These people are fools.
I do get their argument: The Wild Card adds intrigue to September, almost guaranteeing a "race" to the end. And it provides a clear incentive to win your division, as opposed to settling for second place. Today, for example, without that final, away-field slot, the Yankees and Diamondbacks would sit securely as wild carders, and baseball would have no close race, whatsoever.
In a nutshell, here is why I hate the rule, and why you should, too.
If humanity lasts long enough, the Wild Card ensures that someday a sub-.500 team will win the World Series.
Think it won't happen? I bet you didn't think Trump would happen. We've seen everything, but our World Champs always won more than they lost. Live long enough, folks, and it will happen. Pink Lady and Jeff happened. Vanilla Ice happened. This is nothing compared to them.
Statistically, the worst team to ever win a World Series is believed to be the 2006 Cardinals, who finished five games above .500 in the regular season. They were not a Wild Card team. They won the sickly NL Central, which is what makes wild cards even more terrifying.
To win a division, you simply must beat three worse teams. Add the two wild card slots, and - jeez, Louise - anything is possible. But the loser-champ probably won't come this year, at least not in the NL, where Milwaukee - 11 above .500 - is still a game behind the final slot. In the AL, well... it could.
Here are schedules of the three last AL wild card contenders. (Yes, I add Texas to this generously.)
Twins (5 games above .500): Yankees (1), Tigers away (3), Indians away (3), Tigers home (3).
Six patsy games v Detroit, and by late next week, Cleveland will be phoning them in. Likely record: 7-3 (assuming we beat their sorry asses tonight.)
Angels (2 above): Indians home (2), Astros away (3), White Sox away (4), Mariners home (3)
Gist: Seven pasties, five against contenders, too soon for phone-ins. Likely record: 6-4. They face Cleveland and Houston - tough.
Rangers (2 below): Mariners away (2), A's away (3), Astros home (3), A's home (3).
Gist: Eight patsies, plus three last week phone-ins. Holy crap. They could go on a 9-2 run and push Minnesota down to the wire!
Of course, any rotten team can play spoiler. Who knows what the Tigers and A's can do, especially with kids up from East Podunk. But if I could choose, I'd take the Rangers' greased schedule.
As for us and them?
Redsocks: Orioles away (1), Reds away (3), Blue Jays home (3), Astros home (3.)
Gist: Seven pasties, plus an intriguing three-game playoff prequel v Houston. If I were a Boston fan, I would hate that final weekend. You don't want the Astros coming in and leaving its scent on your dugouts. Still, watching Baltimore fold this week took the starch out of us. Two weeks ago, Buck mangled Boston, and I started feeling sorry for him. Now, this? He needs to win tonight, or he's back on my shit list.
Yanks: Twins (1), Blue Jays away (3), Royals home (1), Rays home (3), Blue Jays home (3).
Gist: After the Twins... NBP - Nothing But Patsies! Unfortunately, the Rays and Jays are spiteful emissaries of hate, capable of launching bean ball wars. They will play us to the bitter end, maybe even ignite a brawl, if Dellin happens to accidentally behead someone.
It sure would be nice to pressure Boston to that wipe-out weekend, forcing them to sweat. And if Buck coaxes a win tonight, they go to uncharted Cincy with Dustin Pedroia and his new nose job. But let's not kid ourselves: It's all about the one game wild card. Frankly, it always was.
And that's another reason to hate it.
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23 comments:
Going back to the question el duque posed earlier this week, I question whether Girardi should be managing this series like it's the World Series. I suppose that pushing the Twins back to the pack will make them work harder down the stretch and maybe they, or whoever passes them, arrive at the Bud Selig playoff all worn out and tired. That's a best-case scenario.
