I can make a pretty good argument that the Wild Card cost us some otherwise awesome division championship races as well. When the Red Sox/Yanks play in September knowing that it really doesn't matter if you win the division or not because a wild card spot is waiting for you, it takes a lot of fire out of those games. We've reduced the pennant chase down to a tournament, now...which defeats the purpose of 162 games. You don't find the best team by reducing baseball down to a tournament. That's why I think the one game playoff that we're going to get next year with an additional wild card team is so stupid. After 162 games, you know who you are.
I don't know about what he could have done. It is a very powerful union. I do think he should have pushed for replay sooner, and expand its use (i.e. the blown call against the Pirates this year that ended the game.) I agree about interleague. It is one of the reasons that has diminished the all-star game. I like it in small doses, but every year, and rivalry games? No thanks.
It has given us exciting WC races though, which will be diminished by the play-in game. Almost every year we have at least one playoff spot decided on the final day, or even a tie-breaking game. The Wild Card is about rewarding the best non-division winners. So teams like the 93 Giants don't win 103 games, and not go the playoffs.
poppycock. he could have started by not acting like there wasn't a problem when every non-braindead individual on the freaking planet knew better. if he had any stones whatsoever, the whole congressional fiasco could have been avoided. MLB could have been seen as admitting their warts and working proactively to correct them for the good of the game and the confidence of fans. instead, they sat on their asses until their hand was forced by freaking Congressional action. It took tattle-tale books being published by disgruntled ex-players and the whole whats-his-name report to get Selig to begin moving at all. imo, the proper view of history on Selig and his tenure will be "head-in-sand, bias-laden dumbass."
The Mitchell Report was ordered by Selig. Its certainly true that Ken Caminiti's and Jose Canseco's admissions of steroid use plus the BALCO investigation that led to drug testing.
The Mitchell Report was ordered by Selig in 2006 after Congress had already begun holding hearings and grilling former players (McGwire in 2005, for example). Former players, the whole BALCO fiasco that broke in 2002, and the freaking Congress all did something before the damned commissioner even admitted there was a problem. the dumbass.
I find it interesting that testing started before the report. First testing was in 2003, to determine if testing was necessary (as if we didn't already know it was), and mandatory testing followed.
Good point -- that makes the 2005 hearings and the 2006 report outliers wrt testing. Ceded. But I still maintain that had he not kept his head in the sand through the mid- and late-90s, a lot of this could have been avoided. Also, public outcry after things like BALCO and the tell-all books still seemed to forced his hand moreso than the good of the game. I'm sorry, but Selig just doesn't look good in terms of steroid testing. The whole thing--the "Steroid Era", the earth-shaking scandals, all of that--happened on his watch. Much of the time, with his fingers in his ears.
i have no problem with a team winning 103 games and not making the playoffs if another team won 104. it's baseball..not hockey or hoops. you're playing 162 games to decide who is on top. you don't need to open it up to a bunch of teams to figure it out after you've already played 162. the concept of a pennant race is gone entirely.
i don't. 4 divisions. be the best in your division, and you make the playoffs. the end. that's what made baseball different from the tournament style sports. because the season ITSELF was the race to watch. again, if it's football and you're only playing 16 games...I get it. but not in baseball. not when you're playing 162 games night in and night out.
THIS. That said, the addition of one WC per league didn't bother me so much, as there was still some "race" left in the regular season. However: baseball is doing more and more things to make it more and more like the NBA (really??? why would any league copy that?????) -- Adding more playoff participants, thus cheapening the regular season -- expanding interleague play. Soon AL and NL will be as meaningless as WC and EC. Like Max said, the months-long thrill of the pennant race, and the "finish on top or you're out" nature of it is one of the things that set baseball apart from the other leagues. I don't *want* the playoff/championship structure in the four big leagues to look more and more alike. I *like* the diversity. That, and baseball is best. Leave it the hell alone, Bud. Stop lousing up the greatest game in the world.
I think the added wildcard with the play-in game is brilliant. It makes the pennant race more important, while simultaneously giving hope to more fans. Right now, there's no advantage to winning your division as opposed to the wildcard. In the new system, there's a HUGE advantage - so if the Redsox and Yankees are tied going into the final week, there's a hell of an incentive to try to win out. But at the same time, two wildcards means more teams have the potential for their teams to have a meaningful August and September, meaning more fan interest - which is great for baseball all around. More teams have hope; but it's now less equal hope if you don't win your division.
They are my team, have been all my life, but have to say now that Selig has singlehandedly done all he could to remove me from caring about Baseball altogether. I won't enumerate. I have hopes for Crane, and the team, and I will still cheer for them through thick and thin, but it's come to the point now that I will never be the baseball fan I once was. Sadly, the Basketball debacle that has been the past few years has me feeling very similarly.
That's an interesting viewpoint, Major. I have to agree, that will reward winning the division more than the current system does. I'm still partial to the two divisions per league and only the LCS. For some reason, even though my Astros were "in it" far less often than when the wild card was introduced, baseball in general captivated me better back then than it does now.
Honestly more excited than I have been the past few years. I'd rather watch a young team grind it out than an older team that you know is not getting any better.... It will take some time to get used to all the changes but think it will work out....
I hate a one game playoff when the the teams weren't tied. Last September's epic come back and collapses in both the American League and National League never would have happened. It would have all been meaningless. Add too many teams, and it gets watered down, like the NBA.
