Climbing Tal's Hill » Wildcard

New playoff format misses the mark

Greg Thurston — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 22:22:52 +0000

I’m not a fan of the new playoff format that features a second wildcard team and a one-game elimination round. It is nothing more than a money-grab contrived by Commissioner Selig and the owners and is in no way in “the best interest of the game.” Last night’s TV ratings were good, suggesting the “win or go home” aspect is popular with a considerable percentage of fans. But baseball purists (and the Texas Rangers) know better.

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One & Done; Rangers exit playoffs early

Greg Thurston — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 04:15:46 +0000

The two-time defending American League Champions won’t be returning to the World Series this year. The Baltimore Orioles put an end to the Texas Rangers season tonight with a 5-1 win in the first ever A.L. wildcard play-in game. The underdog Orioles went into Ranger country and shut down Ron Washington’s once-potent offense. Perennial MVP [...]

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Extra Wildcard spot will be available this year

Greg Thurston — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 02:38:45 +0000

Bud Selig’s dream of an extra wildcard team will come to fruition in 2012. The writing has been on the wall for some time and although an official announcement has yet to be made, the decision apparently has. This is according to Ken Rosenthal who tweeted the news earlier and made a failed attempt to elaborate when MLB Network’s telephone interface failed.

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Selig continues to drag our once proud sport to the depths of mediocrity by watering down the competitive balance to NBA and NFL type levels. Although last season provided a perfect example of a system that isn’t broken, Selig remains hell-bent on fixing it. If the new system was in place last year both the Red Sox and Braves would have earned the right to play a one-game elimination match against the teams that outplayed them to legitimately claim a playoff spot.

The last day of the 2011 regular season was one of the most dramatic and exciting that I can remember and I have been following the sport for over 40 years. Selig’s argument insists that one season doesn’t give us enough data to shoot down a rule change.He says we need to look at a number of seasons before making a decision. Apparently he forgot about the previous forty. This rule change is being driven by one thing, and one thing only, the almighty dollar sign. The thought of a single game elimination match has dollar signs dancing around in Selig’s head. And what Bud wants, Bud usually gets- forget about the best interest of baseball.