Playoff Format in Baseball [Archive]

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ragecage

10-12-2009, 06:23 AM

Im just wondering how you guys feel about the playoffs going 5,7,7. Is that the best way to measure a team?

Me personally, I dont care for the current system much. I say that with a biased attitude however seeing the A's squander two or three division series when up 2 games to 0. Another thing about the current system is that a team on fire entering in the playoffs can easily dispatch a team or a team can win based on having their rotation set up to their advantage rather than seeing 4 starting pitchers used no matter what in a 7 game series compared to 5.

Thoughts?

filihok

10-12-2009, 11:16 AM

I can't find it, but I read a really interesting article about how baseball playoffs are set up.

Basically, the author claimed that 7 game series were the most efficient type of series. Giving the 'better' team the most chance to win but still providing for some high drama

gosensgo101

10-12-2009, 11:21 AM

The current format is fine. Extending the division series to 7 games could make for some horrid weather near the end of the World Series. The baseball season already goes a bit too long IMO.

kenny1234

10-12-2009, 11:42 AM

I voted for the current format. The only one I'd prefer is to see two divisions in each league, with only division winners going to the playoffs. So a 7,7 format - but 4 less teams in the playoffs.

rschusta24

10-12-2009, 11:50 AM

The current format is fine. Extending the division series to 7 games could make for some horrid weather near the end of the World Series. The baseball season already goes a bit too long IMO.

Agreed. It is going to cause serious problems especially next year with the Twins in an outdoor stadium. If they make the playoffs, there will be a lot of problems.

JamesMogul

10-12-2009, 12:07 PM

it is perfect at what it is. some people get bored if they drag it on too long

reflections

10-12-2009, 12:08 PM

I'd say the wild card screwed up everything. If they used the football format where the top winning team had the a bye, that would be the only way to work around the 3 divisions. But having 2 divisions (although large divisions) would keep some rather downtrodden looking teams from slipping into the playoffs.
But Baseball is money so it won't go away.

KowboyKoop

10-12-2009, 12:59 PM

Best of 29 in all three series. Best team more likely to win.

FloydtheBarber

10-12-2009, 01:37 PM

7,7,9

Lex Logan

10-12-2009, 04:12 PM

I voted for the current system, the season and playoffs are long enough as it is. I do like Clay's suggestion of two wild card teams per league and a one-game playoff (the day after the regular season ends), which would make it seriously important to win your division. Only problem I see is that sometimes (as with the Twins & Tigers this year) there is already a need for a playoff game; suppose the loser of the Twins/Tigers qualified as one of the wild card teams, now you'd have to squeeze two games in before the Division series, and what if you had a weather delay, etc.

Jeffy25

10-12-2009, 04:13 PM

i said 7,7,7, but really i wish for a different format that i have petitioned for before.

OregonDuck1989

10-12-2009, 04:42 PM

Only New York teams should play in the world series.

ragecage

10-12-2009, 07:04 PM

I voted 7,7,7, which I think would really work fantastically if they shorten the season. Like others have said, the season goes way to far into the fall month as it is. A lot of this is MLB's fault as well, they can start the Angels Yankees series right now if they wanted to, but they are waiting until Friday, which is garbage.

I know why they are doing it, of course its when most everyone has time to watch the game with friends as opposed to a Wednesday nite, when chances are everyone works.

Which comes to a sad point. Baseball isnt built for modern times so much anymore. Everyone is too busy and has too short of an attention span to pay any attention to it. Sure hardcore fans like us will watch it, but baseball has lost touch with the casual fan.

JamesMogul

10-12-2009, 07:07 PM

Only New York teams should play in the world series.

I agree even if your kidding which you are;)

SirKodiak

10-12-2009, 07:07 PM

Playoffs this year are so late because of the Wonderful Baseball Cashcow.

CatKnight

10-12-2009, 10:54 PM

5/7/7 is fine.

gonuggetsgo

10-12-2009, 10:59 PM

5/7/7 is fine.

im going to agree with u there

dps

10-13-2009, 02:32 PM

I'd prefer a 7,7,7 format, but as others have pointed out, that would push the end of the WS even later. Of course, there are ways around that--go back to a 154-game regular season and/or schedule more doubleheaders--but those things obviously aren't going to happen. Or you could start the season earlier, but that has some of the same drawbacks as having the playoffs still going on later in the year.

