Possible change to 10 team playoff?

Don't remember seeing this discussed, so sorry if it has been already......

Was just reading in today's Chicago Tribune (and supposedly Jayson Stark has been promoting it) that Bud Selig and MLB will seriously consider adding/altering the playoffs this winter. Here's Selig's quote - "it's time to revisit. We have fewer teams )in the playoffs) than the other sports. We certainly haven't abused anything".

The format would be simple - adding a second wild card team to each League.
The 2 wild card teams would then play a 1 game playoff - winner moves on to the (now) traditional ALDS.

I guess the biggest pro's (beyond increasing revenue) are - The excitement those 2 games would create. Keeping more teams in the race....and the fact it could make winning the division more meaningful. The extra game would theoretically create a disadvantage to the WC winner well beyond simply not having home-field advantage. Plus - Don't think the Yankees and Rays would be a bit more concerned if a wild card spot means a 1 game playoff vs. Lester and the Sox?

Sure there are also plenty of cons......This is the first time I heard about it (or at least knew it was actually being considered). So figured I'd post and was curious what others thought of the idea. (Not sure how I'd feel if it actually happened - not going to say "it's great" just b/c I'm a Sox fan and if it was in place this year it would mean they would have a playoff berth.....at this point I think you could make a valid argument for or against).

Sounds awesome to me, I'd love to see it. Those games would have "instant classic" written all over them.

rymflaherty said:

Don't think the Yankees and Rays would be a bit more concerned if a wild card spot means a 1 game playoff vs. Lester and the Sox?

Click to expand...

Not after Beltre and Martinez leave this offseason.

If the Yankees don't win tonight I give them a 50/50 shot of making the playoffs.

Really, I do.

vwnut13 said:

rymflaherty said:

Don't think the Yankees and Rays would be a bit more concerned if a wild card spot means a 1 game playoff vs. Lester and the Sox?

Click to expand...

Not after Beltre and Martinez leave this offseason.

If the Yankees don't win tonight I give them a 50/50 shot of making the playoffs.

Really, I do.

Click to expand...

:lol:

I think that Yankees championship last year restored a lot of us Red Sox fans to a pre-04' mind-set and expectations.
Using that logic - the Sox can win tonight. They can even sweep the 3 game series in Boston......but in between they'll lose like 3 of 4 in Chicago. Or even better - win the next 7 games and lose the last game of the season to NY.
Those seem to be the two most likely scenarios. :lol:
Get to rue all those blown leads, questionable bullpen decisions, injuries, Papelbon meltdowns, etc.
(Not saying they actually have much of a chance - but hopefully I'm wrong and neither of those things do happen)

rymflaherty said:

vwnut13 said:

rymflaherty said:

Don't think the Yankees and Rays would be a bit more concerned if a wild card spot means a 1 game playoff vs. Lester and the Sox?

Click to expand...

Not after Beltre and Martinez leave this offseason.

If the Yankees don't win tonight I give them a 50/50 shot of making the playoffs.

Really, I do.

Click to expand...

:lol:

I think that Yankees championship last year restored a lot of us Red Sox fans to a pre-04' mind-set and expectations.
Using that logic - the Sox can win tonight. They can even sweep the 3 game series in Boston......but in between they'll lose like 3 of 4 in Chicago. Or even better - win the next 7 games and lose the last game of the season to NY.
Those seem to be the two most likely scenarios. :lol:
Get to rue all those blown leads, questionable bullpen decisions, injuries, Papelbon meltdowns, etc.

Click to expand...

For the Yankees....

Girardi resting players in early September.
Girardi pulling pitchers after two pitches.
Girardi not pinch hitting for Kearns after he already struck out 6 times in the previous 7 at bats.

Girardi straight up inability to manage a team.

Mr. Showalter, you want a job with the Yankees?

Mr. Girardi, you'll fit in well with the Cubs.

If you're going to add a team, make it a 3-5 game series. Baseball, unlike most sports, isn't a game where the better team wins every time. After playing 162 games, can you imagine how unbelievably screwed it would be to lose because of a single game?

I've never understood why baseball doesn't shorten the season and have a larger playoff. They're so stuck on the "history" that they're quickly becoming irrelevant. Why not give Blue Jays or Marlins fans a reason to go to July/August baseball? Why not increase playoff revenues across the board?

I don't get it.

pigskincardboard said:

If you're going to add a team, make it a 3-5 game series. Baseball, unlike most sports, isn't a game where the better team wins every time. After playing 162 games, can you imagine how unbelievably screwed it would be to lose because of a single game?

I've never understood why baseball doesn't shorten the season and have a larger playoff. They're so stuck on the "history" that they're quickly becoming irrelevant. Why not give Blue Jays or Marlins fans a reason to go to July/August baseball? Why not increase playoff revenues across the board?

I don't get it.

Click to expand...

