OPINIONS ON NEW FORMAT FOR DIVISIONAL SERIES

[rum151man]

Umm, what kind of experience do YOU have in this situation? Are you a former major leaguer or something? As for homefield advantage being a very real, tangible thing...don't site statistics and tell me it's scientific fact. If you look at the regular season home/away splits this year for all teams, you will find that it's relatively even (with the exception of the NL central) considering a 162 game season. From what you're saying, you'd think all teams have a .125 win% when playing away, and .875% when playing at home. This is not the case.

As for home records in the post season...considering that the better teams usually have homefield advantage to start a series, and the first 2 games are at home, I would EXPECT that the home team more often than not wins these first two games, and that pads the homefield advantage argument in your favor by quite a bit. Find me stats for the lower seeded teams playing at home and I bet it tells a different story. I will try to find some numbers myself. But regardless, these are just statistics which can always be misleading.

And btw, it's unfair of you to assume that the Cardinals "infield fly" drop was 100% attributed to the fans. I see home players get mixed up on routine fly balls all season long....just watch the NOT Top 10 sometime. How do the fans play into that? They don't. Players make errors sometimes.

I have played in big high school playoff games in both basketball & baseball both home & away games, as well as college baseball games and home field advantage is a big difference. It sucks traveling to games and when your playing at home you have the same exact routine & familiar surroundings every game.


& the higher seed deserves to get the first 2 games at home, thats why they play 162 games to try and get the best possible playoff seed and homefield through out the playoffs. as an A's fan an the huge comeback they just made playing the last 6 games at home and having tons of momentum its a huge dissadvantage for them to have to leave Oakland as the 2 seed and have to play across country for the first 2 games of a 5 game series.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

ITS GRRRRRRRRRRREAT!!!

 

[petMonster]

tell that to the braves fans that clearly had an effect of them not catching that ball even though they got hosed on that call. so your telling me when grant balfour comes in, in the 9th inning it is going to be the same in detroit for him as in Oakland. not to mention having to travel across country to play on the road when your the higher seed.... its a joke

I'm not sure the fans CLEARLY had an effect on Holliday/Kozma not catching the ball. I don't know why Kozma didn't grab it, and neither do you. And have you ever noticed that home fans often cheer routine flyouts in big moments of a game? So does that screw up their own players?

How should loud fans have anything to do with how Balfour pitches? If he pitches in Oakland and Oakland has the lead, I bet it would be sick loud in anticipation of a victory. By your logic, the loud noise would screw him up (as you claim it screwed up Holliday and Kozma) and he wouldn't be able to make his pitches because of his own fans. If they were in Detroit and Detroit was down by a run, the Detroit fans would be cheering so loud for a homer off Balfour....shouldn't that cause problems for the batter as he's trying to concentrate on a 95+ mph pitch? The fans cheering is a totally random thing that can be sited in any way to suit anybody's argument. I don't buy it.

What matters more is the players ability to tune out everything (home OR away fans, thoughts of being televised, past chokes against the current team/batter he's facing, etc). A true pro at the top of his game should be able to do this. Makes no matter where the heck he's playing. The bats are still wood, the balls are still the same size (twss! hehe), home plate is still 60ft, 6inches away from the mound, and there are still 9 players on the field. AND, there are always fans in the stand and they are always yelling.

 

[19braves77]

I like the Wildcards. Game 7's are exciting and we had two of them tonight. 20 years from now Braves fans will be talking about Chipper's last game and that 8th inning. Texas fans are learning how hard it is to win one.

 

[rum151man]

I agree with the OP
The higher seed gets games 3 4 & 5 at home - thus homefield advantage
BUT in the history of 5 game playoffs in MLB - game 5 is only been played 25%
Sooo where's the home field advantage for the higher seeds??

IMHO this is only done this way because 1) it gives the lower seed teams 2 home games guaranteed ticket revenue



2) instead of 2 2 1 schedule it is 2 3 with one less travel day - and the less likelyhood of having a WS game around Thanksgiving

All I can say is THANKS BUD !!!

you nailed it though for the higher seed to get any kind of home field advantage the series would have to go 5 games.....

 

[rum151man]

I'm not sure the fans CLEARLY had an effect on Holliday/Kozma not catching the ball. I don't know why Kozma didn't grab it, and neither do you. And have you ever noticed that home fans often cheer routine flyouts in big moments of a game? So does that screw up their own players?

