Fixing the MLB playoffs

[Dan Druff]

Here is my suggestion to strike a balance between the situation pre-1994 (where teams winning more than 100 games would sometimes miss the playoffs) and the situation today (where 10 of 30 teams make the playoffs, including ones with worse than a .540 winning percentage).

I know that this will never happen, because the economics of the game dictate that more teams in contention means more fans at the stadium and better TV ratings. But if it were fair, this is how I think it should be:

- Eliminate 2nd wildcard

- Take the best non-division-winner. If they lost 70 or fewer games, grant them the wildcard, and put them in a 7-game (not 5) series with the best division winner. The other two division winners will also face off in a best of 7. If every non-division winner has more than 70 losses, give the best division winner a "bye" in the first round.

- Eliminate the All Star Game determining World Series home field advantage BS. Award it to the team with the best regular season record.

This would accomplish the following:

1) Make sure every team in the playoffs either won their division or lost no more than 70 games.

2) Eliminates the ridiculous 1-game-playoff series (except as a regular season tiebreaker)

3) Restores home field advantage in the World Series to the best regular season team

4) Gives a substantial reward to the best regular season team in each league, to where they will sometimes skip the first round if there is no wildcard team.

[Sanlmar]

Again, Druff, there are two seasons in sports. Regular & tournament.

Winning 120 or going undefeated if you have not built a good tournament team is meaningless. That's fine.

Noodle the idea that baseball should measure "series" won during regular season.

So baseball divides its season into series that mean nothing. They mean nothing! Three-game series with Rockies, three-game series with Giants;you win two, you lose one — great — and you move onto the next one. Why not make the series worth something? Why not make every series like match play in golf?

Makes regular season more interesting & meaningful.

Dodgers pay a more substantial price for playing in slap nut division.

[Daredevil]

The whole idea of divisions is silly. Every team in each league should play every other team an equal number of times, and then the top X amount make the playoffs.

[JoeSeboksMicropenis]

My opinion - neither team should have home field advantage in the WS.

Instead, game 5 should be scheduled to take place at a neutral stadium. This would guarantee each team two home games (which right now is all any team is guaranteed in the WS anyway), and would remove any sort of controversy about how to decide who gets home field advantage.

Basically, treat game 5 like the super bowl - have it happen at different venues.

[Dan Druff]

The whole idea of divisions is silly. Every team in each league should play every other team an equal number of times, and then the top X amount make the playoffs.

I think divisions are fine, because it reduces cross-country travel -- something necessary for a 162-game season.

[Dan Druff]

My opinion - neither team should have home field advantage in the WS.

Instead, game 5 should be scheduled to take place at a neutral stadium. This would guarantee each team two home games (which right now is all any team is guaranteed in the WS anyway), and would remove any sort of controversy about how to decide who gets home field advantage.

Basically, treat game 5 like the super bowl - have it happen at different venues.

Disagree. It would be really annoying as a fan to want to attend your team's championship game(s) and have it be thousands of miles away.

Never liked the Super Bowl system.

[abrown83]

I have proposed this in other places but

League Structure

3 Divisions with 10 teams.

Combine current West, Central and East Divisions.

Play your division 12 times (6 and 6)
Play 9 teams from each of the other divisions (3 games)

Keeps current 162 game schedule

Playoffs

Division winner gets a bye.

Second and Third have 5 game series.

Then resorted by record (7 game series)

1 plays 4
2 plays 3

World Series (7 game series)

Home field advantage to best record.

Other Tidbits

Eliminate All Star game or come up with new format.

DH use determined by coin-flip at the beginning of the game.


My idea adds some new elements to baseball which is badly needed at this point.

[BeerAndPoker]

Druff- While the MLB playoff structure could be improved and favors wildcard teams who are playing best now it is what it is. Does it screw the teams who were most consistent all year until the end of the season? Sure! No system will be perfect when you can easily have a division that bombs so badly that a team with a 83-79 record wins their division while in another division three teams have a better record then that.

This type of problem happens in all sports from time to time. The Eastern Conference (NBA) for years had a #7 and #8 seed teams with below .500 records that made the playoffs which sucks but usually they get bounced out right away because a few talented players on the court make all the difference compared to baseball which is the truest team game with so many variables. We also have the NFC South right now where if the playoffs started today the Saints at 4-6 would win the division getting the guaranteed playoff spot. The NFL going to four divisions per conference back in 2002 was a dumb idea for things like this.

I'm also surprised at how much you have been betting the NBA lately when that is the most fixed/rigged game in pro sports. I tried to watch a few games this year and it just amazes me how poor the product is compared to the 90s when I watched the NBA regularly. Today's professional game contains a whole lot of sloppy play, horrible shooting,etc... No wonder they want kids to go to college at least one year because the overall product is terrible.

[Daredevil]

The whole idea of divisions is silly. Every team in each league should play every other team an equal number of times, and then the top X amount make the playoffs.

I think divisions are fine, because it reduces cross-country travel -- something necessary for a 162-game season.

True, but I don't need a 162 game season. And it's just not fair if you have to play in a tough division. I want the best teams making the playoffs. Not worse teams that have good records because they keep playing shitty teams all the time.

[Hockey Guy]

Considering there's nothing wrong with the MLB playoffs, except in Druff's head, I did not take the time to read this thread.

Carry on.

[ToasterOven]

The playoffs are perfectly fine. It's a huge disadvantage to be a wildcard, not just because it's a one game "series", but you also fuck up your rotation if you do win that game.

