So the first big thing to come out of the GM meetings in Florida this year is that the GMs overwhelmingly support adding an extra team to each league's playoff bracket. I support this. I think it would be good for the game. However, I agree that it must be done in a way that does not cheat the teams who worked hard to win their division.
Here is my proposal: Add one extra wild card team to each side. Then, make the two wild card teams play each other in a wild cards-only first round. Each winner then moves on to play the top team in their league in the ALDS, regardless whether or not the wild card and top team are from the same division. I never liked that the top team didn't get to play the wild card in the first round just because they were from the same division anyways. It's a stupid rule. It would create a 10 team playoff system in which the wild card winners would have to work harder than the division winners to win the title. I think everyone wins in this scenerio.
Some have suggested that MLB needs to go back to a 154 game season. I do not agree with this. I think we can keep our 162 game season. I think though, if they were to say they were willing to shorten Spring Training, I would support that. I think Spring Training lasts too long and many of the players who will start for their respective ball clubs are playing 2 or 3 innings a game. I think it is the responsibility of the players in MLB to keep themselves in playing shape year round. We could probably realistically cut 2 weeks off Spring Training and start the season earlier. This would help avoid the playoffs, with the extra teams, from lasting any longer than it currently does.
Another option would be to leave the season as is, and require all teams to schedule 8 double headers each year. That would allow for a 162 game season to only take up the calendar space of a 154 game season. That would probably please everyone. Who doesn't love a double header?
I am glad that MLB, over the last several years, has really taken steps forward in the right ways. They have added replay, they have instituted a wild card system, they have done a lot of positive things. Increased drug testing is finally getting the game back on track with some legitimacy to the numbers. Bud Selig may be a terrible commissioner, but at least he has relented his opposition to things over time, to conform with the views of GMs, owners and fans.
One last thing I wish to discuss is expanded replay. The great thing about baseball is that it is almost all judgement. A 1st or 3rd base umpire must turn quickly to see if a screaming liner down the line is fair or foul. An umpire behind the plate must use judgement to determine things such as a check swing, if a pitch was a strike or not, and if a player was hit by a pitch. I love this about baseball, it remains a pure sport. It's all on the field. There's no clock, there's no time outs, there's no fouls or penalties.
Replay is good, though, in it's current format. I wholeheartedly support replay for determining whether a ball was a home run or not. I think many people want it to be used to determine fair or foul down the lines. I don't know how it could be instituted though. What would be the criteria for a blown call? The umpire calls it foul and the player stops running. The fielder does not go to field it and it is picked up by the ball person and thrown into the crowd. What would happen?
Lets say a ball went down the line that was a sure double if fair. The umpire calls it foul and all of the above occurs. If replay was used to determine the call was incorrect, what would be the players reward? A single? It cannot be determined that he would have made it safely to second base after a throw from the left or right fielder. What if there are players on 2nd or 3rd base? Are they awarded the next base as if it were a ground rule double? Would we have to institute a new rule called "Ground Rule Single" to the rule book so that replay on this could be used? I just don't know how they would go about instituting it. I mean, a player in this situation does get to finish his at bat. He might go on to hit a home run in the at bat.
Maybe replay should not be used for anything else. I can think of a negative result for almost all arguments I hear for more plays being replayed. I think the replay they have now is fine. Any other replays would lead to extreme controversy and be difficult to determine the outcomes that should be given.
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