Change MLB playoffs?

[Jorgie]

On Friday they were interviewing the sports writer for the Wall Street Journal on NPR. They were discussing how the format for MLB playoffs should be changed. The argument was that the wild card spot makes winning the division worthless so in the last few weeks of the season you get boring baseball. They seem to think home field advantage isn't worth it. And Tom Verducci from SI has similar sentiments here .

Despite the guy from Wall Street and Verducci's stats, I think the wild card is a good thing. It gives other teams a needed shot to get in. Before the Twins' season turned south, it was nice to know that if we didn't win the division, the wild card was still a possibility. If they really want to change the playoff format, they should go with 4 divisions of 4 teams. But that would mean realigning the AL and NL.

I'm curious what you think of the wild card, and if the playoffs should be changed, how?

[zamboni]

Wild Cards have done well in playoffs in the past. The Marlins have won both of their WS titles as a wild card. The Tigers made it to the WS as a wild card last season. I know there are more, but these are the 2 that come to mind right off. I personally don't like the All Star winner deciding home field for the WS, the participating teams records should decide that. If the AL and NL WS teams enter the WS with the same record, then their interleague record should decide the home field advantage. Don't award a team because of how their entire leagues All Stars do in one game- reward them on how THEY did over the course of the season. I know I just said interleague play- they need to get rid of that in my opinion as well. It was kinda cool when they started it, but now what USED to make the WS special back when was 2 teams that never got to play each other finally do. Just think- they have the rivalry match-ups now in interleague, the Twins VS Brewers, Royals VS Cards, Yankees VS Mets, White Sox VS Cubs, there are more I know, but you get my point- and now every year these matchups take place like 6 or 7 times a season, if these rivalry matchups meet again in the WS it wouldn't make it "special" if they have already played each other 7 times in the regular season. Alot of this would change if Selig were ever replaced, he has been horrible as commisioner, and FOR PETES SAKE- LET HIM INTO THE HALL!!

[maros91]

Quote:

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The argument was that the wild card spot makes winning the division worthless so in the last few weeks of the season you get boring baseball.

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The last few weeks of this season was anything but boring. Keep the playoffs the way they are. If they switched it back to what it normally was there would only be 2 teams going to the playoffs. Keep it the way it is. It gives more teams a chance to get in. Plus 6 out of the last 10 World Series winners have been wild Card teams.

[ozzie]

The Red Sox won the division for the first time since 1995.....if they didn't have a Wild Card they wouldn't have won the 2004 World Series and wouldn't have played a playoff game since 95

[DonBo]

There were still 10 teams fighting for a playoff spot the last week of the season. What's not to like about that?