Jeffy25

10-13-2009, 02:34 PM

I want more of a format like the NBA

OregonDuck1989

10-13-2009, 03:27 PM

I want more of a format like the NBA

8 teams???????

Jeffy25

10-13-2009, 03:58 PM

8 teams???????

I've posted this before.

16 teams all together.

First and second place from each division and and top 2 wild cards in each league. I think too many teams would be in, but pretty well every .500 team basically makes it, and it makes the last month of the season incredibly interesting.

more teams are buyers, more teams have a chance to win the series, more balance. I think it's more competitive.

I had to rename the playoffs haha, world series and round 4 obviously are mixed up.

Ignore the wild card standings, you can see the teams that made the playoffs and the teams that were available.

gosensgo101

10-13-2009, 04:02 PM

Great, November baseball. :rolleyes:

Jeffy25

10-13-2009, 05:02 PM

Great, November baseball. :rolleyes:

well personally, i think the season should start sooner, week earlier would cover it.

Arctic Blast

10-13-2009, 06:00 PM

You do realize that you'll run in to just as many bad weather issues in markets like Colorado in March-early April as you will in November, right? :p

As for my preference, I like the 5 game first round. I wish the NBA had kept it as well.

Jeffy25

10-13-2009, 06:17 PM

HoustonGM

10-13-2009, 06:30 PM

CatKnight

10-13-2009, 06:35 PM

Sorry Jeffy. IMHO the NBA Playoff system is a joke.

Scratch that: The NBA regular season is a joke. An absurd amount of teams qualify, so why even bother with the regular season to begin with? It's like extended spring training before the real fun begins.

The NHL's much better. The NFL (12 of 32, 37.5%) is approaching alright, though some of the teams that make their playoffs are still..well, don't really belong there.

MLB allows 8 of 30 (26.7%) of teams to advance. This is a pretty good number - we know that only the reasonably strong teams are advancing, while allowing for some outlier like the '07 Rockies to surprise everyone. It's still a wide enough field where anything can happen.

As I wrote, I prefer the 5/7/7 format. That way we, frankly, get four of the teams out of the way pretty fast so we can focus on the important matchups.

I'm sorry if you feel your team was gyped by being knocked out in 3 consecutive games, but honestly - if you can't win one in three, then you're pretty much doomed anyway. Weren't the '04 Red Sox the FIRST team to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a best of 7?

We don't want to shorten the season to fit in the extra two games. SINCE MLB's playoffs are (rightfully!) for the elite, we don't want to stop the other teams from playing too soon. Plus, the longer the season, the better the parity league wide. That last part is simple mathematics - if I have 8 more games (162 vs. 154) to try and beat you, I just might figure out how.

We definitely don't want to start the season earlier. Starting in late March is an unqualified disaster, and it was '07 when Cleveland's home opening series (plural) were SNOWED OUT. We don't want the season to run later either because, let's be honest, the NFL has successfully ousted MLB from ratings and media revenue in September into October.

No, the current system is fine. My ideal system would be similar to the NFL: Two leagues, four divisions, four teams each .... no wildcards.

gosensgo101

10-13-2009, 09:47 PM

We definitely don't want to start the season earlier. Starting in late March is an unqualified disaster, and it was '07 when Cleveland's home opening series (plural) were SNOWED OUT. We don't want the season to run later either because, let's be honest, the NFL has successfully ousted MLB from ratings and media revenue in September into October.
Valid point, but the MLB really should smarten up and start putting the first week's worth of games in domed stadiums and warm climates. There's no way someone should be playing in snow in Cleveland when there's an empty dome in Toronto or a vacant field in Oakland.

ragecage

10-13-2009, 09:49 PM

Or for cities with that kind of climate to start building convertable domes.

FloydtheBarber

10-13-2009, 10:03 PM

I would like November baseball actually

gosensgo101

10-13-2009, 10:05 PM

I would like November baseball actuallyYeah, its so fun to see the new ways baseball players from the carribean and other warm climates come up with to stay warm. :rolleyes:

dps

10-14-2009, 12:50 PM

The last thing baseball needs is MORE playoff teams. I'd be cool with two division leagues and the top 2 teams from each division move to the playoffs. I don't want 8 playoff teams per league. That's just wayyyy too much.

I don't want any additional playoff teams. Eight is enough. But I think that I'd prefer that each league be divided into 4 divisions (you'd have to expand by 2 more teams to get 4 4-team divisions in each league).