As discussed in this space previously, we will shortly see again the travesty of baseball's ill-conceived "One & Done" playoff.
For those not paying attention, the teams with the three (3) best records in all of MLB are clustered in the National League's Central Division. The Cards accumulated 100 wins; the Pirates had 98; the Cubs had 97. None of the other 27 teams in MLB had more than 95.
And yet, either the Pirates or the Cubs will be done on Wednesday night after their one-game playoff. The bookies in Lost Wages consider the Cubs to be strong favorites with ace pitcher Arrieta being virtually unhittable in the past month, and on paper at least, more than a match for the Pirates' ace, Gerrit Cole.
So regardless of who wins on Wednesday, a team with more wins than any of the other five Division champions will be watching the playoffs on TV.
On the American League side, two teams with mediocre records (10 games over .500 vs. 12 games over .500) will be fighting it out on Tuesday night, which is a scenario that I suppose the MLB Big Shots envisioned with this playoff system. That particular game will be interesting to watch, as both pitchers have been World Beaters at times this year, but they both cannot win on Tuesday.
It almost goes without saying that with three divisions in each league, a single "wildcard" team was a logical addition to the playoff system, creating a four-team league playoff and ensuring that a team with a great record would not be shut out of the playoffs due to being in the same division with a superior team. The fifth league "playoff" team was a horrible mistake, done only with the crass intention of keeping as many teams in playoff contention for as long as possible, in order to maximize late-season ticket sales.
Baseball teams have a different character and different prospects, depending on who is pitching. When Steve Carlton was in his heyday with the Phillies, they were World Champions with him on the mound and chumps with anyone else. Thus, One & Done is an absurd concept for professional baseball, as it allows a mediocre team with one Horse (e.g., last year's San Francisco Giants) to prevail against teams that have demonstrated superiority over a 162 game season. It ain't right.
For those not paying attention, the teams with the three (3) best records in all of MLB are clustered in the National League's Central Division. The Cards accumulated 100 wins; the Pirates had 98; the Cubs had 97. None of the other 27 teams in MLB had more than 95.
And yet, either the Pirates or the Cubs will be done on Wednesday night after their one-game playoff. The bookies in Lost Wages consider the Cubs to be strong favorites with ace pitcher Arrieta being virtually unhittable in the past month, and on paper at least, more than a match for the Pirates' ace, Gerrit Cole.
So regardless of who wins on Wednesday, a team with more wins than any of the other five Division champions will be watching the playoffs on TV.
On the American League side, two teams with mediocre records (10 games over .500 vs. 12 games over .500) will be fighting it out on Tuesday night, which is a scenario that I suppose the MLB Big Shots envisioned with this playoff system. That particular game will be interesting to watch, as both pitchers have been World Beaters at times this year, but they both cannot win on Tuesday.
It almost goes without saying that with three divisions in each league, a single "wildcard" team was a logical addition to the playoff system, creating a four-team league playoff and ensuring that a team with a great record would not be shut out of the playoffs due to being in the same division with a superior team. The fifth league "playoff" team was a horrible mistake, done only with the crass intention of keeping as many teams in playoff contention for as long as possible, in order to maximize late-season ticket sales.
Baseball teams have a different character and different prospects, depending on who is pitching. When Steve Carlton was in his heyday with the Phillies, they were World Champions with him on the mound and chumps with anyone else. Thus, One & Done is an absurd concept for professional baseball, as it allows a mediocre team with one Horse (e.g., last year's San Francisco Giants) to prevail against teams that have demonstrated superiority over a 162 game season. It ain't right.
