Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Yet Again, The Wild-Card System Sucks!
We're not gonna cave in.
The wild-card system still sucks.
Every once in a while, we take a look at what the standings would look like if the previous two-division-per-league-and-no-wild-card set-up were being used. Usually the results show the races would have been much more exciting with it. This year is no exception.
In the American League, the Yankees lead their division by 10 1/2 games, the A's by 5 1/2, and the Tigers by 1 1/2. The Tigers' division, however, contains the team that will most likely win the wild card spot, so that small lead isn't as dramatic as it might appear to unenlightened baseball fans.
In a pre-1994 baseball world, the Yankees would lead the Tigers by one game, and the Twins would lead the White Sox by 1 1/2 and the A's by 2. Winner goes to the playoffs, loser goes home. No cushion. Again, a reminder that the Red Sox/Yankees race of 1978 and the Braves/Giants race of 1993 would have been complete ho-hum borefests because both teams would have been assured of a playoff spot with plenty of time left in the season.
In the National League, the Mets are running away with the East, St. Louis has a 5-game lead on the Reds, and the Dodgers hold a 1-1/2 game lead over San Diego. But again, the Padres currently hold the wild-card lead. If this were 1993, the Mets would still be running away with it, but the Dodgers' 1-1/2 game lead would be the same, with the Giants 4 back and with an extra team, the Reds, thrown into the mix not too far behind them.
So, three of the four divisions in the prior set-up would be having great races right now, as opposed to the way it is now: Four teams have sizeable leads, and the two teams with small leads will likely see the team behind them make the playoffs as well.
So the "drama" is entirely confined to the two wild-card races this year. And there is a chance that the race for second place will be over before the final weekend starts.
Is that really what people still want? Is this better than the Braves/Giants race of 1993? No. It's not opinion; it is medical fact: It is not better than the 1993 race.
We here at E.K. Nation fail to see how the current system makes baseball more exciting. We don't even listen to arguments anymore. There isn't a convincing one in the bunch.
The wild-card system still sucks.
Every once in a while, we take a look at what the standings would look like if the previous two-division-per-league-and-no-wild-card set-up were being used. Usually the results show the races would have been much more exciting with it. This year is no exception.
In the American League, the Yankees lead their division by 10 1/2 games, the A's by 5 1/2, and the Tigers by 1 1/2. The Tigers' division, however, contains the team that will most likely win the wild card spot, so that small lead isn't as dramatic as it might appear to unenlightened baseball fans.
In a pre-1994 baseball world, the Yankees would lead the Tigers by one game, and the Twins would lead the White Sox by 1 1/2 and the A's by 2. Winner goes to the playoffs, loser goes home. No cushion. Again, a reminder that the Red Sox/Yankees race of 1978 and the Braves/Giants race of 1993 would have been complete ho-hum borefests because both teams would have been assured of a playoff spot with plenty of time left in the season.
In the National League, the Mets are running away with the East, St. Louis has a 5-game lead on the Reds, and the Dodgers hold a 1-1/2 game lead over San Diego. But again, the Padres currently hold the wild-card lead. If this were 1993, the Mets would still be running away with it, but the Dodgers' 1-1/2 game lead would be the same, with the Giants 4 back and with an extra team, the Reds, thrown into the mix not too far behind them.
So, three of the four divisions in the prior set-up would be having great races right now, as opposed to the way it is now: Four teams have sizeable leads, and the two teams with small leads will likely see the team behind them make the playoffs as well.
So the "drama" is entirely confined to the two wild-card races this year. And there is a chance that the race for second place will be over before the final weekend starts.
Is that really what people still want? Is this better than the Braves/Giants race of 1993? No. It's not opinion; it is medical fact: It is not better than the 1993 race.
We here at E.K. Nation fail to see how the current system makes baseball more exciting. We don't even listen to arguments anymore. There isn't a convincing one in the bunch.
