Time for baseball to reallign

[inthebrain]

I like the addition of the Wild card. I just don't like the way the divisions are broken up. I think they need to split up the Nl Central and go about a East West division. Top two teams in each division make the playoffs and everyone else goes home.

It would eventually look like this

East

Braves
Phillies
Mets
Nats
Marlins
Reds
Cubs
Pirates




West

Dodgers
Brewers
Rockies
Padres
Giants
Diamondbacks
Cardinals
Astros

I think it balances the league out better. You have more likelyhood of teams having more trade partners in opposite divisions and it prevents the same old teams dominating year after year. In the central I just don't see how Pittsburgh, who doesn't have money to spend, has a shot building with youth. They are constantly pummeled by St louis, Milwaukee, and Chicago year after year.

Interesting that this year the Pirates are 13-7 against the East and 4-2 against the West.Last year they were just a little under .500 against the west and the east and got pummeled against their own division.

Overall I think the West has been just an abysmal division. Every year you have at least three teams that are just terrible. The NL east in a lot of respects are not that far behind. I think this kind of reallignment evens things out a bit and forces teams to do a better job developing prospects instead of dumping five or six of them just to get one player in a rip off deal.

It used to be that the divisions were split like this and the top teams from the East and the West made the playoffs. Granted baseball in late August and september was boring but with the second place team making the playoffs it still keeps that excitement.

It also prevents weak ass teams making the post season because they play in an absolutely shitty divisions. Last season we had the Dodgers making the post season with and 84-78 record. Meanwhile you had three teams with much better records sitting at home for the post season.

In 07 it was Chicago making the post season while two teams with better records stayed at home.

In 06 it was one team with a better record than the central division winner missing out on the post season.

In 05 you had three teams with a better record than the west divison winner sitting at home.


People usually give the NHL shit for allowing this to happen as a result of their reallignment schemes. Much of it is to increase revenue with more teams in more markets making the post season. Problem is that it leaves big question marks at the end of the year as to who the best teams really are.

[hughee99]

1. MLB is never going to give up that extra round of the playoffs,

but they could always make it 2 WC teams. At least this way, both divisions should be able to produce a solid champion and the best 2 remaining teams get in, rather than having a weak team in a weak division get in over a 2nd place team in a strong one. I think it will be somewhat rare that the winner of one of two division would be the 5 best team in the league, so you should end up with the best teams getting in.

[inthebrain]

2. That's pretty much what I suggested

The top two from the East and the top two from the West get in.

No way should a team with a worse record than three or four others get in.

I also find it strange that this is the shit people look at to call the NHL a joke league. In all these years I have not read anything from one baseball writer criticizing the current system. I read at least two or three a year going after the NHL.