November 19, 2008
One Game Playoff
Lew Wolff's idea of shortening the playoffs is to make the first round best of one:
"I'd make it one-game-and-you're-out for the first series," the Oakland Athletics owner said Wednesday. "It would be exciting. It would be great."
Begun in 1995, the division series has been a best-of-five competition. Some people have advocated it be expanded to best-of-seven, matching the league championship series and the World Series. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has repeatedly said he favors the current format.
Wolff said he hasn't brought up his concept with Selig.
That would certainly make things pretty random. In 2008, we would have had the same four teams in the LCS as well.
Maybe this is the way to do the World Baseball Classic. Make it sixteen teams, single elimination. The tournament would end in five days so team can get back to spring training. If the teams are seeded and the opponents are set from the original pairings, office and online pools would pop up and there would be a lot more interest in the WBC.
What is in the water in Oakland that makes owners sound so stupid and players throw chairs at fans. Is Charlie Findley back in Oakland?
The current format is absurd with only a five game first round. Why play 30 meaningless exhibition games and then 162 regular season games and then shorten the first round by two games. There is no home field advantage in the first round at all. In fact there is more pressure on the home team because the other team comes in thinking they just need to take one and then they have home field advantage. Plus, more importantly, it gives the advantage to the team with one really good pitcher. If he can take two his team only needs to win one on their own. That nonsense does not work in a seven game series. How many times have we heard that the long regular season is a marathon. Do marathon runners end the 26 mile race in a sprint.
All that needs to happen is make all rounds seven games and it is fair and balanced for all. Please - no more absurd concepts like sudden death playoffs for goodness sake. Absurd.
Maybe a tournament is a way to add some life at mid-season. The Premier League has the FA Cup, separate from the season, maybe baseball can have their own mid-season tournament.
1. Do away with interleague play, shorten season to 150 games
2. Add an interleague tournament (single elimination, top 2 teams from each division, two wild card teams per league - 16 teams, No 1 seed in AL plays No 8 seed in NL)
3. Games to be held at venues in same division as the team hosting the All Star Game
4. Final game of tournament held at All Star Venue, day before All Star Game. (maybe add Semi's to this, a double header on the Saturday before the All Star Game, Final on Sunday, All Star on Monday)
A one game playoff goes against every other sport except football which, due to the physical nature of the game, can realistically only be played once a week.