But since we have what appears to be an insurmountable lead for the WC (Wash Closet?)game and since the Red Sox appear to be too lucky to catch -- 15-3 in extra innings is equivalent to a Vegas hot streak with dice -- shouldn't we be marshaling our resources? In particular, last night was a golden opportunity to rest Chapman and use Betances, maybe build his confidence again. Chapman pitched like an angry God Monday -- vengeful and merciless. Exactly what we want headed into the playoffs. But it was a long outing. If it's up to me, he would rest last night because I want him to keep him strong and angry.
But no, not Joey Binders. He's got his foot down and the pedal to the metal at all times. Every game has the urgency of survival. Last night, it would have been so easy to call for Betances in the 8th, holding D-Rob back for the 9th or, if necessary, a meltdown in the 8th. Betances is driving us crazy, but if he could get his head straight again this season, he'd be a pretty potent weapon. Our bullpen could take us a long way this fall, but it won't work if Girardi calls exclusively on Chapman. Joe Maddon almost blew it for the Cubs last year that way.
As we've all been saying, Joe Girardi is too rigid, and he locks himself into a strategy that he rarely strays from. In doing so, he creates a hierarchy that makes a guy like Tommy Kahnle assume that he is less than his teammates in the bullpen who are called on later in the game. This not a good thing to promote. But look at how Terry Francona and Joe Maddon manage their teams: according to the situation that day and not defined by the plan that he established in spring training. And the Cubs and Indians respond by playing loose and finishing the season strong. ALL-CAPS has been pointing out that the Yankees seem to swoon late every year. Even if this season is the exception -- and I hope it is -- it appears to me that Girardi's relentless, unyielding approach ratchets up the pressure over the course of a long season and grinds the players down.
Hey, Joe: Do something to show the guys that this is a fun game. You've proved many times that you are always on their side -- I was especially proud of you when you were screaming at the Red Sox dugout after Ryan Dumpster plunked A-Rod -- but is there any reason why Kahnle or Green can't once in a blue moon have the pleasure of finishing a game. Now that Chapman is back to his ferocious self (praying), perhaps he comes in to shut people down once in a while in the middle innings? Let's set the binders aside once in a while.
I'M ALMOST ROOTING FOR THE TWINS TO BEAT US ONE GAME.
DON'T WANT US BEATING THE TWINS SO MUCH, THAT COME THE ONE GAME PLAYOFF, WE BECOME "DUE" TO LOSE TO THEM - GOD FORBID.
DON'T WANT TO PLAY THE ANGELS.
THIS ONE GAME SELIG "PLAYOFF" IS RIDICULOUS.
NO LEGITIMATE POST SEASON SERIES IN BASEBALL SHOULD BE ONE GAME.
AFTER 162 GAMES, BEST 2 OUT OF 3 MAKES A LOT MORE SENSE.
ONE GAME IS NUTS....STUPID.
ONE GAME IS NUTS....STUPID.
Just ask the 1978 Red Sox. (snicker)
Duque...you are off by 1 game-The Sox play 4 games at home against the Astros, NOT 3. And that extra game might be very important to us.
Hey, it is the 3rd inning, and there seems to be a dozen or so pineapples lined up for entry near my hind parts....
(a few minutes later)
. . . but then I was granted Colon-ic relief.....
hey, let's give Judge and Sanchez credit for those hits. They were a little bit clutchy, right?
Chasen Shreve: Just good enough to hang around several years. Never quite good enough to actually be good.
Sir Didi!
(oh, by the way, I'm live blogging the game. where is everybody?)
nothing lasts forever. how long are the Twins going to be our whipping boys?
Yankees have refused to install more protective netting to keep line drives from hitting fans. Maybe after today, they'll change their asshole minds.
Judge's numbers this year are phenomenal. For sure. But he's won't match Joe D's 1936 debut: 367 total bases and 39 strikeouts. That must have been a hell of a thing to follow.
Where is everyone? We’re at work! What do you think we are, antifa?
HEY, IT WORKS. ELEVEN-THREE, I'LL TAKE IT.
Beauregard, I thought you were out on the porch drinking mint juleps.
