What's your plan for MLB realignment?

[dvd-4-life]

Move Houston to AL West.
Schedule:
60 divisional games(4 teams x 15)
80 other divisions within league(10 teams x 8)
22 interleague games(4 teams x 4;1 team x 6)
There would be alot of 4 game series(which I don't like) so you could go 2 home-6 away and 6 home- -2 away with 8 teams in the other divisions while keeping 2 series 4-4.
I would do the interleague schedule like the NFL(each yr play a different division from the other league). That would all but eliminate yearly natural rival games,but you can't please everyone. There could be natural rivals if the one team -6 games was eliminated and switch that for the natural rival series .
Eliminate pitchers hitting(DH to NL).
Limit rosters to 24 with no more than 11 pitchers permitted at anytime(until rosters expand to 40 on Sept. 1st. Tired of watching teams have contests too see what team can insert the most useless one inning pitchers in a game. Less pitchers on the roster means that relief pitchers would actually have to pitch more than a few hitters(unless they are the closer). Baseball doesn't need a 4th inning relief pitcher,5th inning relief pitcher,etc. All these pitchers were starters in high school and college. I'm sure they could pitch 3 innings or more in relief w/o a problem.

[Goat3001]

I hate what's recently been proposed. Too many interleague games. Guys like David Ortiz and Jorge Posada would be completely useless for 40 games.

If they're going to do this then both leagues should play by the same rules. I'd rather have no DH in either league but that's a pipe dream, the DH spot is too valuable.

I really wouldn't change much if it were up to me.

First I'd bring back excitement to interleague play by only scheduling it once every 4 years. Give the league with the most wins some sort of trophy too, not that it would mean much though. But only one series each and have it be against your natural rivals only.

Then add a wild card team and have a one game playoff the day after the season ends then start the playoffs the day after. This way the teams that win the division aren't waiting around for their series to start and also keeps teams from settling for the wild card.

Everything else is fine.

[mcnabb]

-Move the Astros to the AL West (Keep the 3 divisions per league)

-Eliminate the DH (Phase out by 2015 so AL teams can adjust), then you can have interleague games everyday.

-Play your division opponent (4 series x 4 teams/ 57 games)

-Play the other outer-division opponents in your league (2 series x 10 teams/ 60 games)

-Play each interleague opponent (1 series x 15 teams/ 45 games) -Alternate Home Field each year-

-Eliminate Days off for the wildcard round (That way the NLCS/ALCS can start earlier to avoid a November World Series)

-I have no problem with interleague play, I just think it has always been ridiculous that interleague play and the World Series are played with/without a DH for certain games. By eliminating the DH, you can have more interleague games just like the NBA and NHL. As a Phils fan, I would love to see all AL teams every year for one series just to keep it fresh. I'm tired of seeing the Nationals 18 times a year!

-Start the World Series on a Saturday Night like it was before 2006. I always enjoyed Games 1 and 2, and 6 and 7 being on the weekends, and now they are on in the middle of the week.

-GET RID OF THE STUPID HOME FIELD GOES TO THE WINNER OF THE ALL-STAR GAME!

-Send Bud Selig in exile

[starman9000]

I like Goat's proposal.

I would also like some forced double headers and to start the playoffs sooner and keep the same game day/off day schedule for the playoffs.

I'd also like to reduce the number of September call-ups.

[wildcatlh]

Originally Posted by mcnabb

-Eliminate the DH (Phase out by 2015 so AL teams can adjust), then you can have interleague games everyday.

Will never happen. The union would never agree to it.

I'd go to 2 divisions/league. 8 or 7 teams per division, with the Astros moved to the AL West. Winner of each division and top 2 records otherwise are wild cards. Balanced scheduling. Obviously more interleague play than you have now.

For the World Series, they used to alternate years -- one year there would be a DH, one year there isn't. Continue that for interleague play. It would be interesting for NL parks to see a DH, and it would be interesting for AL parks to see no DH.

And best record in baseball gets World Series home field. None of this All-Star game winner gets home field silliness.

Edit: And as pointed out below, more scheduled double-headers, so the World Series ends by the end of October.

[Goat3001]

Originally Posted by starman9000

I would also like some forced double headers and to start the playoffs sooner and keep the same game day/off day schedule for the playoffs.

I'd also like to reduce the number of September call-ups.

I like these too. I don't mind the number of games. I just want the playoffs to start during the last few days of September. Scheduling in double headers would be a quick and easy fix.

And September calls ups are dumb as it is. Expanding rosters to 40 is a joke. I think 30 is just enough to give your top guys the feel for the big leagues without letting managers of last place teams throw out a minor league squad everyday for a month.

[WallyOPD]

Originally Posted by mcnabb

-Play your division opponent (4 series x 4 teams/ 57 games)

I've tried a few variations, how do you get to 57 games from this?

[starman9000]

3 4 game series for each, 1-2 game series for 3 of the teams, and a 3 game for the 4th?

[Red Dog]

Let ESPN do the realignment. That will really show what matters most to MLB: tv matchups.

[Deftones]

Originally Posted by Red Dog

Let ESPN do the realignment. That will really show what matters most to MLB: tv matchups.

North America Division:

Yankees
Red Sox

Other Division:
Everyone else...there's like 6 other teams in MLB, right?

[mcnabb]

Originally Posted by WallyOPD

I've tried a few variations, how do you get to 57 games from this?

