MLB Expanding Postseason in 2012
Bud Selig announced today he expects MLB to add two teams to the 2012 postseason. Brilliant! In his vision, the two wild card teams would meet, and then (presumably) the division winner with the best record would meet the Wild Card survivor.
The issue: How long is the Wild Card series? Five games seems too long – the division winners could wait a week to play, and then the season stretches into November. Is three games enough? Possible solution: Knocking 12 games off the already-too-long regular season?
The extra Wild Card teams last year would have been Boston (which would have played the Yankees in the first round), and San Diego (which would have played Atlanta).
The extra Wild Card teams in 2009 would have been Texas and San Francisco.
The extra Wild Card teams in 2008 would have been the Yankees and Mets.
My guess is that the addition of a Wild Card team in each league will usually mean a big-market, big-spending team gets into the playoffs. You can almost book the Yankees and Red Sox into every postseason. Which should be good for ratings.
[Getty images of Eric Davis & Will Clark because baseball was great in the 80s, even though only four teams made the postseason.]
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59 Responses to “MLB Expanding Postseason in 2012”
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April 21st, 2011 at 5:22 PM
Do.Not.Like.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:22 PM
You can almost book the Yankees and Red Sox into every postseason. Which should be good for ratings.
/slow wanking moti….aw fuck it.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:23 PM
Going to guess this is how most baseball fans will feel about this.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:23 PM
Going to guess this is how most baseball fans will feel about this.
You are correct sir.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:24 PM
Probably true. Fuck.
In regards to the length of the season, just schedule a handful of double headers in to the normal schedule. Problem solved. Not to mention, it’s a blast to skip work and go to a double header.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:25 PM
Fuck yes. Greatest. Movie. Ever.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:25 PM
It’s a money grab, nothing more. More people through more gates in more cities.
It isn’t for actual baseball reasons.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:25 PM
you have to do scheduled double headers at this point. no way teams knock off revenue, unless the ticket revenue from the extra WC series is split among all teams?
April 21st, 2011 at 5:26 PM
To steal from Clown on the Twitter: Booooooooooooooooo!!
April 21st, 2011 at 5:26 PM
This is a little more important for the NBA to consider.
I’m pretty happy with baseball now, but don’t want expansion. I don’t understand why TBL is such a douchebag about baseball. It’s beyond bizarre. I thought he liked sports?
April 21st, 2011 at 5:26 PM
Possible solution: Knocking 12 games off the already-too-long regular season?
So in order to guarantee that teams like the Red Sox, Yankees and Cards get in almost every year, the owners of teams like the Royals, Pirates and Nationals will give up the revenue of 12 games?
Yeah, good luck with that.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:27 PM
This is what any expanded playoffs are really, just look at the NBA and NHL who let in over half the league to their postseason
April 21st, 2011 at 5:30 PM
Now the Cubs can miss the 2nd wildcard by just 5 games a year. I realize it’s a cash grab but it’s still amazing to me that Selig won’t listen to what most of his consumers actually want:
Two leagues. Two divisions. One winner from each. Two wildcards, both can come from the same division if it happens that way.
/getting rid of the DH would appease me too but that’s probably only me
April 21st, 2011 at 5:30 PM
I don’t understand why TBL is such a douchebag about baseball. It’s beyond bizarre. I thought he liked sports?
Someone is about to be experience the same fate as Bulldog.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:31 PM
the current format is the perfect balance, just wish they would take more control of post season scheduling from the networks to make sure games start and end at a reasonable time.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:32 PM
My thoughts.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:32 PM
Don’t want to turn this into a “the sport I like is better than the one you like” discussion but at least the NHL offers more first round upsets than the formality that is a NBA 1 v 8 and 2 v 7 seed. Just sayin’.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:32 PM
Not just you.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:34 PM
This is what any expanded playoffs are really, just look at the NBA and NHL who let in over half the league to their postseason
The NHL’s had 16 teams make the playoffs back when there were 21 teams in the league following the WHA merger. Not sure we can say that it was a complete cash grab given the availability of the game on US television at the time.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:35 PM
It’s an accurate description. It’d be one thing if it were thoughtful analysis that happened to be negative. I could live with that.
But it’s not.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:35 PM
yes, make the game less entertaining by putting a guy out there who has no idea what he’s doing at the plate.
NL should adopt the DH. enough of their shitty baseball.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:36 PM
This is not a cheerocracy, this is a cheertatorship. He doesn’t care about baseball, he cares about the Yankees. Which is cool with me cause I’m the same way except with the White Sox.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:36 PM
Yay! Let everyone compete! Because surely 162 games wasn’t enough to determine who the best teams were to allow into the postseason
April 21st, 2011 at 5:37 PM
they will adopt it. it will start sneaking in when DH’s are allowed in the all star game at NL parks.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:38 PM
God damn I picked some shitty teams to be a fan of. Fuck you, Uncle Ray.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:38 PM
Knocking 12 games off the already-too-long regular season?
