Baseball realignment

[terp_fan99]

I think this article is exactly right in what baseball should do about their so called "Tampa Bay" problem. Rather than Bud Selig getting super crazy and implementing a floating realignment idea that ruins the game even more, why doesn't he just go back to how baseball was for the first 60 years when there was just the AL and the NL without divisions? Here's a part of the article that summarizes what they should do:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_yl...lignment042010

If Major League Baseball is serious about competitive balance, it needs to scrap divisional realignment and embrace something far more drastic.


Unalignment.


Get rid of divisions. Get rid of unbalanced schedules. Get rid of inequality.


It’s quite simple. Make two leagues, the American and National, with no geographical split. The AL has 14 teams and the NL 16 or, for true equitability, each league goes with 15 and baseball turns interleague play into a season-long event. Either way, the teams with the four best records in each league make the playoffs.


Short of a salary cap, to which the players’ union will never agree, bringing socialism to alignment is the clearest way. Treat every team as equally as possible when it comes to scheduling, travel and pathway to the postseason.


This is not a novel concept. ESPN’s Buster Olney floated something similar. NBC’s Craig Calcaterra agrees with the concept. It has support – albeit silent – from players, managers and executives throughout the game. It’s a significantly better idea than the so-called floating realignment that allows teams to change divisions based on their predicted competitiveness. It’s better than simply adding another wild-card team, which creates two problems: a postseason that could stretch closer to Thanksgiving than Halloween, and a less meaningful regular season.


The plan takes the best part of the NBA and NHL’s postseason structure – the rewarding of the best-performing teams, division be damned – and applies it without the interminably of those leagues’ playoffs.

Thoughts?

[Dexter Morgan]

It's an interesting idea. If they did this, I would like to see MLB shorten the season back down to 154 games and lose inter-league play. That way, each team would play each other 11 times. That way everyone plays the same schedule, and you could truly find out the best team.

I'm not sure about the playoffs, though. I'm not a fan of having 8 teams like the NBA and NHL, where a team that doesn't even win half of its games makes it in. I don't think the NFL route would work, either. Byes are just not doable in MLB. Maybe just leave it at a straight up 4, where 1/4 and 2/3 play in the first round.

Yeah I realize you can't schedule pitching matchups to keep everything 100% equal, but this would be the best way to achieve what they're looking for.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by Blu Atlas

I'm not sure about the playoffs, though. I'm not a fan of having 8 teams like the NBA and NHL, where a team that doesn't even win half of its games makes it in. I don't think the NFL route would work, either. Byes are just not doable in MLB. Maybe just leave it at a straight up 4, where 1/4 and 2/3 play in the first round.

it does get people and towns into a team that while might be out in 1 series still made the playoffs and garnered some support.

[Dexter Morgan]

Originally Posted by supersix4

it does get people and towns into a team that while might be out in 1 series still made the playoffs and garnered some support.

That's true, but I still have a problem saturating sports playoffs with mediocrity.

[Clark Kent]

An awful idea that only appears to be pushed because of the Yankee and Red Sox problem. The real solution is keeping the current structure in place and putting one of those two teams in the AL Central. I realize that blows up the rivalry, but it would work. Go back to balanced schedules, like it was in the past.

[terp_fan99]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

An awful idea that only appears to be pushed because of the Yankee and Red Sox problem. The real solution is keeping the current structure in place and putting one of those two teams in the AL Central. I realize that blows up the rivalry, but it would work. Go back to balanced schedules, like it was in the past.

Actually the real solution would be to get a salary cap & floor, but the players union and Steinbrenner would never go for that. Money always rules before fairness (see the college bowl system).

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by Blu Atlas

That's true, but I still have a problem saturating sports playoffs with mediocrity.

True its like every kid gets a trophy lmao, sometimes there has to be losers in life.

But I do think it helps get more markets and more people into the sport/ team. If I'm not mistaken I believe the NBA's numbers are up even with tons of mediocrity/averageness, besides a couple teams.