[Dan Druff]

Let's take the San Francisco Giants, the "dynasty" champions of 2014.

Late in the season, while trying to catch the Dodgers, the Giants got swept by the lowly San Diego Padres in a 3-game series.

What's my point?

Here was a very important series to the Giants, and they couldn't win a single game against a bad team.

Were the Giants a worse team than the Padres? Certainly not.

But this shows how much variance there is in baseball, to where a much worse team playing temporarily better can go on an improbable winning streak.

Now think about the MLB playoffs, and realize that any team -- even losing ones -- could win three playoff series if given the chance and running sufficiently well for the moment.

Baseball is different from the NBA, where the lesser teams almost never run deep in the playoffs.

In the NBA, I don't mind the stupid gimmick with half the teams making the postseason, because most of them are drawing dead anyway. In baseball, no one in the playoffs is drawing dead.

For that reason, you need to emphasize the regular season more, and assure it's a contest of really good teams, rather than a crapshoot featuring the top 1/3 of all MLB clubs.

[JUSTIFIEDhomicide]

Considering there's nothing wrong with the MLB playoffs, except in Druff's head, I did not take the time to read this thread.

Carry on.

Right, he might as well ended with

9. Make sure the Dodgers are in the WS every year.

Yeah, that'll fix the playoffs!

[SrslySirius]

Why even have a regular season? Just start the playoffs from day 1 and let every team in.

Fall madness! Anything can happen! Go Diamondbacks!

[abrown83]

Druff I think you and MLB have a fundamental difference in what you are trying to achieve.

MLB cares about the best story and best ratings not the best team winning.

This is true in all professional sports and not just baseball.

[herbertstemple]

Why don't we fix the NFL playoffs first?

New Orleans and Atlanta are in a heated battle for first place in the NFC South tied at a scintillating 4 - 7. One of these teams or Carolina @ 3 - 7 - 1 makes the playoffs. Last year Arizona 10 - 6 missed out while 2 teams with lesser records(1 from the NFC) made the playoffs.

In baseball, you play 162 games, even though you may get screwed, you still have plenty of chances to win enough to make the playoffs. NFL season has so few games that the best teams should get in.

[Sanlmar]

In the NBA half the teams are deliberately tanking for the draft choice. It is the only league where serious discussion is had about the merits of losing. The separation between good & bad is laughably extreme.

Variance. What superior MLB teams were jobbed by variance in the playoffs Druff?

[Sanlmar]

Let's take the San Francisco Giants, the "dynasty" champions of 2014.

Late in the season, while trying to catch the Dodgers, the Giants got swept by the lowly San Diego Padres in a 3-game series.

What's my point?

Here was a very important series to the Giants, and they couldn't win a single game against a bad team.

Were the Giants a worse team than the Padres? Certainly not.

But this shows how much variance there is in baseball, to where a much worse team playing temporarily better can go on an improbable winning streak.

Now think about the MLB playoffs, and realize that any team -- even losing ones -- could win three playoff series if given the chance and running sufficiently well for the moment.

Baseball is different from the NBA, where the lesser teams almost never run deep in the playoffs.

In the NBA, I don't mind the stupid gimmick with half the teams making the postseason, because most of them are drawing dead anyway. In baseball, no one in the playoffs is drawing dead.

For that reason, you need to emphasize the regular season more, and assure it's a contest of really good teams, rather than a crapshoot featuring the top 1/3 of all MLB clubs.

In the NBA half the teams are deliberately tanking for the draft choice. It is the only league where serious discussion is had about the merits of losing. The separation between good & bad is laughably extreme.

Variance. What superior MLB teams were jobbed by variance in the playoffs Druff?

Lol playoff variance MLB vs NBA. Title of thread uses term FIXING.

Stevie Wonder had it wrong. "When you believe in things you don't understand ... its variance - not superstition.

NBA playoffs probably did have less variance (under Stern). I have to think about some of my favorite NBA playoff fixes.

I remember one classic with the Lakers about 8 years ago. In another (2 years ago?) LeBron forced to the bench with 4-5 fouls at halftime and popped a minute or two into third to sit his ass down on ridiculous calls to extend playoff series.

NBA playoffs were scripted. There is nothing left to chance. Less variance.

Basketball is the one sport where virtually every play is judged by the official and can be nullified. NFL is fast approaching NBA territory in their quest to eliminate contact.

Frankly, BNP's prime time NFL overs (in this golden age of Fantasy football) has me taking a hard look.

Trying to eliminate contact in a contact sport is the Pandora's box.


Edit: it was 2002 Lakers Kings Western Conference Final.

Too lazy to dig but this was good.

Heat vs Pacers Game 5: the most referee-rigged game in NBA history
http://www.stableytimes.com/news/hea...history/17214/

[JUSTIFIEDhomicide]

In the NBA half the teams are deliberately tanking for the draft choice. It is the only league where serious discussion is had about the merits of losing. The separation between good & bad is laughably extreme.

Variance. What superior MLB teams were jobbed by variance in the playoffs Druff?

I just don't believe in tanking.

I don't think teams actually 'tank' games.

I think Gms set them up for failure in order to achieve high picks ie. my poor 76ers, but I don't think teams aren't trying as hard as they can etc to get a pick. I think certain teams cap wise are built to not compete as well

[Sanlmar]

Druff utters a silent prayer of thanks for the current Wildcard structure.