new playoff format good for rays?

[dominik]

I don't like that format but I think it is quite good for the rays. I will always be hard with the sox and yanks so two teams getting a card (but having to play a one game playoff) might be good for the rays.

of course that extra game is tough and you lose your ace for game 1 but it's not like the rays 4 and 5 starters are bad. of course it is still a crapshoot but better than not making it at all.

I know the rays made it anyway 3 out of 4 times since 08 but the red sox have been very bad two times (10 and 11) and the yanks were very bad in 08. of course the rays still played great but if the sox and yanks all play in top shape they still will be hard to beat.

so in the long run this could help the rays.

what do you think?

[raysnbran]

I agree it will help the Rays, and the GM certainly thinks so too. It may be one game, and it may be against the Yanks or Boston. But anytime you have a chance, you go for it. I don't particularly like the idea of playing nearly every day for 6 months and having one bad game in game 163. But any chance is a good thing.

[Yaz]

It helps the Rays but was designed to keep NY and BOS alive in October. It will help sell a few more tickets as more teams will be in the hunt later into the year. After what happened last year though all teams and their fan base should keep fighting to the end.

I like that it uses up a starter because it will reward a team like the Rays for having a balanced rotation. That will be a refreshing change from the rest of the playoffs which merely requires a team to have three competent starters ('09 Yankees).

[raysnbran]

Nobody on the Orioles read this thread in March, unfortunately for us