Sorry, was out "running," or in my case, putting one foot ahead of another just fast enough to keep from falling down.
Yes, as advertised on SNL: "Colon Blow!" (The cereal that's mined, not grown.)
It certainly restores clutchness to all and sundry. Nice to see everybody hitting. Nice sweep.
We're mean, we're bad, we're totally rad.
Or as the great Elvis Costello once put it:
"We break wise guys just like matchsticks!"
(Not that the Twins, you know, are really wise guys or anything but upstanding young representatives of the Heartland. But you know what I mean.)
That was an amazing first year by Joe D.
He had 88 extra-base hits, batted .323, had 125 ribbies, and a .928 OPS. And that was despite missing 16 games, mostly because some idiot trainer severely burned his heel while "treating" him (Likely, it would have killed Aaron Hicks.).
The next year, he led the AL with 151 runs, 46 homers, and .673 slugging. He hit .346, with an OPS of 1.085, and 96 extra-base hits.
And all this despite playing in a Yankee Stadium much more tilted against righthanded hitters. In 1936, he hit 21 of his 29 HRs on the road; in 1937, it was 27 of 46 away.
But that's why he was Joe DiMaggio, and got to marry the leading sex goddess of our time.
DiMaggio was the Mike Trout of his day. Is Judge a prototype?
Interesting that 1936 and 2017 are both historically huge years for HRs and overall offense. I guess not totally surprising that two of the biggest rookie seasons of all time happened in those years.
Judge has a chance. He has been more than solid in the field and on the bases. At bat, I wish he would do more, "See ball. Hit Ball" and fewer statue poses. His whiff rate needs to come down. 30 percent would be good. But he probably has some prodigious seasons in front of him, either way.
Sanchez, too.
Sorry to be so giddy making historical comparisons with legends, but I get that way after a sweep because everything is beautiful.
You're right, Parson Tom, the potential is amazing.
As they keep telling us on the TV machine, Judge is only the 3rd man in history to have 100 ribbies, 100 runs scored, and 100 walks in his rookie season. Sanchez—at times—reminds me of Johnny Bench.
As to what the alternative can be...
Switched to the Mets broadcast during commercials, while I was out mortifying the flesh. Man, that's a dark place to be.
During the inning when they have the Daily News reporter on, they were speculating with him over who the Mets were likely to keep or get in the off-season.
Apparently, it's neck-and-neck between Asdrubal Cabrera and Jose Reyes as to who's coming back. The Mets were set to let Reyes go, but they've been "impressed" by how he's done during these completely meaningless games down the stretch.
This was said as Reyes was botching so many balls at short that he actually threw his glove up in the air, in frustration.
Also, they're all excited about possibly signing Jay Bruce to a big contract.
That's Metsworld for you: when you're thrilled by the possibility of reacquiring a 31-year-old, corner outfielder with a lifetime batting average of .249, and also bringing back your 34-year-old, washed-up former star, to be a utility infielder.
Brrr! That's some scary stuff, as Count Floyd would say.
HOSS....... I KEEP TELLING MY MET ACQUAINTANCES, YOUR METS ARE REBUILDING.
"NO!...HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT KNOWING HOW MUCH TALENT WE HAVE."
.....AND THAT EXPLAINS HOW THE DUMBEST FAN BASE IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS THINKS.
You're right, ALL-CAPS.
The Mets ARE rebuilding...and they have exactly one truly promising prospect! That kid Rosario, at short...who also doesn't draw walks.
Sure, if their arms all recover—which they could—and Cespedes' new workout regimen works out, and a dozen other things go right, they could be a contender. So could a lot of teams, in this day and age when one-third of the majors makes the postseason.
But right now, they are threatening to break their all-time team record for highest ERA in a season—set in 1962, their 120-loss first year!
The team is a mess, as it so often is, because it is run by an undercapitalized family that acts as if they are playing in a small market. Makes you realize there are worse things than the Steinbrenners out there!
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