How should loud fans have anything to do with how Balfour pitches? If he pitches in Oakland and Oakland has the lead, I bet it would be sick loud in anticipation of a victory. By your logic, the loud noise would screw him up (as you claim it screwed up Holliday and Kozma) and he wouldn't be able to make his pitches because of his own fans. If they were in Detroit and Detroit was down by a run, the Detroit fans would be cheering so loud for a homer off Balfour....shouldn't that cause problems for the batter as he's trying to concentrate on a 95+ mph pitch? The fans cheering is a totally random thing that can be sited in any way to suit anybody's argument. I don't buy it.

What matters more is the players ability to tune out everything (home OR away fans, thoughts of being televised, past chokes against the current team/batter he's facing, etc). A true pro at the top of his game should be able to do this. Makes no matter where the heck he's playing. The bats are still wood, the balls are still the same size (twss! hehe), home plate is still 60ft, 6inches away from the mound, and there are still 9 players on the field. AND, there are always fans in the stand and they are always yelling.

in Oakland he gets to come out to his music and the whole crowd goes crazy and he gets pumped up for the 9th not the same effect on the road you clearly are only looking at this from your point of view.......

 

[petMonster]

I have played in big high school playoff games in both basketball & baseball both home & away games, as well as college baseball games and home field advantage is a big difference. It sucks traveling to games and when your playing at home you have the same exact routine & familiar surroundings every game.


& the higher seed deserves to get the first 2 games at home, thats why they play 162 games to try and get the best possible playoff seed and homefield through out the playoffs. as an A's fan an the huge comeback they just made playing the last 6 games at home and having tons of momentum its a huge dissadvantage for them to have to leave Oakland as the 2 seed and have to play across country for the first 2 games of a 5 game series.

Ohhh, so now MOMENTUM is this tangible thing that has something to do with winning and losing too? What happens if a lower seeded away team has a ton of momentum going into game 1? What's your magical rule about momentum vs homefield advantage? Does homefiled advantage help a team more than momentum? So the O's are a guaranteed 2-0 up on the Yankees heading into New York then, right?

As for what teams DESERVE...teams deserve to advance if they can beat the team they are playing. If your team deserves to win the World Series, then they should be able to beat everyone who stands in their way. If you go by any other definition of the word deserve, then we would have multiple WS champs on most years.

As a side note, I think it's cool that you played college ball (I'm totally serious). However, I can only assume it takes a lot more talent, physical prowess, and focus than most college players have to reach the majors.

 

[rum151man]

Umm, what kind of experience do YOU have in this situation? Are you a former major leaguer or something? As for homefield advantage being a very real, tangible thing...don't site statistics and tell me it's scientific fact. If you look at the regular season home/away splits this year for all teams, you will find that it's relatively even (with the exception of the NL central) considering a 162 game season. From what you're saying, you'd think all teams have a .125 win% when playing away, and .875% when playing at home. This is not the case.

As for home records in the post season...considering that the better teams usually have homefield advantage to start a series, and the first 2 games are at home, I would EXPECT that the home team more often than not wins these first two games, and that pads the homefield advantage argument in your favor by quite a bit. Find me stats for the lower seeded teams playing at home and I bet it tells a different story. I will try to find some numbers myself. But regardless, these are just statistics which can always be misleading.

And btw, it's unfair of you to assume that the Cardinals "infield fly" drop was 100% attributed to the fans. I see home players get mixed up on routine fly balls all season long....just watch the NOT Top 10 sometime. How do the fans play into that? They don't. Players make errors sometimes.

this is why its called home field advantage, part of that is getting off to a good start. im sure if theyalways had this format of lower seed playing first 2 at home it would level out the games more which takes away home field advantage ...............

 

[rum151man]

Ohhh, so now MOMENTUM is this tangible thing that has something to do with winning and losing too? What happens if a lower seeded away team has a ton of momentum going into game 1? What's your magical rule about momentum vs homefield advantage? Does homefiled advantage help a team more than momentum? So the O's are a guaranteed 2-0 up on the Yankees heading into New York then, right?

