What is WRONG with the 1 game playoff setup in relation to all post season series

[9RoyHobbsRF]

First I think there IS a problem with wild card teams (when there was 1) not worried about trying for the division title and coasting into the playoffs where there was really very little difference between making the playoffs as a division champion or making it as a wild card.

But...

1) the teams are allowed to submit a 1 game playoff roster, which means they can load up on relief pitchers and bench players and not worry about starting pitchers - the obvious solution would be to submit a playoff roster to make it through at least the wild card game AND 1 round

2) then the next series, I do not like that the best teams with the best records are forced to open the series on the road - I don't care if it is 2-3 setup and supposedly willget the home field advantage but only if the series goes at least 5 games (the maximum), they should open at home and go 2-2-1 or whatever

3) related, how insane is it the #1 seed in both leagues will not know until very late on Friday which city they have to travel to to start the best of 5 series - giving them a day or a day and a quarter at most to travel and/or make travel plans - again a huge penalty for a team with the supposed #1 seed

fix one problem (wild card teams with no incentive to get division) and create 3 (or more) new ones

bud selig at his best

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Did MLB go back to the 2-3 format because of scheduling issues? I'm still pissed about the 1997 Giants having to start the NLDS on the road in Miami.

[drdg]

First I think there IS a problem with wild card teams (when there was 1) not worried about trying for the division title and coasting into the playoffs where there was really very little difference between making the playoffs as a division champion or making it as a wild card.

But...

1) the teams are allowed to submit a 1 game playoff roster, which means they can load up on relief pitchers and bench players and not worry about starting pitchers - the obvious solution would be to submit a playoff roster to make it through at least the wild card game AND 1 round

2) then the next series, I do not like that the best teams with the best records are forced to open the series on the road - I don't care if it is 2-3 setup and supposedly willget the home field advantage but only if the series goes at least 5 games (the maximum), they should open at home and go 2-2-1 or whatever

3) related, how insane is it the #1 seed in both leagues will not know until very late on Friday which city they have to travel to to start the best of 5 series - giving them a day or a day and a quarter at most to travel and/or make travel plans - again a huge penalty for a team with the supposed #1 seed

fix one problem (wild card teams with no incentive to get division) and create 3 (or more) new ones

bud selig at his best

ALL YOUR PROBLEMs ARE NOTED BY MLB
this format will only happen this year because the playoff tv schedule was already set
next year they will go back to the 2-2-1 format
and they are still thinking about making the W/C best of 3
as baseball is base on series (mostly 3 games) and NOT a one game do or die

[ipitch]

They are going back to 2-2-1 next year.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120229&content_id=26927024

[9RoyHobbsRF]

ALL YOUR PROBLEMs ARE NOTED BY MLB
this format will only happen this year because the playoff tv schedule was already set
next year they will go back to the 2-2-1 format
and they are still thinking about making the W/C best of 3
as baseball is base on series (mostly 3 games) and NOT a one game do or die

thx for the info

I think that it would be BAD to go to a best of 3 - then you will have 6 teams standiing around for 4-5 days twisting their thumbs

[drdg]

thx for the info

I think that it would be BAD to go to a best of 3 - then you will have 6 teams standiing around for 4-5 days twisting their thumbs

there is a 4 days wait, any ways
as the last game of the season was on wed,
and the first game of the DS won't start till sunday
same wait time for 2013

[Tyrus4189Cobb]

They are going back to 2-2-1 next year.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...nt_id=26927024

So back to one wild card next year?

[drdg]

So back to one wild card next year?

most likely

they can think about and have meeting about future changes
such as making the W/C series a 3 game series
but nothing is going happen or take effect until it is approve by the mlbpa

[Tyrus4189Cobb]

That's a relief. I hate two wild cards. Eight playoff teams are plenty. None of this one game or three game wild card business.

[west coast orange and black]

that this 2-3 debacle might be in place for only this season does not soothe me.
teams are affected this season.

the onus ought not be placed on the number 1 seeds.

