In Defense of MLB’s “This One Counts” All Star Gimmick
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by user Joshkross
Let me preface this by saying a couple things:
- This is my first post, bear with me. (feel free to edit)
- I grant completely that this is a gimmick and it is ridiculous that a mid-season exhibition game should potentially determine the outcome of the World Series.
I have always been a proponent of the team with the best record having home field in the World Series. While there are some issues, (unbalanced schedule, etc.) ultimately the best team should have home field. Or should it? It depends on how you define the “Best team.”
If the season ended right now, and we base the rankings off of winning percentage, the playoff teams would be ranked as follows:
- Mets - .626
- Detroit - .624
- Yankees - .595
- White Sox - .591
- Oakland - .579
- St. Louis - .534
- Dodgers - .534
- Padres - .511
The Mets would get home field advantage. Even if they slipped a little bit between now and the end of the season, the only team who would probably gain over them is the Tigers.
We all know that the A.L. is a significantly better league this year. All four teams in the A.L. have a stronger strength of schedule than the four N.L. teams.
- Oakland - .517
- Detroit - .512
- Yankees - .512
- White Sox - .510
- Mets - .493
- Dodgers - .492
- Padres - .490
- Cardinals - .478
Clearly, Detroit and the other [A.L.] teams have had a harder road to their records than the Mets have. In this context, the A.L. teams are more deserving of home field advantage.
This year’s All Star game, won by the A.L. in dramatic fashion, was the third to “count,” following 2002’s disastrous tie. This is what led MLB to switch from the silliness of alternate years to the All Star game deciding who gets home field.
The A.L. is the better league right now and this, to some small extent, is reflected by their win in the All Star game. In 2005, home field went to the right team, as the White Sox had the best record and a better SOS than the Astros. In 2004, the Cardinals had the better record, but the Sawx had a better SOS, and were clearly the better team. In 2003, the Yankees had 10 more wins than the Marlins, but a lower SOS. Perhaps this is the only year where the home field advantage did not play out right with SOS, but the win differential is definitely greater than in any other year.
To sum up, even if the Mets wind up with the best record in baseball, and make the World Series, they may not really deserve home field this year, because the N.L. is so much weaker. The A.L. helped show this in the All Star game, which helps their teams gain the advantage.
I'm not sure I buy this argument fully, but I think this year, it could make up for the disparity between the leagues.
Date
Thu 08/31/06, 9:29 am EST
