The wild card

by BruceG

I've never liked the wild card system. Last year we had a World Series between two teams which never would have been considered for a World Series if the old rule (best in the two leagues played each other) had been followed. This year, I'm grateful for the fact that the Yanks will get into the playoffs even though they came up 2 games short of the Red Sox, because of this wild card rule. And maybe they'll make up for last year, when they got eliminated from the playoffs by the wild card team, and win it all. But it still doesn't really feel right.

If you play a 162-game season, twice as many as the NBA or NHL and 10 times as many as the NFL, it really ought to be enough to determine a league champion.

In some ways I'm receptive to change -- I love the DH rule in the AL -- but I still don't like the way the playoffs are set up, with a wild-card team that can end up winning the WS even when it can't win its own division. And I say this even if the Yanks benefit by it this year.

DonatevoMajor Leaguer

818 days ago

Score 0

It just creates more interest if they include the wildcards. Heck, the Yanks could win the whole thing!

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WrmjrRed-Shirting

818 days ago

Score -1

I'm not a big fan of the wild card, but I like it better than the DH.

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TrizzAll-American

818 days ago

Score 0

as a sox fan im torn on the wild card, we made the playoffs in 03,04 and 05 as wild cards but had there been no wild card this year the yankees would be home hmmm

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JoshkrossDraft Pick

818 days ago

Score -1

The fact that the NL had 5-7 teams vying for playoff spots and the drama that brought speaks wonders for the Wild Card.

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BrittschrammRed-Shirting

818 days ago

Score 0

I'm for the wild card. While the playoffs only determine who is the hottest team at the time, it does allow a chance for teams who may not have had their best lineup during the year due to injuries. And if the home teams didn't fold up like lawn chairs in October, there would be no talk about how the wild cards are winning too much of the time.

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Silencer76AAA-er

818 days ago

Score 0

Uh, genius, it would be tough to have the two best teams when there are three divisions per league. By your count, we should go back to pre expansion days, and have everyone battle for the pennant in one giant clusterfuck and then NO ONE can bitch and complain.

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BRGJV Squad

816 days ago

Score 0

I wouldn't mind that, in fact. But with divisions there are two ways we could go and still keep the playoffs, while making sure that nobody wins the WS who can't even win their division:

1) Go to 4 divisions. This would be easy in the NL, make 4 4-team divisions. In the AL, unless they expand to 16 like the NL, 2 would have to be only 3-team divisions. But then you'd only have division winners in the playoffs.

2) Keep the present 3 divisions, but give the division winner with the best record a bye in the LDS, to play directly in the LCS against the winner of the series between the other 2 division winners.

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