[Pere]

They are definitely not reverting to one wild card next year. Only the scheduling, with higher seeds opening round 2 on the road, was a one-time deal this year, to account for the regular season and World Series having been planned before the playoff format was finalized.

The playoff format change is here to stay for a while. Point #1 in the OP, about rosters, is a feature, not a bug. Personally I love it--really sets these games apart from what comes before and after.

I just wish managers and announcers and commentators could stop using nonsense terms like "one-game series" and "best of one."

[Ben Grimm]

I don't mind the 2nd wild card entry at all. Baseball still has the lowest percantage of teams making the postseason among the four majors (if hockey's still considered in that group). It's not like teams are skimming in with .500 or worse records like we've seen in the other sports. Even this year, both of the AL's entries (Texas & Baltimore) had better records than the Central's division winner - the Tigers.

What I do mind is how everything was rushed to be done for this season while many (all of them being much more knowledgeable than me) thought it'd be best to wait until the 2013 season to do these changes and work from a clean slate. These changes weren't made until the owners approved them back in January or so while in Phoenix. Schedules were already posted so there was only a 1- or 2-day window at the end of the season with which to work in getting an extra WC team involved.

But there was money available. There'd be a bidding process to get television rights for these games. With an extra WC slot open in each league, that would keep more teams involved later in the season with either a viable chance (Boston was still in the mix near the deadline) or artificial (Pittsburgh was 15 games over .500 on 7/31) chance to reach the postseason. This means more butts in the seats and more people watching on tv. The current national television contracts were set to expire as well, and getting these extra people through the gates and watching at home could increase the size of the new deals - and very possibly did as the extensions were all anounced prior to the end of the season.

As long as there's money to be made, it was too much for the owners to pass up IMO. What it gave us was an unfinished product. But it did make for exciting baseball in September in a few towns where it wouldn't have under the old setup.

As an example, here in Philly the majority was against an extra WC team - to the point of despising another team being allowed to enter the fray. That could be attributed to the Phillies having won the NL East the past five seasons. But by early August, when they began winning, the extra WC became a welcomed addition around here simply because fans have seen teams get hot at the right time and run the table in October - see Cardinals, St. Louis 2011. Since the WC was introduced in '95, we've seen 10 teams reach the World Series who didn't win their respective divisions (29%). This shows that not only do more teams have a shot to reach the postseason, but they actually have a "decent" chance to make it to the Classic.

Like I said, I like the idea. I simply don' t like seeing an unfinished product. Maybe I'll have a different view after next year, but I think I'll like it even more if expanded to a 3-game series.

[StanTheMan]

The playoff format change is here to stay for a while. Point #1 in the OP, about rosters, is a feature, not a bug. Personally I love it--really sets these games apart from what comes before...

Agreed. It has a certain appeal as a very unique game.

[64Cards]

I like the 1 game. MLB is at its best when you get down to elimination games. I'd like to see the LDS go to a best of 3, the LCS go back to best of 5 and the WS stay best of 7. NFL playoffs and the NCAA hoops tourney has been great stuff because every game is elimination.

As far as the rosters, teams should announce a post season roster before and the only changes would be allowed for injury replacements. No changing for each series.

[Bothrops Atrox]

I heard this idea tonight over on THE BOOK:

The Wild Card round is either a 1 or 2 game series. If the second WC team is more than X wins behind the first WC team, they have to win both games to advance. The 1st place WC team has to win just one.

I like the idea with a few caveats: W/L record only tells part of a story. Strength of schedule? Injuries? Bad luck? Run differential? At what W/L gap can we really be assured that one team really deserves the extra game? Is a 3 win gap (as has been suggested by a BOOK poster) even the least bit significant, statistically? Is a 94 -win Braves team really that much better on paper than an 88 win, defending champ with a billion All Stars and a much better run differential? Does it even matter? I don't know. I definitely think the idea is intriguing to say the least. You make it harder for the 5th team to win and still have the big-time drama MLB is looking for.