Quote:
Originally Posted by oldawg
7) The Wild Card sucks. I know, the Mets wouldn't have gotten to the World Series in 2000 without it, or even to the playoffs in '99, but I still feel the postseason is no place for a 2nd place team. Just look to basketball to see how this idea run amok can ruin a sport's regular season.
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oldawg's post has a lot to discuss, but for now I will take up only one point: the one regarding the Wild Card.
I agree, but I think that anyone who slams the Wild Card concept in baseball has an obligation to propose an alternative. After all, there are three divisions in each league. Championships organized according to the "playoff" model must, by their very nature, have an even number of teams involved, and if there is not an even number "automatically" (e.g., by having four divisions), there must be some complex mathematical formula for determining who makes the playoffs. So, oldawg, how would you fix this problem? Go back to one big AL and NL? Consolidate into two divisions per league? Expand to four?
One thing that has been discussed in the past by baseball writers is to have the two teams that win divisions but with the "worst" records play in the first round, and then the winner would play the division winner with the best record (who would be given a "by" in Round 1). Do you think that's a good idea?
Again, I agree that the Wild Card sucks. But what is the alternative?