This will never happen. Too many purists and stat nerds would have their panties in a twist over shortening the season. At least that fuckin’ idiot got something right for once…
April 21st, 2011 at 5:39 PM
Yeah, more take-and-rake, no glove, station to station baseball. Let’s make every game last 6 hours instead of just Red Sox-Yankees game.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:39 PM
Yeah, the DH is never going away since the union wouldn’t allow it but we are seeing a trend where there are less full-time DH guys like Adam Dunn, Thome and Hafner since managers want more roster versatility
April 21st, 2011 at 5:39 PM
NL should adopt the DH. enough of their shitty baseball.
I’d like to try to refute this by finding out through baseball-reference.com if pitchers’ batting average, OPS, SLG, etc. have gone up in recent years…but I’m a lazy, lazy man.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:40 PM
This will never happen. Too many purists and stat nerds would have their panties in a twist over shortening the season. At least that fuckin’ idiot got something right for once…
Needs more “mom’s basement”.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:42 PM
just look at the NBA and NHL who let in over half the league to their postseason
Just to clarify my point (assuming I have one), certainly the playoff format was a bit of a cash grab for the NHL, but from a selling tickets to the games perspective rather than TV money.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:43 PM
yea, it sure sucks watching the best pitchers and best hitters go toe to toe in epic battles.
id much rather watch a pitcher strike out on three straight pitches to kill a rally. now THAT’S baseball.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:45 PM
Understood, I don’t begrudge leagues for having expanded playoffs since I understand why they do it, would just rather MLB not follow suit
April 21st, 2011 at 5:45 PM
White Sox? Gross.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:45 PM
Notice no mention of fielders. Who needs actual baseball players?
April 21st, 2011 at 5:46 PM
Indeed they have been for over a week now…Tartan would probably enjoy them though since they don’t go over 3 hour games very often
April 21st, 2011 at 5:46 PM
nobody comes to see the fielders.
now who wants to watch me hit some dingers?
April 21st, 2011 at 5:47 PM
Ugh. Just awful. One of the beauties of baseball’s system was that legitimately pretty good teams could not make it in. The regular season is too long to make it count less. Ratings will go down if baseball doesn’t have September pennant races to keep people from tuning completely over to football.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:47 PM
Fuck yes. Greatest. Movie. Ever.
Just got through that Jersey. That is one glorious movie.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:47 PM
Not really. They can’t field worth crap.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:48 PM
nobody comes to see the fielders.
Nobody reads the comments.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:53 PM
come on man, you got the Arkansas part right.
/sighs
April 21st, 2011 at 5:53 PM
TJ
I missed the mock draft run because I was taking a driving test. Yeah, I’m an idiot, we moved last year, I missed my renewal, and didn’t realize it was expired until someone who carded me pointed it out. If you are past 6 months, you have to retest in Missouri. Fortunately, I passed. But I realize how crappy of a driver I am normally.
/TJ
April 21st, 2011 at 5:54 PM
I would buy it for like 40 dollars on dvd if it came out. I laughed so hard reading that.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:54 PM
10 and 2 Lisk, 10 and 2
April 21st, 2011 at 5:55 PM
I would buy it for like 40 dollars on dvd if it came out. I laughed so hard reading that.
The part that killed me was [paraphrasing] “And in case you were wondering, of course Jack Black’s character stumbled and crashed nuts first into a tree”.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:56 PM
Holy shit… Ryan Braun looks like a flaming douche in the press conference announcing his extension. If he wasn’t the best player on my favorite team I’d probably hate the guy. wow.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:56 PM
10 and 2 Lisk, 10 and 2
I prefer whatever clock position allows me to wank it at the same time.
/Mantis
//yesterday’d.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:57 PM
don’t forget your blind spots.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:58 PM
I loved how he kept ragging on Seth Green, too. Just brilliant.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:59 PM
there is that. Thank God I wasn’t born and raised in an ACC school state. Except for the lines, I’m optimistic for next year. Too bad D.J.’s gone, he would’ve been huge for the transition to Wilson.
April 21st, 2011 at 6:00 PM
10 and 2 Lisk, 10 and 2
It was hard keeping my hands in proper position. I really wanted to drive with one hand on the wheel, kicked back, while testing with the other hand.
April 21st, 2011 at 6:05 PM
I would like to offer up No, Nope, and Nah.
April 21st, 2011 at 6:14 PM
Cmon guys, 10 and 2 has been out for years now.
9 and 3 is the “proper” position of the hands on the wheel.
April 21st, 2011 at 6:41 PM
Yeah, the DH is never going away since the union wouldn’t allow it but we are seeing a trend where there are less full-time DH guys like Adam Dunn, Thome, Hafner and Mauer since managers want more roster versatility
/Fixed
April 21st, 2011 at 6:45 PM
Sweet picture. Eric Davis was my favorite player when I was a kid even before he was traded to the Dodgers.
April 22nd, 2011 at 7:44 AM
you can always drive like nascar drivers and put your forearms across the steering wheel
April 22nd, 2011 at 12:45 PM
Great selection of photos. Will Clark was my favorite player growing up. My twin brother’s was Eric Davis.
Cool to see them coincidentally paired up.
Oh, and the expansion of the playoff sucks. If the regular season is going to matter less, shorten it.
April 22nd, 2011 at 12:47 PM
Love it.
/Love anything that makes it more likely Tigers make the playoffs.
//Still not making the playoffs.