Divison Rearrangement: For or Against?

[mredsox89]

sportscardtheory: That is what the divisions are based upon as much as possible. Time zones are the things that justify the divisions

That seems kind of needless to me. Just as an example, if the Yankees can have a series against the Angels in California, why couldn't the Astros and Rangers be in the same Division and play each other just the same.

Because playing 3 games on another coast is completely different from playing 9 or 10 times in a different time zone.

 

[sportscardtheory]

sportscardtheory: That is what the divisions are based upon as much as possible. Time zones are the things that justify the divisions

That seems kind of needless to me. Just as an example, if the Yankees can have a series against the Angels in California, why couldn't the Astros and Rangers be in the same Division and play each other just the same.

Because playing 3 games on another coast is completely different from playing 9 or 10 times in a different time zone.

Can you explain it to me? I'm going to have to plead ignorance. I can't understand how the teams being based in different time zones makes all that much of a difference. Tampa Bay and the Yankees are much farther away from each other than the Astros and the Rangers, so how does a time zone difference of an hour make so much of a difference that they couldn't realistically play in the same Division.

 

[mredsox89]

sportscardtheory: That is what the divisions are based upon as much as possible. Time zones are the things that justify the divisions

That seems kind of needless to me. Just as an example, if the Yankees can have a series against the Angels in California, why couldn't the Astros and Rangers be in the same Division and play each other just the same.

Because playing 3 games on another coast is completely different from playing 9 or 10 times in a different time zone.

Can you explain it to me? I'm going to have to plead ignorance. I can't understand how the teams being based in different time zones makes all that much of a difference. Tampa Bay and the Yankees are much farther away from each other than the Astros and the Rangers, so how does a time zone difference of an hour make so much of a difference that they couldn't realistically play in the same Division.

TELEVISION, MEDIA, ETC. Yankee/Rays regular night games are at 7 eastern. Almost everyone in NY and Tampa are home and can watch if they wish. Say NY plays 10 games in Anaheim. The game will be at 7 local time, which would be 10 eastern in NY. At this time, the tv ratings in NY would plummet as kids are starting to go to sleep, and adults are shutting down for work the next morning. If this only happens 3 times when the Yanks are at LAA, 3 times at OAK, etc, its only 12 or so games throughout the season. Put NY and LAA In the same division, the Yankees are playing 10 games in LAA, 3 in OAK, 3 in SEA, etc. It becomes almost 20 games at 10 EST

 

[sportscardtheory]

sportscardtheory: That is what the divisions are based upon as much as possible. Time zones are the things that justify the divisions

That seems kind of needless to me. Just as an example, if the Yankees can have a series against the Angels in California, why couldn't the Astros and Rangers be in the same Division and play each other just the same.

Because playing 3 games on another coast is completely different from playing 9 or 10 times in a different time zone.

Can you explain it to me? I'm going to have to plead ignorance. I can't understand how the teams being based in different time zones makes all that much of a difference. Tampa Bay and the Yankees are much farther away from each other than the Astros and the Rangers, so how does a time zone difference of an hour make so much of a difference that they couldn't realistically play in the same Division.

TELEVISION, MEDIA, ETC. Yankee/Rays regular night games are at 7 eastern. Almost everyone in NY and Tampa are home and can watch if they wish. Say NY plays 10 games in Anaheim. The game will be at 7 local time, which would be 10 eastern in NY. At this time, the tv ratings in NY would plummet as kids are starting to go to sleep, and adults are shutting down for work the next morning. If this only happens 3 times when the Yanks are at LAA, 3 times at OAK, etc, its only 12 or so games throughout the season. Put NY and LAA In the same division, the Yankees are playing 10 games in LAA, 3 in OAK, 3 in SEA, etc. It becomes almost 20 games at 10 EST

Thanks for clearing that up. Are no Divisional opponents in different time zones in MLB? If so, then I don't see how it would be a problem. If not, then I realize they think it's too much of a deal breaker.

 

[011873]

Heres a better idea. Forget anyone ever thought of this ******* idea and fix something really important. Like getting replays a part of the game.