I would imagine the only way this gets put into play is if it is a 3 game series between the two wild cards

Thats just stupid IMO, I think if it were a 10 team playoff the best team should get a bi.

techboy42004 said:

Thats just stupid IMO, I think if it were a 10 team playoff the best team should get a bi.

Click to expand...

Thats not possible. If each league gets 5 teams, 1 would get a bye, then there would be two series, resulting in 3 teams advancing

vwnut13 said:

rymflaherty said:

vwnut13 said:

rymflaherty said:

Don't think the Yankees and Rays would be a bit more concerned if a wild card spot means a 1 game playoff vs. Lester and the Sox?

Click to expand...

Not after Beltre and Martinez leave this offseason.

If the Yankees don't win tonight I give them a 50/50 shot of making the playoffs.

Really, I do.

Click to expand...

:lol:

I think that Yankees championship last year restored a lot of us Red Sox fans to a pre-04' mind-set and expectations.
Using that logic - the Sox can win tonight. They can even sweep the 3 game series in Boston......but in between they'll lose like 3 of 4 in Chicago. Or even better - win the next 7 games and lose the last game of the season to NY.
Those seem to be the two most likely scenarios. :lol:
Get to rue all those blown leads, questionable bullpen decisions, injuries, Papelbon meltdowns, etc.

Click to expand...

For the Yankees....

Girardi resting players in early September.
Girardi pulling pitchers after two pitches.
Girardi not pinch hitting for Kearns after he already struck out 6 times in the previous 7 at bats.

Girardi straight up inability to manage a team.

Mr. Showalter, you want a job with the Yankees?

Mr. Girardi, you'll fit in well with the Cubs.

Click to expand...

Fair enough.
And yeah - seems there'd be a lot of people here in Chicago to see Girardi in a Cubs uni.

I also take back my potential outcomes for the Red Sox. Don't want to jinx whatever improbable chance they have.
Okay done going OT in my own thread.

No expansion of the playoffs. Do not turn baseball into the NHL or NBA where almost everybody makes the playoffs. It cheapens the regular season. Other than money, why should they expand it?

I've heard Stark wants to change the playoff system, and generally I enjoy his work (Philly guy, met him once) but this an awful idea.

I wouldn't mind one more team making it in each league and a bye for the #1 seed. But the teams might not like that extra time off.

I think it should be more like College Football.

Nobody knows what the hell is going on and no one ever knows who wins (Does anyone ever win it all?)

Hooray!

Yeah lets add a couple of play off series. Lets play ball into December.

mredsox89 said:

techboy42004 said:

Thats just stupid IMO, I think if it were a 10 team playoff the best team should get a bi.

Click to expand...

Thats not possible. If each league gets 5 teams, 1 would get a bye, then there would be two series, resulting in 3 teams advancing

Click to expand...

Oh. My bad

mredsox89 said:

techboy42004 said:

Thats just stupid IMO, I think if it were a 10 team playoff the best team should get a bi.

Click to expand...

Thats not possible. If each league gets 5 teams, 1 would get a bye, then there would be two series, resulting in 3 teams advancing

Click to expand...

Exactly. They're talking about giving the division winners a bye, with two wild cards playing-off for the final spot (basically the temas with the two best records that didn't win their division playing for the wild card spot).

It could work, but IMO it should be 3 or 5 games (never 1, which only works as a tie-breaker).

Ehh... I'm not for a 1 game playoff. It makes for crazy excitement in that one game, but baseball is not designed for a one game playoff.

Also, if it's all about revenue one game isn't going to be hugely important. I wouldn't think anyway.

Mighty Bombjack said:

mredsox89 said:

techboy42004 said:

Thats just stupid IMO, I think if it were a 10 team playoff the best team should get a bi.

Click to expand...

Thats not possible. If each league gets 5 teams, 1 would get a bye, then there would be two series, resulting in 3 teams advancing

Click to expand...

Exactly. They're talking about giving the division winners a bye, with two wild cards playing-off for the final spot (basically the temas with the two best records that didn't win their division playing for the wild card spot).

It could work, but IMO it should be 3 or 5 games (never 1, which only works as a tie-breaker).

Click to expand...

Correct, I understood what the proposition is. I was just saying anyone who wants to add one team to each league's playoffs can't give only the team with the best record a bye

nborton said:

Ehh... I'm not for a 1 game playoff. It makes for crazy excitement in that one game, but baseball is not designed for a one game playoff.

Also, if it's all about revenue one game isn't going to be hugely important. I wouldn't think anyway.

Click to expand...

I think the "big" revenue they were referencing in the article was the money a network would pay for the right to broadcast the two wild card games. You're probably right - it may not be substantial.....but additional revenue none-the-less.

so Bud Selig, the great purist, wants to add two more teams to the playoffs, but doesn't want to embrace technology to add replay to arbitrate important calls. Nice.