Are people so incredibly short-sighted that they cannot see the repeating patterns of behavior and comments around the changes to the playoff structue?
In 1969, baseball expanded from 10 teams in each league with the winner of each league advancing to the World Series, to 12 teams in each league with each league consisting of 2 six-team divisions. The two division winners of each league championship series played in a then five game playoff series with the winner advancing to the world series.
- Baseball experts and purists moaned that having two six team divisions dilutes the importance of the regular 162 game season eliminating close races as now two teams “get in” in each league and we won’t have tight races to the last day like we did in 1964 with the Phillies, Cards and Reds.
Then in 1994, baseball added a wild card team to the mix and created 3 divisions in each league with two division series in each league each a five game series with the winners playing each other in the league championship series with the winner of that now seven game series playing each other in the world series.
- Baseball experts and purists moaned that having a wild card team “get in” dilutes the importance of the division races diluting the importance of the regular 162 game season and will eliminate close races as now four teams “get in” and we won’t have tight races to the end like we did in 1993 with the Giants and Braves.
In 2012, baseball is adding one more wild card team to the mix in each league and the two wild card teams will play each other in a one game playoff with the winner advancing to the division series with those winners going to the league championship series with the winners on to the world series.
- Baseball experts and purists are moaning that having an extra wild card team “get in” dilutes the importance of the three divisions winners and wild card team diluting the importance of the regular 162 game season and will eliminate close races as now five teams “get in” and we won’t have tight races to the end like we did in 2011 with the Cards and Braves and Rays and Red Sox.
JFC – what is wrong with this picture?
Even Bob Costas (who is right about most baseball things) lost his mind when he said, way back in 1994, that the wild card team makes the regular season meaningless as now “everyone gets in” so there is no benefit to winning your division.
Huh?
Bob Costas should cue up 1969 when people said the same stupid shit about splitting the leagues each into two divisions “making the regular season meaningless as everyone gets in”. Cue up 1994 when people barked about the wild card team killing divisional races. Bob — Bubba?? — your toupee is a little askew.
Every time baseball expands the playoffs, experts and purist moan that “it will eliminate the great finishes of the past years” – but great finishes are constantly happening because the “great finishes” have to do with two teams or more fighting for the remaining playoff spot(s). It has nothing to do with the structure of the playoff system, it has to do with supply and demand.
Seeing as we have now seen this scenario play out over and over in exactly the same manner since 1969, you think baseball experts and purists and commentators would get their head out of their asses long enough to realize they sound like fucking dopes when they say the same stupid shit that previous experts and commentators have said whenever baseball changes the structure of the league.
Then once that new structure becomes the norm, the next change to it brings the same litany of rampant stupidity and nonsense …
Oh … and Fire Dusty Baker.
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