As for what teams DESERVE...teams deserve to advance if they can beat the team they are playing. If your team deserves to win the World Series, then they should be able to beat everyone who stands in their way. If you go by any other definition of the word deserve, then we would have multiple WS champs on most years.

As a side note, I think it's cool that you played college ball (I'm totally serious). However, I can only assume it takes a lot more talent, physical prowess, and focus than most college players have to reach the majors.

of course momentum factors into wins and losses you just saw it with the Rangers they have had a brutal last week and just got their season ended and they even had home field tonight. who knows what will happen but I can guarantee you the O's would much rather have the momentum of tonights win and playing 2 at home to start then starting with 2 in new york cause the Yankees are hot too.

im not saying that these players cant get the same job done on the road, im just saying if you earned the higher seed you deserve the home field advantage and shouldnt have to start the series on the road.

 

[rum151man]

I'm not sure the fans CLEARLY had an effect on Holliday/Kozma not catching the ball. I don't know why Kozma didn't grab it, and neither do you. And have you ever noticed that home fans often cheer routine flyouts in big moments of a game? So does that screw up their own players?

How should loud fans have anything to do with how Balfour pitches? If he pitches in Oakland and Oakland has the lead, I bet it would be sick loud in anticipation of a victory. By your logic, the loud noise would screw him up (as you claim it screwed up Holliday and Kozma) and he wouldn't be able to make his pitches because of his own fans. If they were in Detroit and Detroit was down by a run, the Detroit fans would be cheering so loud for a homer off Balfour....shouldn't that cause problems for the batter as he's trying to concentrate on a 95+ mph pitch? The fans cheering is a totally random thing that can be sited in any way to suit anybody's argument. I don't buy it.

What matters more is the players ability to tune out everything (home OR away fans, thoughts of being televised, past chokes against the current team/batter he's facing, etc). A true pro at the top of his game should be able to do this. Makes no matter where the heck he's playing. The bats are still wood, the balls are still the same size (twss! hehe), home plate is still 60ft, 6inches away from the mound, and there are still 9 players on the field. AND, there are always fans in the stand and they are always yelling.

there is a big difference- when at home and its loud they are cheering for strikes and outs and that pumps you up and motivates you, when your on the road and the fans are screaming and heckling you its when your walking batters and giving up hits and that adds preasure on you.......

are you even seerious right now

 

[markakis8]

I have played in big high school playoff games in both basketball & baseball both home & away games, as well as college baseball games and home field advantage is a big difference. It sucks traveling to games and when your playing at home you have the same exact routine & familiar surroundings every game.


& the higher seed deserves to get the first 2 games at home, thats why they play 162 games to try and get the best possible playoff seed and homefield through out the playoffs. as an A's fan an the huge comeback they just made playing the last 6 games at home and having tons of momentum its a huge dissadvantage for them to have to leave Oakland as the 2 seed and have to play across country for the first 2 games of a 5 game series.

Speaking from someone who has been in a "playoff atmosphere" in Division I baseball....it compares nothing to a playoff atmosphere in an MLB game. I was a viewer at one and a player in another and there is absolutely no comparison.

 

[rum151man]

am I on MTV right now??? cause I feel like im being PUNKED cause this feels like a pretty good joke right now, cause you cant be serious......

 

[rum151man]

Speaking from someone who has been in a "playoff atmosphere" in Division I baseball....it compares nothing to a playoff atmosphere in an MLB game. I was a viewer at one and a player in another and there is absolutely no comparison.

so are you saying that there is a home field advantage ????? or no home field advantage ?????

 

[petMonster]

you nailed it though for the higher seed to get any kind of home field advantage the series would have to go 5 games.....

Not imo. If MLB decided to switch it up like this permanently, then I have to assume that the homefield advantage numbers would tip in the other direction and the away teams winning % would start to increase. The reason for this is because the better/higher seeded teams would still be the better teams, but now they just start off a series away from home. I believe the better teams (the away teams) would have a higher winning % in these first 2 games, then they would wrap up the series in the next couple games and we still would not be looking at a game 5 75% of the time.

Can't anybody see what I'm saying!!! The better team is the better team and is more likely to win the majority of the games in a 5 or 7 game series, regardless of where those games are played. If MLB schedules those early games away from the higher seeded teams, then we would see the away team winning the series more often. If MLB schdules those games AT the higher seeded teams home, then we would see the home team winning the series more. It's the seed of the teams and the scheduling that skews the homefield advantage numbers, NOT some tangible force itself called homefield advantage.

