The new baseball playoff format has
been stirring up some controversy since it was announced yesterday. Instead of the traditional eight team
playoff structure, baseball has decided to change it to a ten team format with two wild cards. The two wild cards in each league would
play a one-game-winner-take-all-sudden-death-fight-to-the-death showdown to see
who would play the number one seed in the Divisional Round.
This new format has players and
managers across the league (mostly from the best teams in the league) extremely
upset.
One such critic is Phillies manager
Charlie Manuel who said, “It’s hard to swallow sometimes if you play all year
and win a lot of games and somebody who did not play as good as you
consistently all year gets in and wins… for me, personally, you shouldn’t get
nothing for second or third. That’s the American system.”
First of all, nice double negative
right there, Charlie: “shouldn’t get nothing.” Does that mean they should get
something. Or should they just not
get nothing? It’s more than
nothing… but less than something.
Hmmmm.
Anyway, Charlie, it seems like your
“American System” is the “Whatever Is Best For The Phillies System.” I don’t blame you for wanting what’s
best for your team, its your job; just don’t label it the American System. You
know how you solve the problem of the new playoff format? Win your division.
Another critic of the new playoffs
is Red Sox DH David Ortíz (aka Big Sloppí aka the Dirty Pumpkin)* I’m not going
to quote him because it’s probably unintelligible, but just know that he
doesn’t like it. I find this
interesting in light of the Red Sox’s historic collapse just a season ago
because if this format was in place then the Red Sox would have made the
playoffs and the collapse would not have been historic.
*SIDENOTE: this is the first of many unprovoked attacks at
David Ortíz. He is the Chris Bosh
of the MLB. Kevin Youkilis isn’t
far behind.
A widespread grievance about the
new system is “OMG! It would be like super unfair if a team who won 92 games
had to play a team that only won 88 games in a one game playoff! What about
that four game difference?!? It’s like the regular season doesn’t even
matter!”
…
(thinking)
…
(still thinking)
…
Wait, what?
This is the worst argument I have
heard. Wouldn’t it kind of be like
last year when the 102-win Phillies lost to the 90-win Cardinals in the
Divisional Round? Or maybe like any playoff upset ever? You don’t give
the winner of the regular season the World Series Trophy. The best regular season team doesn't always win the championship: THAT'S SPORTS. They have to work for it like everybody
else, and most of the critics of this system are the teams that are vying for
that regular season title.
It seems to me that this new
baseball playoff format is kind of like taxes. The wealthy don’t want to pay higher taxes just because they
make more money. If it were up to
them, there would be no taxes on people who made the most money. The rest of the world wants the wealthy
to pay higher taxes so that they can shrink the wealth gap.
Same with baseball. The top teams want to have as little
playoffs as possible. They want to
win the division and only have to face two teams to win the World Series. The rest of the league wants more
playoffs so that they can finally have a shot to win the Series. VIVA LA 99%!
Personally, I love the new playoff
structure. The only time people
actually give a shit about baseball’s regular season is in September, and
that’s only when there are close division/wild-card races. Now more teams will be in the hunt for
longer and the middle of the pack teams will finally get involved.
I also like it because it means
that we can have more variety in the playoffs. I’m sick of watching the Yankees-Angels series every year.
The new playoff format means teams like the Reds and the Brewers and the
Rockies will be more regular contenders and we may even see the first third
place team win the World Series.
The only thing I don’t like is the
new Divisional format of two away games first and then three home games for the number one
seed. The divisional series
usually doesn’t go to five games and it seems like a disadvantage for the one
seed.
DISCLAIMER: This opinion does not stem from Charlie Manuel’s
“American System” aka what I want for my team. I’m not a Met’s fan (thank Tebow). I’m a Yankees fan.
This format can only be bad for the Yankees who are in baseball’s 1%
with the Phillies and who can potentially be one and done in the playoffs
because of the format.
But baseball didn’t go far
enough. Ten playoff teams are
nice, but 16 playoff teams are better.
Baseball should expand its playoffs even more to be like college
basketball’s March Madness and call it Fall Ball Insanity (FBI for short). Who cares about the regular season
anyway?
FBI would consist of sixteen teams
in total, the eight best from the NL and eight best from the AL. These teams would be seeded according
to regular season record, and play two rounds of one-game elimination to narrow
the field down to four teams. There would be no home field, just two regions for each league. Once
we have four teams left, it goes back to the traditional best of seven formats
to compete for each respective pennant and the World Series.
Throw in some cheerleaders, a couple of
7th inning concerts, and a bracketology competition and you’ve got
yourself one entertaining fall. Ratings would be higher than ever before and the MLB would make a killing on FBI merchandise.
It’s unrealistic, I know, but can
you imagine? We could have an Indians-Mariners
ALCS! It gives more teams a chance
to make the playoffs and it will get more people interested in baseball’s
routinely boring playoffs.
The MLB needs a makeover to make
more people more involved, but they are at least heading in the right
direction.
Shoutout
to the makers of Amy’s Frozen Pizza.
I don’t know who you are, but you sure make one helluva frozen pizza
#DJLR
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