Since the Wildcard started in 1995, Baseball has scrambled to finish the regular season, and jam pack games because of the extra wildcard round.
Should Selig pale back the regular season to 154 games and end the regular season a week earlier around Sept 20th? This would give Baseball more breathing room for the playoffs. They could make the Wildcard Round a 7-game series, as a 5-game series is too short in any sport for its playoffs. Plus if they have any ties at the end of the regular season, or rainouts, they don't have to worry about getting those games in because they don't have to start the playoffs on a certain date.
Goat3001
10-01-08, 08:12 AM
That's tough. One one hand it makes sense because that way you get breathing room for the playoffs. On the other hand you lose 8 games a season which is 1) less fun and 2) you start to mess with records. There has also been discussion about starting the season later to avoid shitty April weather.
Personally, I think things are fine the way they are. It's baseball, you should be able to play 6 times a week even during October so, if anything, they should pack in the schedule a little more where they can. I don't think the DS series should be 7 games because I like the idea of having upsets.
starman9000
10-01-08, 08:39 AM
Keep the 5 game DS.
Just add more double headers throughout the year to give more space at the end of the year.
coli
10-01-08, 09:28 AM
2) you start to mess with records.
.
I used to agree with this statement, but after the steroid era, records are irrelevant to me anymore. The HR record was the only single season record that really kept peoples interest every year, and once McGwire/Sosa and Bonds smashed it cause they were juiced up, it lost all its luster. Other records like the single season hit record by Suzuki would probably never be broken, but I think Baseball has to get past the record book at this point, as Football thrives these days without anyone really caring about single season records, other then maybe a 2,000 yard rusher.
Plus, before 1961, they used to play only 154 games
bunkaroo
10-01-08, 10:39 AM
I say yes, but I don't think it will ever happen. You're basically asking MLB to leave about 5% of the revenue generated by games on the table. They're too greedy to do that.
Spicollidriver1
10-01-08, 10:50 AM
I would like to see more scheduled double headers. That could help the situation
dvd-4-life
10-01-08, 10:56 AM
They should do like the Baltimore Orioles do---they quit playing baseball by Mid-August every season for the last seven years.
rocketsauce
10-01-08, 11:05 AM
They play 5-6 games a week from may until september. they can do it in october.
bunkaroo
10-01-08, 11:13 AM
I would like to see more scheduled double headers. That could help the situation
As long as they don't schedule them in April LOL. Next thing you know there'll be back to back makeup double headers.
Dave7393
10-01-08, 11:34 AM
I say keep 162 games, but make the DS a 7 game series. It's not any less an important a step to get to the WS than the LCS. Damn, things were so much easier before realignment.
I think that scheduled day/night double headers would help the current (and/or future) scheduling situation. They can't start the season any earlier than they already do, so to keep the current number of regular season games, there aren't too many more choices.
B.A.
10-01-08, 12:15 PM
I would like to see more scheduled double headers. That could help the situation
One every other week at least.
Red Dog
10-01-08, 12:29 PM
There's no way that the MLBPA would sign on to regularly scheduled day-night doubleheaders. They don't want to be at the ballpark from 11 in the morning until 11+ in the evening. They could compensate for this by giving more off-days but then that defeats the purpose of shrinking the regular season down. The owners certainly won't go back to regularly scheduled traditional doubleheaders.
tofferman
10-01-08, 12:35 PM
As Ernie Banks use to say "let's play two"
It's the easiest way to keep the schedule at 162 games and end the regular season sooner.
dvd-4-life
10-01-08, 01:46 PM
There's no way that the MLBPA would sign on to regularly scheduled day-night doubleheaders. They don't want to be at the ballpark from 11 in the morning until 11+ in the evening. They could compensate for this by giving more off-days but then that defeats the purpose of shrinking the regular season down. The owners certainly won't go back to regularly scheduled traditional doubleheaders.
If the batters stayed in the batters box and managers wouldn't make pitching changes after every other batter in the later innings-baseball games would take 2 hours to play. They should ban day-night doubleheaders and have traditional doubleheaders and charge double admission.
coli
10-01-08, 01:50 PM
If the batters stayed in the batters box and managers wouldn't make pitching changes after every other batter in the later innings-baseball games would take 2 hours to play. .
Not to go off topic, but I so agree with this statement. Baseball has got to speed up the pitching change process. Either drive the guy in with a golf cart from the bullpen, and have him do all his warmups in the bullpen, so you can keep the flow of the game going. There is nothing more frustrating then a 7th/8th inning and having 3 pitching changes for a lefty/righty/lefty. They could cut these games by a half hour if they did something about it.
starman9000
10-01-08, 02:18 PM
It's more just slow pitchers than batters stepping out of the box.
They said they were going to address it this year, but so far nothing.
wendersfan
10-01-08, 05:05 PM
The World Series should be over by mid-October. How they would accomplish this I don't really care. More double-headers would be great.
Spicollidriver1
10-01-08, 05:24 PM
Actually starman they have made small attempts I remeber Gardy mentioning that when he had his little string of getting tossed and fines that he has been warned and fined for his batters taking to long, and himself slowing the game down but the fines are small so far and there are no other consequences so far so they are trying to change the culture slowly. And you want slow pitching changes try having dennis reyes on your team.
starman9000
10-01-08, 05:43 PM
Yeah, that's why I knew they were trying something. But it was inconsistent.
cardsfan111
10-04-08, 12:58 AM
Eliminate all the "travel" days during the postseason. Not only would that allow MLB to get all their games in for October (even including a 7-game Division series if they wanted), teams would be forced to actually use their whole rotation for a postseason series...that way C.C. Sabathia can't dominate the first round. Well, that's not the best example, but still...
Dave7393
10-04-08, 01:37 AM
The World Series should be over by mid-October. How they would accomplish this I don't really care. More double-headers would be great.
Absolutely. When WS games are played up until around Halloween, that's just bullshit.
Ofcourse the MLBPA would never go for any of this, but fuck 'em. Seriously, should anyone expect them to do anything solely for the good of the game? And Selig has no balls, so nothing's going to change (for the better, anyway).
God forbid the players put in a full day (2 games) of "work" for a double header. They're already busting their asses "working" for a whole seven months out of the year as it is.
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