There will never be a solution for the "time zone" issue... unless they go to a completely balanced schedule, and thus your division opponents don't matter as much. Personally, I don't see the big deal about having 6 teams in one division. If you only have 3 divisions, one division has to be unbalanced. Another solution would be to go to 4 4-team divisions (like the NFL did). You could only do it the NL, but I imagine it would look something like this: NL East - Mets Phillies Nationals Pirates NL North - Reds Cubs Brewers Cardinals NL South- Astros Braves Marlins DBacks NL West - Dodgers Giants Rockies Padres That seems like the most "natural" and least invasive realignment, and it solves the "NL Central log-jam" problem. It also would get rid of the wild card, but in the process bring back REAL division races. However, it doesn't do much for the 4-team AL west... but who cares about that league anyways. If the leagues were still truly seperate, the NL administration would (should) approve this and watch their ratings go way up due to REAL pennant races at the end of the season.
Sure, why not. The leagues used to be COMPLETELY separate, with different umpires, different league presidents, and we still have the different rules. Why not go back to that??? The game is not better now than it was when they were separate entities.
Like the idea a lot except why just not go back to two divisions in each league? Take the two division winners and two wild cards, if u want to expand it then take two wild card in each division. Let's the WCs playoff and winners meet the division winners in the LDS.
Best article I've read on this issue so far. Completely agreed. http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2011/07/just_say_no.php Just Stop with the Astros to AL Talk AlreadyBy John Royal Mon., Jul. 4 2011 at 11:01 AM My twitter feed over the weekend was full up of tweets from people talking about how electric Minute Maid Park was, and about how packed it was with people just dying to see the Boston Red Sox play the Astros. And most of these people were using their tweets to once again trumpet the idiotic idea about how great it would be to see the Astros move to the AL so that it could be like this every night. My first thought is that the people who think this is a good idea must be the same idiots who voted Derek Jeter into this year's All Star Game. I've made my disgust at the idea of the Astros being moved to the American League clear in a past post. But after this past weekend, it's really something that needs to be addressed again. First, I'm not against realignment because I prefer NL-type baseball to AL-type baseball. I do, but hell, I'll watch any kind of baseball, so that's not a deal breaker -- I am, after all, still watching the Astros play. And with the lack of talent the Astros have on the major league roster and in the minor league system, it's not like they'll have much of a breakout candidate for DH anyway -- I'm praying that Carlos Lee has finally split town by the time this proposed move happens. And the Astros playing in the AL West, which would mean a lot of late-night road games on the West Coast, doesn't bother me. After all, as an actual, lifelong follower of the Astros -- not one of those bandwagon fans who didn't discover the team until it moved into Minute Maid Park -- I grew up on the Astros playing in the old NL West, which had them playing late-night road game after later-night road game after late-night road game in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Besides, if something like a late-night start bothers you, then you're not really much of a baseball fan anyway. And how come I never hear any b****ing on the West Coast about how much baseball they have to miss because their road games are being played while the fans are at work? My problems with this realignment discussion are these. First, there's the fact that the Astros, despite 50 years of history in the NL, are the primary candidate being asked to jettison their history, especially when there are more logical candidates who don't have this same history, i.e., the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers I'm also really bugged by the talk about how great this would be for the rivalry between the Rangers and the Astros. A rivalry which exists only in the minds of Drayton McLane, Bud Selig and the national sportswriters who keep pushing this move. If rivalry is the primary factor, then just move the damn Mets to the AL East. Here's the biggest fallacy: increased attendance. People keep talking about how great attendance will be, how electric the ballpark will be, when the Astros are hosting the Yankees and Red Sox every year. The first problem is that means the ball park is full of Yankee and Red Sox fans, and if you think Braves and Cardinals fans are douches, just wait for all of the front-running carpetbaggers filling the stadium every time Boston and New York come in. (Just look at how bad it was this weekend with Astros management catering the in-game entertainment toward the Red Sox fans, like playing "Sweet Caroline" yesterday or featuring Red Sox fans in the game giveaways.) But now let's think a bit. You do understand that, if the Astros move to the American League, they'll be playing more than just the Yankees, Red Sox and Rangers? You do, don't you? You do know that the Astros will also be playing the Kansas City Royals every season, and the Seattle Mariners, and the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Baltimore Orioles, and the Minnesota Twins. Do you know what's going to happen to that electric atmosphere of the Red Sox/Yankees when the Royals are in town? The place is going to be just as empty as it is when the Pittsburgh Pirates or Florida Marlins are in town. In other words, not a damn thing's going to change. The problem doesn't lie with the teams the Astros are playing in the NL. And the problem won't be fixed by who the Astros would be playing if they were forcibly moved to the AL. The problem is that the Astros are awful. They've been run by incompetents for far too long, with the result being the worst everyday lineup in the majors, the worst starting rotation in baseball and one of the worst farm systems in the minor leagues. If you want packed attendance and an electric atmosphere, there's just one solution. Put adults in charge of the franchise. Fix the farm system. Make this team a winning franchise once again. Then the place will be electric again, and it will be packed. But it won't be packed with carpetbagging Yankee or Red Sox fans, it'll be packed with Astros fans who are too disgusted to show their faces around the place now.
