I am more of an old school traditional baseball fan. I like the National League over the American. I would rather pitcher to have to hit and if you are going to have a DH then the batting order should be 10 batters if it needs to be in the game.If you have a DH it should be for older players who can't play every day in the field but are still good hitters not people who are are just bad with a glove.
Bob Costas had a good idea about the wild card. And this is more or less his idea. I may have tweaked some details but the jist is the same and I agree with the concept.
Instead of having a one game play in playoff game, shorten the season two say 158 games. Have the two wild card teams play and best two of three series vs. each other. This is baseball not football or the NCAA tournament. After playing in 162 games it should not come down to a one and done. The wild card team with the best record should host a series. Like in the case of the Atlanta Braves who are far ahead of the next wild card team they deserve to get an advantage. Due to the fact the second wild card team would have just been able to sneak in they deserve to be at a disadvantage. The winner of that series should have to go and immediately play in that league divisional series. The structure for this should be as follows: 3 home games for the division winner in the beginning and the last two at the wild card winners park. That way there's the potential for the last wild card team to not play a home game it in nearly a week.
The way the wild card system is set up right now it is almost giving the advantage to the wild card team. For the most part those teams are already in playoff that would just try to make the postseason. The division leaders are winners have usually wrapped up the title and with more than a week to play in the season. At that in the games are more or less meaningless and players are sat and rested. The wild card teams have to be playing the best baseball just to make the playoffs, therefore, they're more likely to be honor roll. If you're gonna play at 162 game season it is unfair and unwise to penalize a team for being good for that duration of time and rewarded team for scratching or backing their way into the postseason.
There been a lot of wild card team since its inception who've gone on to win the World Series. Team should not be rewarded after such a long season for being hot at the right time. Teams that have been consistent over the long haul deserve to be given an advantage. Wild card teams will have to use their best pitchers and early and may not be able throw their ace out in the first game of the a division normally championship series. Does that put them at a disadvantage? Yes it does. And it is deserving. Does that allowed the division winner to set up their rotation better? Yes it does. And that is something they have earned.
A one and end system is almost as ridiculous as having the winner of the All-Star game decided who is going to be the home to the World Series... Especially this year when the MVP of the game and the game itself was won by a player on a walk off who is now under suspension for using performance enhancing drugs. The team with the best record should be rewarded for having the best record and with that home field advantage,why else play 162 games? Why do you think they call it home field advantage and not home field dis-advantage.
I get why people like the wild card begins 14 to chance to make the playoffs the keys teams in contention longer and therefore fans are more interested and continue to watch September baseball. That if there's a chance to team could make the postseason you are gonna watch, you're going to be invested, more people will deliver the Parks and more people watch on TV. Ticket sales and ratings speak volumes. The integrity of the game should not be jeopardized for business reasons. That is also the reason why game should start regardless of what is best for TV. There should not be drying gaps in between series. If this series is it able to start immediately it should start immediately. If the National League series is ready to go before the American league series is finished so be it. Team should not have to sit around into a cold because they're too good. If one teams sweeps and the other league goes up and games why does the team that wins have to sit around? Better teams need to be rewarded from beginning to end and not penalized.
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