I like this.

 

I'm gonna be like a youtube commenter now.

 

Like this post if you agree!!!!!!

It's "thumbs up if you agree" stoopid.

Outside of the WBC, I can't really think of one thing that Selig did right.

The Yankees and Red Sox will never miss the playoffs again.

 

I think MLB is doing this because they figure since the world is ending in 13 months, what the hell, might-as-well..

 

That's also why Loria is going after big name free agents. He thinks he'll only have to pay them for one season. That could actually be true. He might actually believe it s gonna happen. Yes, here we go with me and 12/21/2012 again. :dancehead

Honestly, I don't like it. The post season is already too long. However, it'd give us more of a chance to take the WC... and the WS!!!!!

The Yankees and Red Sox will never miss the playoffs again.

 

I think MLB is doing this because they figure since the world is ending in 13 months, what the hell, might-as-well..

 

That's also why Loria is going after big name free agents. He thinks he'll only have to pay them for one season. That could actually be true. He might actually believe it s gonna happen. Yes, here we go with me and 12/21/2012 again. :dancehead

 

First person online to link 2 wild cards with 2012. Congrats!

 

I don't think he's joking either. :ph34r

If you think about it, baseball is the most exclusionary professional sport. Something like half of the NBA teams make the playoffs. I get why teams in tough divisions feel shafted when they have a better record than a team in a weaker division and that weaker team wins its division and makes the postseason. This is an attempt to reward more teams that have great seasons but play in tough divisions, like the AL East. I can also see how a No. 1 wild card winner would be pissed if they lost to a second wild card team. I'm not completely sold on it, but I'm not completely against it.

 

I do, however, just want to eliminate interleague play, especially with the notion of playing interleague all season. It takes away from the excitement of facing off in the All-Star Game and the World Series. Let each league play its style of baseball until the Fall Classic.

The Yankees and Red Sox will never miss the playoffs again.

 

I think MLB is doing this because they figure since the world is ending in 13 months, what the hell, might-as-well..

 

That's also why Loria is going after big name free agents. He thinks he'll only have to pay them for one season. That could actually be true. He might actually believe it s gonna happen. Yes, here we go with me and 12/21/2012 again. :dancehead

 

That little guy is so cute!

I like this move.

 

Shameless plug.

 

No, more like "linking to my expanded opinion".

But you could have just copied and pasted it, right? Or summarized it. You want the click-throughs. That's understandable. Just calling it what it is.

 

You can't blame me for wanting to get more visitors in the process? can you?

I like this move.

 

Shameless plug.

 

No, more like "linking to my expanded opinion".

But you could have just copied and pasted it, right? Or summarized it. You want the click-throughs. That's understandable. Just calling it what it is.

 

You can't blame me for wanting to get more visitors in the process? can you?

 

I understand that you want to get hits on your blog, but it was a short enough post that you could have just written or copy-pasted it on here. I get it, though. Writers want to be read. But I wouldn't overly pimp your blog on a fansite because some can find it off-putting. You can provide a link to it on your profile. Otherwise, good for you starting a blog and exercising your writing muscles.

I understand that you want to get hits on your blog, but it was a short enough post that you could have just written or copy-pasted it on here. I get it, though. Writers want to be read. But I wouldn't overly pimp your blog on a fansite because some can find it off-putting. You can provide a link to it on your profile. Otherwise, good for you starting a blog and exercising your writing muscles.

 

 

No plans to "over pimp" it.

I can't wait for the second place NL East team who has 94 wins losing the one game playoff to the second place NL West team who has 83 wins.

 

 

That would be extremely unlikely.

Outside of the WBC, I can't really think of one thing that Selig did right.

 

 

Wikipedia's list of notable changes to MLB by Selig:

 

• Realignment of teams into three divisions per league, and the introduction of playoff wild card teams (1994)
  
• Interleague play (1997)
  
• Two additional franchises: the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998)
  
• Transfer of the Milwaukee Brewers from the American League to the National League (1998)
  
• Abolition of the National and American League offices and presidencies, and inclusion of all umpiring crews into a common pool for AL and NL games, instead of having separate pools per league (2000)
  
• Unbalanced schedule (2001)[29]
  
• Home field advantage in the World Series granted to the winner of the All Star Game in the same season (2003)
  
• Transfer of Montreal Expos franchise to Washington, D.C., becoming the Washington Nationals (2004)
  
• Dedicating April 15 as Jackie Robinson Day (2004)
  
• Stricter Major League Baseball performance-enhancing drug testing policy (2005)
  
• World Baseball Classic (2006)
  
• Introduction of instant replay in the event of a disputed home run call (2008)
  

You don't like any of those? Like, some of them are pretty crappy, but you don't like anything?

HR instant replay, but I also think he's somewhat responsible for delaying its expansion. A similar argument can be made for drug testing--he cracked down, but he was partially responsible for it becoming such a problem in the first place. He doesn't have a solid record in those two categories overall.

 

And "Jackie Robinson Day" is pretty trivial. I'm not even sure why it made that list.

when I was looking around for a definitive answer to whether the new wild cards are going to be added in 2012 or 2013 (still can't figure it out, for the record), I read a quote that made me finally not hate the idea as much:

“I like concept of adding wild-card teams for playoffs. Gives advantage to teams winning their division -- don't have to play in one-game playoff.�

- Justin Verlander

makes a good point.

 

 

 

 

 

seriously though, I can not find one website that doesn't say "no later than 2013" or "as soon as 2012"

"Owners will determine at their quarterly meetings, next week in Phoenix, whether to implement the new format for the 2012 season. If not, the new wrinkle would definitely arrive in '13. "

- MLB.com (article from 01/07/12)

 

wtf, MB.com?

 

 

 

 

edit: oops. nevermind.