I've never seen a blip started by the media turn into something that's now being universally recognized as "the best solution". This is like god-damned inception... "The Astros are moving to the AL, and it will be great for everybody!" I'm against ANYBODY moving to the AL.... mainly because I don't think having a constant interleague series is a good idea. Additionally, I can't figure out who would play who in the constant interleague series... does every team play everybody once? Who gets to be the home team? Will they still take two weeks to do the "traditional" interleague series that the country seems to care more about than Rangers-Astros? (Mets-Yankees, Braves-Red Sox, Cubs-White Sox, Indians-Reds). I agree with the article as well about why do the Rangers-Astros have to be same division rivals? Why not Indians-Reds? Or Cubs-White Sox? I haven't seen much "rivalry" with the Pirates-Phillies being in the same state/league. The whole thing is a complete fabrication... planted by Selig, McLane, and anybody else who is more skewed by short term $$$ and fail to see the long-term ramifications. Much like how our current franchise is both suffering at the big leagues as well as in terms of minor league talent... because of short-sightedness, and attmpts to chase a quick $.
seriously...no kidding. not to mention, my understanding is MLB can't FORCE the 'stros to leave the NL.
I really like this solution. Four division winners, no wild cards. I dig it. I would swap the Rockies and the DBacks, because Arizona doesn't do Daylight Savings Time, so they're on the same time as California for baseball season.
Take it for what it's worth...also note the usage of "will" not would. JackMagruder http://www.foxsportshouston.com/07/...anding_astros.html?blockID=538373&feedID=3714
Total horse****. More propaganda about creating "natural rivalries". Should we be rooting for the AL now in this game?? First of all, this whole "imbalance" thing is a total copout. from 1972 - 1993, there were two more teams in the AL than the NL. 21+ freaking years. That idiot official who compares the current state to some "zany tennis tournament" clearly doesn't remember any recent history. Then the Rockies and Marlins came in and things were even. Things should have stopped there. 14 teams in each league. In 1998, could have moved the Expos to Arizona. Could have moved the almost soon to be contracted Twins to Tampa. Instead, they add the Dbacks and Rays, and allow the Brewers to move to the NL (and believe you me, Bud Selig wanted to get his team out of a Yankees-Red Sox division). If the 15-15 team was such a big deal, could have been done then. What I also don't get is that if they're going to abolish all divisions, and just go to 15 team "leagues" where the top 5 go to the playoffs, then it DOES NOT MATTER who moves to the "AL west". Move the Marlins, move the Nationals, move the Rockies, move the Brewers. Move any team that has less NL history than the Astros.
I really don't have a HUGE issue with it but not thrilled about it either. Two things that bug me...You can almost count on NYY and Boston being in the playoffs which leaves what three spots? While in the NL, even though Philly is strong, five spots will almost always be up for grabs. I also don't care for the complete disregard of almost 50 years of history instead of simply Arizona to the AL and shifting the Stros back to the NL West. Even when the Stros were contenders I didn't care about the Silver Boot and have no attachment to the Rangers while I do get pumped for ST Louis, Chicago and Atlanta.
Buster Olney started the rumor... of course he thinks that. Its spread like a virus. Every reason they've thrown out there is pure propaganda. The Astros will not benefit from moving to the AL... in fact, it could be the beginning of the end for this franchise... and by "end" I mean an extended (10+ year) stretch of being meaningless.
I guess we're screwed. USA Today's Bob Nightengale also chimes in with a HOU or AZ to AL West story. I hate how the Astros 50th Anniversary Season (51st overall 1962-2012) will be their swansong in the National League. Something that hasn't been kicked around-- if Cuban, or anyone else, owned the Rangers- rather than Nolan Ryan, would the Astros moving to the AL West even be an issue? I don't think Selig can say 'no' to a legend like Nolan. Oh well, at least Carlos Lee will have a position in two seasons.
I don't think it has much to do with Nolan. They want to go to even number of teams in each league.... they want to have an interleague series for every series... any team can say "no" to this deal, but the Astros are in a weaker position because a.) they suck now, and b.) they have a new owner who will get approved with a lot of "?" due to his history, and thus MLB will make him feel like they did him a favor and they expect the favor to be returned.
