Extra Wild Card for 2012 Official

[kalinecountry]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/second-wild-card-spot-a-go-for-2012/
Second Wild Card Spot - a Go for 2012.
from fangraphs

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/MLB-to-expand-playoffs-beginning-in-2012-postseason-022912
MLB playoffs expanding in 2012.
from foxsports

http://eye-on-baseball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22297882/35034180
MLB playoff expansion for 2012 extremely likely.
from cbssports

http://tracking.si.com/2012/02/29/report-mlb-to-add-two-new-wild-card-berths-this-season/?sct=mlb_t2_a3
MLB to add two new Wild Card berths this season.
from sportsillustrated

 

[turok]

Neither AL WC is likely coming from the ALCD, and it is possible that the ALED could end up with both, although I think the the Dread Sux are gonna still be in flux, and the Angels or Rangers will grab one of them. Never know though b/c both teams could wind up in a virtual draw for their season series in the West, opening up an opportunity permitting two teams, such as the Yankees and/or Rays and/or Jays to clinch the WC spots.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Soon they'll get to 14 or 16 teams in the playoffs.

 

[mjsb2]

I can't think of the last time MLB implemented a rule that was this fucking dumb.

 

[zoombabyzoom]

Sooooooo....

Yankees, Boston, Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Texas?

 

[Thumb]

Rich what? Richmond![/color]]Sooooooo....

Yankees, Boston, Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Texas?

I see it, Yankees, Boston, Detroit, LAA, Texas.

But it's stupid, it's not broke but go ahead and fix it anyways.....*sigh*

 

[Mitchrapp]

All about the money.

 

[turok]

Would like to see the postseason rule end, where a WC winner can't play their same division-title winning rival in the divisional rounds. Also, just seed the teams based on their W/L regular season records. If for example, the Tigers finish second, but still have a better record than every other postseason-clinching team except for the team that won their division, then they should be seeded second, that is, IF they win their...ugh...ONE game WC-teams playoff and have HFA in the ALDS and/or ALCS, unless/until they play their division-title winning rival, with a better regular season record and a higher (#1) seed.

I realize that many fans would complain that unfairly benefits WC-clinching teams who play in so-called "weaker" divisions, BUT that is not always true, as some divisional teams with sub-500 records, is only or mostly due to losing many games, vs their rivals within their division, and/or maybe also having a much worse inter-league record, but they may have mostly winning season-series records vs teams within their league but are outside of their division. Why should a WC-clinching team that finished second or even third, but had won say, 90-100 games, lose HFA in the AL/NL DS/CS, simply b/c the 85-win team that they are playing in the AL/NL DS/CS had won their division?

One thing is for damned certain, there are definitely going to be some pissed-off and/or disappointed fans of the WC-winning team that loses their one game WC square-off, (imagine if it is a loss due to a "bang-bang" or hotly disputed play, resulting in umpire error) even/especially if the WC-winning team that loses plays that game @ home b/c of their (possibly far-superior) W/L record.

 

[jimrice]

I'm not particularly thrilled with it, but it's hardly surprising. In this day and age of immediate gratification, baseball probably doesn't want half the league out of the playoffs with two months of season left.

 

[turok]

Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that the additional WC spots were rammed through for THIS season, instead of the next, when the schedules could have been created with two additional WC spots in mind, just because of what happened on the final day of last season with sports MSM faves Bahston and to a "somewhat" lesser degree, Atlanta...hmm.

:

We baseball fans certainly wouldn't want some of the more popular and possibly/probably contending teams like the Yankees, Angels, Rangers, Braves, Phillies, Red Sox, Giants, Cardinals and Dodgers to lose out on clinching a potential postseason WC berth in similar fashion, now would we? Heck, this move might even give fans of those perennially "lovable-loser" Cubbies just a little bit more hope for the near future.

 

[kalinecountry]

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7638357/mlb-expand-playoffs-two-teams-10
MLB, union agree to expand playoffs.
from espn

http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120229&content_id=26927024&vkey=news_det&c_id=det
Addition of Wild Card berths finalized for 2012.
Lower-seeded teams will host first two games of Division Series.
from mlb.com

http://www.blessyouboys.com/2012/3/2/2840267/mlb-expansion-announced-divisional-round-changed
MLB playoff expansion announced, divisional round changed.
from blessyouboystigersblog

http://www.freep.com/article/20120302/SPORTS02/120302034/Major-League-Baseball-expands-playoff-format-to-10-teams
Major League Baseball expands playoff format to 10 teams.
from the freep

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120....yo ffs-10-teams
Major League Baseball expands playoffs to 10 teams.
from the detnews

 

[Rebbiv]

Last 10 years:

2002 - BOS and SEA (93-69) would have to play a tie-breaker. Winner plays ANA (99-63)

2003 - SEA (93-69) plays BOS (95-67)

2004 - OAK (91-71) plays BOS (98-64)

2005 - CLE (93-69) plays BOS (95-67)

2006 - CHW (90-72) plays DET (95-67)

2007 - DET (88-74) and SEA would play a tie-breaker. Winner plays NYY (94-68)

2008 - NYY (89-73) plays BOS (95-67)

2009 - TEX (87-75) plays BOS (95-67)

2010 - BOS (89-73) plays NYY (95-67)

2011 - BOS (90-72) plays TBR (91-71)

 

[turok]

Rich what? Richmond![/color]]Sooooooo....

Yankees, Boston, Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Texas?

Bahston ain't making the postseason as a division winner or WC, IMO. All of the changes to their FO, plus a new manager, their SP roto doesn't impress me, and looks more and more like the Dread Sux have an injury-prone and slumping 7 year contract albatross wrapped around their necks, plus their rah-rah leading captain retired, and they traded their starting SS Scutaro who hit ~.300 in favor of a platoon? Their closer Papsmear signs with the Phillies, but they plan on moving Bard to SP? Somewhat similar situation to the "Blight Sux" in our division, who could very well supplant the Twinks as CD cellar-dwellers this season.

Carl Crawford had a setback in recovery from wrist surgery

 

[turok]

[No message]

 

[Mitchrapp]

Did anyone catch this:

For the 2012 postseason, the five-game Division Series will begin with two home games for lower seeds, followed by home games for the higher seed.

Does that mean a 4 seed gets home games first before the better team, #1 seed?

 

[tycobb420]

Rich what? Richmond![/color]]Sooooooo....

Yankees, Boston, Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Texas?

Yanks, Tigers, Angels

WC: Tampa and Texas

I don't like the WC, but I do like the 1 game scenario.

 

[kalinecountry]

Mitch[/color]]Did anyone catch this:

For the 2012 postseason, the five-game Division Series will begin with two home games for lower seeds, followed by home games for the higher seed.

Does that mean a 4 seed gets home games first before the better team, #1 seed?

I think it is true because the dates for playoffs were already set.
2 and 3 format.
Maybe someone else is 100% sure.

 

[tycobb420]

KalineCountry[/color]]
[quote="Mitch":4eq780b3]Did anyone catch this:

For the 2012 postseason, the five-game Division Series will begin with two home games for lower seeds, followed by home games for the higher seed.

Does that mean a 4 seed gets home games first before the better team, #1 seed?

That is what it sounds like to me. But I do not know for sure.

I think it is true because the dates for playoffs were already set.
2 and 3 format.
Maybe someone else is 100% sure. [/quote:4eq780b3]

 

[kalinecountry]

Percent of teams making postseason among 4 major sports:
NBA & NHL: 53.3%;
NFL: 37.5%;
new MLB setup: 33.3%.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Its moving up there. I say within 3 years we have 12 reams with 4 teams getting 1st round byes.