I didn't want to write out a long sentence, but you would play some division opponents one more game then another:

Team 1: 15 games
Team 2: 14 games
Team 3: 14 games
Team 4: 14 games

[mcnabb]

Originally Posted by wildcatlh

I'd go to 2 divisions/league. 8 or 7 teams per division, with the Astros moved to the AL West. Winner of each division and top 2 records otherwise are wild cards. Balanced scheduling. Obviously more interleague play than you have now.

.

I don't like this because you kill divisional races in September. Even with the Wildcard, you are guaranteed 2 true divisional races down the stretch in each league. In your realignment, you could have a 2010 AL East Yankees/Rays scenario in both divisions down the stretch for both divisions in each league and would be totally anti-climatic. Remember the Yanks/Ray pretty much tanked the last two weeks to set up their rotation for the playoffs, and before the wildcard era, this would have never happened.

[Drexl]

I don't have the book handy to check exactly what the plans were, but I liked most of Bob Costas' suggestions in Fair Ball. He had the Astros moving to the AL West, no wild card, and of course the top division winner gets a first-round bye. If we must have the WC, so be it, but no expansion of the playoffs.

I don't remember exactly how interleague worked, but whatever it was, I'll say that support rotating the divisions, having home and home series, and getting rid of the "natural rivalries." Several teams don't have a good rival, and it changes the balance of the schedule among teams within a division anyway. I want fans to get to see certain teams more often (as in every 3 years). It's ridiculous that the Cardinals are finally going to Camden Yards for the first time since interleague play began 15 years ago.

As for the DH, I guess I'd leave it as is. It's not going away, and I don't want to spread it to the NL. Besides, I kind of like how the split makes each league distinct.

And of course, get rid of the rule about home field advantage going to the winner of the All-Star Game.

[Goat3001]

Originally Posted by Drexl

I don't have the book handy to check exactly what the plans were, but I liked most of Bob Costas' suggestions in Fair Ball. He had the Astros moving to the AL West, no wild card, and of course the top division winner gets a first-round bye. If we must have the WC, so be it, but no expansion of the playoffs.

A first round bye wouldn't work in baseball. It's not like football where the teams would get an extra week to game plan and rest. In baseball it could throw off your swing or kill your momentum. Players don't want a long rest between games.

[Louisville S]

How about we keep everything the same but make the Divisional Series a best of 7 series instead of 5.

Simple.

[Canadian Bacon]

Originally Posted by Deftones

North America Division:

Yankees
Red Sox

Other Division:
Everyone else...there's like 6 other teams in MLB, right?

what??!! there are other teams besides the Red Sox and Yankee$?

when did this take place?

[mcnabb]

Originally Posted by Goat3001

A first round bye wouldn't work in baseball. It's not like football where the teams would get an extra week to game plan and rest. In baseball it could throw off your swing or kill your momentum. Players don't want a long rest between games.

Exactly, pitchers do not like to have more then 5-6 days off between starts during the season. If you get a bye and have to wait a week, along with not pitching the last weekend (if you clinch early), then you could be pitching on possibly 10 days rest.

Baseball is meant to played everyday, and I just never understood why they have so many open-days during the playoffs. (I understand that travel is a part of the reason.) It isnt the NFL, where the players need a week to recoup, or the NHL and NBA where playing every other night is ideal. MLB playoffs should be played everyday, and the only rest should be if you clinch the series early.

[adrenaline78]

Send the Cubs to the minors! problem solved! =)

[WCChiCubsFan]

Do away with inter-league play. That will not happen because there is money to be had but it truly does suck.

Perhaps they should just go back to an American League and a National League, with no inter-league play, a balanced schedule and have the top 4 teams make it into the playoffs. This would probably be the fairest way to do it but it will never happen.

[wm lopez]

All this is about is money for the owners. They know games like Cubs & Sox make money so they want as many games as they can have.
There was a time when every team in the AL and NL played each other the same amount of games so you knew who the best team was at the end of the season. But today's fans don't care about that.

[Calculon]

Expand to 32 teams (add Orlando and Jacksonville).

16 2-team divisions, with the division winners and 16 wild cards making the playoffs.

DH for all positions (phase in over 8 years, starting with catcher).

[Deftones]

Originally Posted by Calculon

Expand to 32 teams (add Orlando and Jacksonville).

16 2-team divisions, with the division winners and 16 wild cards making the playoffs.

DH for all positions (phase in over 8 years, starting with catcher).

jacksonville can't even support a fucking football team. the most popular sport in the US right now. fuck them. and florida doesn't need any more teams until they can support the ones they've got now.

[B.A.]

Eliminate many of the things Selig has implemented:

Interleague play; unbalanced schedules; All-Star game victor deciding home field in the Series; Brewers in the NL.

[mgbfan]

Originally Posted by Goat3001

I hate what's recently been proposed. Too many interleague games. Guys like David Ortiz and Jorge Posada would be completely useless for 40 games.

Half of the interleague games would be in AL parks with AL rules.

[mgbfan]

Originally Posted by Deftones

jacksonville can't even support a fucking football team. the most popular sport in the US right now. fuck them. and florida doesn't need any more teams until they can support the ones they've got now.

Yeah, might want to re-calibrate that sarcasm meter. That one was pretty obvious.

I now return you to your perpetually angry ranting.