"A decision on adding two Wild Cards for 2012 will be made no later than March 1, 2012."

I like the idea and like it even more if the Marlins can get in the playoffs. It would be huge for the team to make the post season for more reasons then before.

I like the idea and like it even more if the Marlins can get in the playoffs. It would be huge for the team to make the post season for more reasons then before.

 

 

Well, this rule really has to do with the NL East more than anyone. We have four teams in this division that will legitimately compete for a post-season spot. Judging by the moves this off-season, it's looking like the two wild card NL teams will be the Marlins and Braves in no particular order...

I like the idea and like it even more if the Marlins can get in the playoffs. It would be huge for the team to make the post season for more reasons then before.

 

 

Well, this rule really has to do with the NL East more than anyone. We have four teams in this division that will legitimately compete for a post-season spot. Judging by the moves this off-season, it's looking like the two wild card NL teams will be the Marlins and Braves in no particular order...

 

I wouldn't say that for sure.

I like the idea and like it even more if the Marlins can get in the playoffs. It would be huge for the team to make the post season for more reasons then before.

 

 

Well, this rule really has to do with the NL East more than anyone. We have four teams in this division that will legitimately compete for a post-season spot. Judging by the moves this off-season, it's looking like the two wild card NL teams will be the Marlins and Braves in no particular order...

 

I wouldn't say that for sure.

 

Well, there's no certainty of course. Especially with the injuries that could ruin the beautiful roster we've put together. But, barring health, I think the Braves and Marlins are certainly in the best position to compete right now. The Brewers are still good, but lost a ton of production with Prince out of town and with Braun out for at least 50 games (most likely). I mean, with BOTH of them out of their lineup for almost 1/3 of a season, they don't have much chance to drive in runs... Nobody else in the NL Central or West really jumps out and screams "competitor" at me, besides the Diamondbacks and Cardinals of course.

I like the idea and like it even more if the Marlins can get in the playoffs. It would be huge for the team to make the post season for more reasons then before.

 

 

Well, this rule really has to do with the NL East more than anyone. We have four teams in this division that will legitimately compete for a post-season spot. Judging by the moves this off-season, it's looking like the two wild card NL teams will be the Marlins and Braves in no particular order...

 

I wouldn't say that for sure.

 

Well, there's no certainty of course. Especially with the injuries that could ruin the beautiful roster we've put together. But, barring health, I think the Braves and Marlins are certainly in the best position to compete right now. The Brewers are still good, but lost a ton of production with Prince out of town and with Braun out for at least 50 games (most likely). I mean, with BOTH of them out of their lineup for almost 1/3 of a season, they don't have much chance to drive in runs... Nobody else in the NL Central or West really jumps out and screams "competitor" at me, besides the Diamondbacks and Cardinals of course.

 

The Cardinals have a very good team on paper, pending health like everyone else.

I don't know if you meant that the Cardinals are the only competitor in the Central, but the Reds (on paper) look like a pretty legit playoff team.

 

The Nationals look like a contender to me as well.

I like the idea and like it even more if the Marlins can get in the playoffs. It would be huge for the team to make the post season for more reasons then before.

 

 

Well, this rule really has to do with the NL East more than anyone. We have four teams in this division that will legitimately compete for a post-season spot. Judging by the moves this off-season, it's looking like the two wild card NL teams will be the Marlins and Braves in no particular order...

 

I wouldn't say that for sure.

 

Well, there's no certainty of course. Especially with the injuries that could ruin the beautiful roster we've put together. But, barring health, I think the Braves and Marlins are certainly in the best position to compete right now. The Brewers are still good, but lost a ton of production with Prince out of town and with Braun out for at least 50 games (most likely). I mean, with BOTH of them out of their lineup for almost 1/3 of a season, they don't have much chance to drive in runs... Nobody else in the NL Central or West really jumps out and screams "competitor" at me, besides the Diamondbacks and Cardinals of course.

 

The Cardinals have a very good team on paper, pending health like everyone else.

I don't know if you meant that the Cardinals are the only competitor in the Central, but the Reds (on paper) look like a pretty legit playoff team.

 

The Nationals look like a contender to me as well.

 

The Reds, you're right, could have a solid team. I included the Nationals in my assesment, as I said the NL East has four teams competing for a playoff spot. However, with their inability to pick up an impact bat, I don't know how strong they're going to be. And their 1-2 of Strasburg and Gonzalez is going to be strong, but their both young and having to watch Strasburg's innings is going to suck for them. I think they're a starter and a bat away from the post-season. I think we're a competitor and maybe a wild-card favorite, but maybe an impact bat short of elite.

The Nats also have Zimmerman who's a good #3 with lots of upside.

 

I thought you were originally saying that the Cards/DBacks would be the only competitors for wildcards.

In that case, just like I mentioned the Reds, it's worth mentioning that the Giants should be considered in this mix, as well.

 

It would also probably be more difficult for two teams in the same division to get the two wildcards because they're going to be beating each other up, as opposed to the Central/West teams getting to face weaker competition more often.

At the same time, though, Wild Card, if Werth has a bounce-back year hitting around his 2010 numbers, and Harper gets called up and is even half of what people are expecting, they'll be just fine and be very much in the hunt, without a big free agent bat. Their pitching staff ain't too bad, either, after Gio and Strasburg.

Phillies, Braves, Marlins, Nationals, Brewers, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and Giants are the only NL teams who have a shot at the playoffs next year. predicting who will make it, though, is a total crapshoot.

 

edit: actually, is Braun in fact suspended for 50? if so, the Reds could definitely be on that list

Phillies, Braves, Marlins, Nationals, Brewers, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and Giants are the only NL teams who have a shot at the playoffs next year. predicting who will make it, though, is a total crapshoot.

 

Reds, too.

 

And don't count out Colorado.