I prepared this post a while back and forgot to post it. It essentially came out of frustration with the current MLB divisional format, and the disparity between the divisions.
What would I love to see?
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Northwest (Pacific North):
Seattle
San Francisco
Colorado
Oakland
North (Lake Michigan):
Minnesota
Milwaukee
Chicago
Chicago
Northeast (Lake Erie):
Detroit
Cleveland
Toronto
Pittsburgh
East (Atlantic North):
Philadelphia
New York
New York
Boston
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Southwest (Pacific South):
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
San Diego
Las Vegas Rebels**
South (Gulf):
Texas
Houston
Arizona
San Antonio Mustangs**
Southeast (Atlantic South):
Atlanta
Florida
Tampa Bay
Washington
Midwest (Prairies):
Baltimore
Cincinnati
St. Louis
Kansas City
Balanced schedule, with divisional games early and late in the year.
Division winners make playoffs, plus top 2 records of non-division winners. Top 2 division winner records in each league get 1st round “bye”. 1st round series are 3 games series. Divisional, Championship and World Series are 7 game series.
Why is this better? 2 team expansion gets 32 teams, which means 16 teams in each league (balance). 6 teams make playoffs, and 2 best records are rewarded. This will mean there will be more intrigue in the last few weeks of the year (benefit in finishing 1st and 2nd, chance for 3 teams in one division to make playoffs).
It’s basically copying the NFL style of playoffs, which in my opinion works extremely well. It only adds 5 games (at the absolute most) to the schedule (3 extra 1st round games, and 2 extra 2nd round games).
Obvious problems are in placing both Chicagos and both New Yorks (as well as Boston and Philadelphia) all in the same league. Of course, since 3 teams from a sole division CAN make the playoffs, this only means that a couple of teams are missing out. Smaller divisions mean more championship races (good), more playoff teams (exciting), and more crossover play.
This would also mean the National League accepting the DH role or the American League deleting it.
The American League does look significantly stronger than the National League (not that that is a big surprise). I personally like the intra-city rivalries in the same division. I also like the way teams are in the same geographic regions better than they currently are. I realize it’s not perfect (Baltimore in the Midwest, and Washington in the Southeast seems like the strangest mix), but the rest seems to work well. Toronto gets to play their natural rivals (geographically) in their same division (Cleveland and Detroit).
Will it ever happen? No, (partially because of TV ratings, and partially because of baseball’s extreme aversion to change), but MLB might think about how it works in the NFL and the benefits that stem from that approach.
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4 comments:
Interesting...
The sports-talk station here in Toronto (FAN590) has a host named Bob McCowen that likes to trot out his idea of a revamp for baseball every year. His argument boils down to allowing two more wildcards and re-aligning divisions into four groups only. Likewise, he argues that it wouldn't add much to the playopff schedule while simultaneously adding more excitement for a number of teams near the end of the year.
As for me, I don't care how it's done but I think there should be two more playoff spots in baseball. And I also want Ricciardi gone already...
Yeah, I've heard Bob McCown's argument before. I like mine better (if only because of the parallels to the NFL who consistently have the best format).
Also - Bob McCown's wikipedia page is a good read. He's one of the better sports talk hosts out there (way better than, say, Jim Rome).
And why the hate for Riccardi? I felt it was time for him to go earlier in the year as well, but the Cito hiring seems like such a stroke of genius that I don't know if it makes sense to turf him right away.
JP is awful. He's had forever to make that team a winner and he's failed. We just tread water. Look at what Tampa has done with a lot less money and sure, they've had good picks, but great drafting goes a long way.
Meanwhile, the Jays flounder. Cito was just hanging out in Toronto and it worked out, but I'm convinced management made that call.
Also, for expansion...you've gotta go to Portland and perhaps one other city. But not San Antonio or Las Vegas. The former because their TV market is too small and they'll just end up being Milwaukee south and Las Vegas because it's too transient a market.
The Devil Rays would do well to move to Orlando, honestly. They could still tap the Tampa TV market, but Disney's proximity would ensure that fans would trickle to games -- especially when they're good.
Being in a metro area is just critical no matter what. If their ballpark proposal works, they'll be in good shape because it's right on the waterfront. But I can't see it working, given the Marlins have TWO titles and they're STILL not guaranteed to get a stadium. (I know the deal passed recently)
I say a third team in NYC would be critical, because it'd dilute the Yankees influence. They'd need to be 75 miles from NYC or Philadelphia, so the Jersey shore is the most logical choice. Nothing huge, intimate and great optics with the ocean right there.
I like the idea of the NFL style of the playoffs. 12 teams in the post season out of 32 is a good number. The NBA and NHL have too many in the post season. I also like the change the divisions every year concept. My twist is that you set up divisions but region but also Payroll spent. The Big teams will always spend because that helps grow the revenues. We need a place new markets or smaller markets can grow revenues and the team. Check out the plan at:
http://thefairball.com/2009/06/mlb-realignment-plan/
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