 

[19braves77]

Not imo. If MLB decided to switch it up like this permanently, then I have to assume that the homefield advantage numbers would tip in the other direction and the away teams winning % would start to increase. The reason for this is because the better/higher seeded teams would still be the better teams, but now they just start off a series away from home. I believe the better teams (the away teams) would have a higher winning % in these first 2 games, then they would wrap up the series in the next couple games and we still would not be looking at a game 5 75% of the time.

Can't anybody see what I'm saying!!! The better team is the better team and is more likely to win the majority of the games in a 5 or 7 game series, regardless of where those games are played. If MLB schedules those early games away from the higher seeded teams, then we would see the away team winning more often. If MLB schdules those games AT the higher seeded teams home, then we would see the home team winning more. It's the seed of the teams and the scheduling that skews the homefield advantage numbers, NOT some tangible force itself called homefield advantage.

I have always been told that good teams win anywhere. I think the early start times are more concerning....

 

[rum151man]

Not imo. If MLB decided to switch it up like this permanently, then I have to assume that the homefield advantage numbers would tip in the other direction and the away teams winning % would start to increase. The reason for this is because the better/higher seeded teams would still be the better teams, but now they just start off a series away from home. I believe the better teams (the away teams) would have a higher winning % in these first 2 games, then they would wrap up the series in the next couple games and we still would not be looking at a game 5 75% of the time.

Can't anybody see what I'm saying!!! The better team is the better team and is more likely to win the majority of the games in a 5 or 7 game series, regardless of where those games are played. If MLB schedules those early games away from the higher seeded teams, then we would see the away team winning more often. If MLB schdules those games AT the higher seeded teams home, then we would see the home team winning more. It's the seed of the teams and the scheduling that skews the homefield advantage numbers, NOT some tangible force itself called homefield advantage.

so if you were the yankees with all those left handed power hitters and a lineup built for your home field ball park, you dont think the yankees have an advantage playing at their home stadium ???????? you are crazy................

thats why the yankees have the #1 seed home field through out the playoffs....... its an advantage & thats why teams play all the way till the last game #162 like the nationals & reds did even though they both already clintched...... they wanted the #1 seed and homefield advantage

 

[rum151man]

I have always been told that good teams win anywhere. I think the early start times are more concerning....

good teams can win anywhere but IMO they are more likely to win at home and therefor should have a true homefield advantage if they are the higher seed

 

[markakis8]

so are you saying that there is a home field advantage ????? or no home field advantage ?????

i have no idea. I would lean towards there IS a home field advantage - but only slightly b/c of psychological reasons for the players, simply b/c you feel more comfortable at home...but i know it's nothing like the NFL or NBA...

all I know is that the "playing atmosphere" of a college (and furthermore HIGH SCHOOL, lol at that) playoff game and a MLB playoff game - there is no comparison. There are many factors. i've played in a multiple college world series games as an NAIA player, and have played in regional playoffs as a Division I player, and have been a spectator at Omaha, as well as a playoff game in Philly....there just is no comparison between the two. There are many variables that come into play when it comes to fans at a MLB playoff game...I think Atlanta proved most of that tonight.

 

[rum151man]

and in the case of the A's where we have all rookie starting pitchers I would feel much more comfortable having them make there first playoff start at home then on the road.........

 

[rum151man]

i have no idea. I would lean towards there IS a home field advantage - but only slightly b/c of psychological reasons for the players, simply b/c you feel more comfortable at home...but i know it's nothing like the NFL or NBA...

all I know is that the "playing atmosphere" of a college (and furthermore HIGH SCHOOL, lol at that) playoff game and a MLB playoff game - there is no comparison. There are many factors. i've played in a multiple college world series games as an NAIA player, and have played in regional playoffs as a Division I player, and have been a spectator at Omaha, as well as a playoff game in Philly....there just is no comparison between the two. There are many variables that come into play when it comes to fans at a MLB playoff game...I think Atlanta proved most of that tonight.

exactly there is a homefield, and like you said in the NBA and NFL the homefield is even bigger but this guy probably disagrees there too.