Crappy teams will be crappy in any division. Plain and simple. Putting the Pirates in the AL East wont make them a better team.

 

[MacK]

The only move I favor is moving the Houston Astros from the NL Central to the AL West and having inter-league play dispersed throughout the season like the NFL.

That's what I was thinking.

With Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Chicago, and Milwaukee, traveling to Houston doesn't make much sense, especially when the Rangers are in the AL West. Pittsburgh could be moved too if necessary.

 

[onehrk]

The only move I favor is moving the Houston Astros from the NL Central to the AL West and having inter-league play dispersed throughout the season like the NFL.

No offense but this is a terrible idea. Putting a team in the central time zone in the west division is a bad move. The road games wouldn't start until 9pm local time. Sounds awful to me.

What about the Texas Rangers? They're in the AL West. It isn't awful at all.

 

[Therion]

The only move I favor is moving the Houston Astros from the NL Central to the AL West and having inter-league play dispersed throughout the season like the NFL.

No offense but this is a terrible idea. Putting a team in the central time zone in the west division is a bad move. The road games wouldn't start until 9pm local time. Sounds awful to me.

What about the Texas Rangers? They're in the AL West. It isn't awful at all.

Living in Dallas, I can assure you that every week on every sports talk show locally this is complained about by someone. "Why do so many of our games have to go so late? I have work in the morning."

 

[Bob Loblaw]

I can see moving the Nationals to the AL East and the Rays to the NL East. This way the Orioles and the Nationals could become a rival, and The Rays could be a natural rival to the Marlins and Braves

You have to keep the Red Sox and the yankees in the Al East

Under that logic should the Mets and Yankees both be in the same division too? This is why they do interleague play the way they do it so that natural/locational rival games always make the schedule despite rotating the divisional play. (ie. Phillies play Yankees despite playing the AL West last year)

As much as I hate the Rays, living here, I wouldn't mind being able to watch the Phillies come to town on a regular basis and beat the hell out of them in the shizhole they call a stadium.

That being said, I'm against any realignment for the same reason I'm against the DH and interleague play. I'm a baseball purist. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Teams are cyclical. The Red Sox will eventually revert to the same team that sucked for 80 years. The Yankees will eventually revert to the 1990s Yankees once Arod and Jeter are gone.

 

[Penno]

They should eliminate division play all together and just have the AL and NL. The top team gets into the playoffs then the next three are the Wild Cards. Division play is an inherently unfair system since it allows mediocre teams from garbage divisions to get in over better teams in the strong divisions.

Best idea I've read. Why keep realigning teams when within 10 years the smaller teams will be unhappy again. Go back to the balanced schedule where each team faces off in 4/5 series a year, like it used to be. I don't know how interleague play would work, but I'm of the opinion its due for a break anyway.

 

[BowmanChromeAddict]

They should eliminate division play all together and just have the AL and NL. The top team gets into the playoffs then the next three are the Wild Cards. Division play is an inherently unfair system since it allows mediocre teams from garbage divisions to get in over better teams in the strong divisions.

Best idea I've read. Why keep realigning teams when within 10 years the smaller teams will be unhappy again. Go back to the balanced schedule where each team faces off in 4/5 series a year, like it used to be. I don't know how interleague play would work, but I'm of the opinion its due for a break anyway.

I actually like this idea of all that have been mentioned. Either do nothing, or do this. It's the only thing I actually think the NBA gets right. I hate seeing .500 NL West teams making the playoffs while teams with much better records in the Central and East sit at home.

 

[muskiesfan]

Whoever posted the teams by time zone, the Reds are also EST. They are not in the Central Time Zone.

 

[bballcardkid]

They should eliminate division play all together and just have the AL and NL. The top team gets into the playoffs then the next three are the Wild Cards. Division play is an inherently unfair system since it allows mediocre teams from garbage divisions to get in over better teams in the strong divisions.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[200lbhockeyplayer]

Perhaps baseball should go to a 64 team tournament where all 30 MLB clubs get automatic bids and then 30 of the remaining bids will go to the best AA and AAA teams.

Who will fill the last four slots? Sell them on eBay.