best record in each league with playoff spots. I have not yet thought of a way to give the better teams a greater advantage (more home field advantage perhaps, or possibly making one team play without their shortstop :) ), but I think this would reward the best teams. If the Dodgers make it to the World Series, I will root for them, but it will be another piece of injustice done by MLB. Fortunately, it doesn't matter enough for me to not want to at least pull for the ol' Dodgers.
Right now, I'm hoping for a true World Series, and that would be the Cubs and the Angels. I can only hope Bud Selig is reading this.
Last year, my friend Eric and I debated the matter on this blog, and while I was a total wet blanket, I offered no alternative, making me wholly negative. This year, I think I have an idea. If I were commisioner, I would do this. First, I would eliminate the divisions. Second, I would reformulate the schedule so that all teams had the same schedule. Every team in the NL and AL would play all the other teams the same amount of times (the admitted drawback here is fewer games between classic division rivals like Cubs/Cards, Yanks/Sox and Giants/Dodgers, but it's a sacrifice worth making). This would also involve needing to eliminate interleague play for fairness' sake. Third, in order to not take away much needed playoff gate receipts from the owners (I hope you can detect my sarcasm), I would reward the four teams with the best record in each league with playoff spots. I have not yet thought of a way to give the better teams a greater advantage (more home field advantage perhaps, or possibly making one team play without their shortstop :) ), but I think this would reward the best teams. If the Dodgers make it to the World Series, I will root for them, but it will be another piece of injustice done by MLB. Fortunately, it doesn't matter enough for me to not want to at least pull for the ol' Dodgers.
Right now, I'm hoping for a true World Series, and that would be the Cubs and the Angels. I can only hope Bud Selig is reading this.
# posted by Unknown @ 7:26 PM 
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Thanks for continuing to think this through and for being honest about the fact that, injustice or not, it's fun to see your team in the playoffs. I'm looking forward to them and just hope that my Halos can play the right kind of ball this October, instead of drying up once they get there as they have the past few years. I wouldn't mind seeing the schedules evened out. I hate playing the A's so much - they beat us all the time. I'd much rather have a few more games against the Royals. It's ironic that, as overjoyed as I was to have Manny Ramirez leave the AL, now there is chance (slight though it may be) that the Dodgers and Angels will meet up in the World Series and he'll torment us yet again. I hate Manny! In what may be a little more likely of a scenario, I'd also like to see the Angels and Cubs meet. It'd be respectable to lose to a team that was finally shaking off their 100 year old curse. Thanks for naming a post in my behalf, I'll have to return the favor by coming up with something about windy pants.
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