An Interesting MLB Playoff Proposal
By Mike Silva ~ November 20th, 2008. Filed under: Mike Silva.
Those that are frequent readers to the site know that I am a critic of the backward thinking of major league baseball. Whether it’s the coin flip, All Star Game determining home field, or managing rain delays MLB will always choose the course of most resistance.
Today, Anthony Rieber of Newsday’s The Final Score reports on a playoff proposal made by Oakland A’s owner Lew Wolff. According to Rieber, Wolff made the following statement regarding the Division Series:
“I’d make it one-game-and-you’re-out for the first series. It would be exciting. It would be great.”
Reiber added his own ideas on what type of playoff system he would create:
Two wild cards in each league. Those teams play a one-game playoff series at the team with the best record to determine who goes on to the Division Series. My goal, however, is not to shorten the postseason but to make division championships more meaningful by devaluing the wild card berth. If you had my system, teams would go all-out to win the divisions because there would be a real prize — i.e. avoiding the one-game wild-card playoff. Plus, the last few years of one-game play-in games have shown how exciting those can be.
I like Rieber’s proposal. Want to know the sad part? Wolff admitted in the article that he is too scared to bring up his idea to Bud Selig. That gives you insight to the problem. Remember, anytime an organization is broke you start examining the head. Hopefully many will realize this and push for change in the near future. Selig has done some nice things as commissioner but, in my opinion, he needs to move on and usher in a new era of ideas and forward thinking.
