9/18 Weekly Hot Topic: Baseball Wildcard

[Dan!]

As another baseball season winds down, the wild card races are, as usual, very close. Since it's inception in 1995, the inclusion of a wild card winner in the playoffs has been a subject of debate. What do you think? Does it clash with tradition or is it right for the times?

[Gandalf]

I would prefer no wildcard; the original concept was that the winners of each division would enter the playoffs to determine the winner of each league, and the winner of each league plays the other in the World Series to determine the overall champion. Letting teams in that didn't win their division dilutes it, and makes the penant races at the end of the regular season less meaningful, IMO.

I suppose if there were the markets for it, it'd be possible to expand to 32 total teams and have 4 divisions per league of 4 teams each... but pitching talent is already hard to come by, and I'm not sure if there are 2 more markets that could sustain a team (several of the existing markets really can't). That option would eliminate the WC but keep the same number of playoff teams, but I'm not sure it's feasible.

Contracting to 28 total teams and having only 2 large divisions (7 teams per division) per league would certainly make the penant races more exciting and meaningful, but it would reduce the playoffs from 2 rounds to 1, thus reducing TV revenue, so it is almost guaranteed to not happen.

So, while ideally I would prefer that there be no WC, I also recognize it's not going to change any time soon.

[Sam!]

But isn't it possible for a few bad breaks to keep arguably the best team in baseball from winning their division? If the wildcard isn't actually any good, then won't they lose in the first round? Do you think the World Champion Marlins team were not, in fact, the best team in baseball?

[Gandalf]

I think they were the hottest team at the end of the season and through the playoffs. But if you don't win your division, then by definition you cannot have been the best team during the season. As for bad breaks, they happen to everyone.

[JSB2]

On this, I must agree with Brian. I know it seems unfair that if you win the World Series (and you bet, I rooted for the Marlins--but only after the Cubs were out), you are not considered the best overall team in baseball. But then, you have to consider, it is also unfair to the team that did win all those games to have to play someone who did not work as hard to earn a berth in the playoffs as anyone else in the league (not counting the times that the Wild card had more wins than some division winners).

I think the NBA has the right idea, though: let the top teams in, and everyone else is out. True, ties will throw a wrench into the program, and but I think it's a better idea than a wild card that wins more games than a division winner, while a team that wins 100 games can't get in the playoffs at all (remembering the Seattle Mariners of a few years back).

[Sam!]

But the NBA let's in, what 8 teams from each conference? MLB only has 4 from each... how is that better by your standards?

[Dan!]

I'm all for tradition, but when it comes to the wild card, two things stand out:


More teams in contention for one more playoff spot=more fan excitement. Living in Houston the last two years were a blast, even though the Cardinals where too far out in front to catch. And look what they did in the playoffs both of those years. As Sam said, hot teams at the end of the year benefit.

Allowing a wild card team in allows a team with a better record than a division winner to get into the playoffs and not be penalized by being in the wrong division. It happens every year and will likely happen again this year with Minnesota/Detroit being the WC winner with a better record than AL West winner Oakland.


The Wild Card is great for baseball fans!

[wannabaRSgirl]

I like it. It does add excitment and gets more people involved. It has been awhile since I followed baseball, but I love the twist that it adds. Unless your team is due to take it all then the wildcard team swipes it right out from under you, then it stinks!!!:)