What's wrong with baseball?

[Quick Slant]

American League:
East (5 Teams)
Central (5 Teams)
West (4 Teams)

National League:
East (5 Teams)
Central (6 Teams)
West (5 Teams)

These divisions are unbalanced. I think it makes more sense to "undo" the divisions and simply have American League and National League. No inter-league play. Move Milwaukee back to the American League.

[MountainHawk]

You have to have an even number of teams in each league, or have interleague play all the time.

[Jables]

Scheduling... with 15 AL and 15 NL and no interleague, your schedule would have at least 2 teams off each day.

[The Arbitrary]

What's wrong with baseball?

Man with 4 balls does not walk.

[rekrap]

They should add two more markets (in the AL), and split the leauges into 4 divisions of 4 teams each. Each team should play every other team in the league for two series (home/away), and an extra home/away series for the teams in their division.

That would be 15*3*2+ 3*3*2 = 108 games. Start mid-April (less cold games), and still finish by end of October, easy if the playoffs are top team from each division, plus next best two records as WC, like NFL.

Not saying I like change, but it's an idea. I think most would propose contracting 2 teams,a nd realigning before adding two teams, though. Wasn't there talk of Twins/Mariners contraction a few years ago?

[rekrap]

You could add a series with each of the teams from the other league (or half of them home/away), for another 48 games, to get the schedule closer to today's standards. :shrug:

[MyKenk]

The designated hitter?

[OddSox]

get rid of divisions in both leagues, keep wild-cards, some combination of 4 to 8 teams make the playoffs. 16-team league vs 14-team league is a smaller disadvantage then 6-team division vs 4-team division, at least.

[MyKenk]

Move Milwaukee back to the American League.

:exams::furious:

[td25er]

No divisions. Top 4 in each league go to playoffs. No unbalanced schedules where the Orioles have the toughest schedule every single year.

[greenman]

They should add two more markets (in the AL), and split the leauges into 4 divisions of 4 teams each. Each team should play every other team in the league for two series (home/away), and an extra home/away series for the teams in their division.

That would be 15*3*2+ 3*3*2 = 108 games. Start mid-April (less cold games), and still finish by end of October, easy if the playoffs are top team from each division, plus next best two records as WC, like NFL.

Not saying I like change, but it's an idea. I think most would propose contracting 2 teams,a nd realigning before adding two teams, though. Wasn't there talk of Twins/Mariners contraction a few years ago?

The season will never shrink b/c owners will make less money.

The Twins and Expos were the two teams in the contraction talk.

[Italian Halibut]

...Wasn't there talk of Twins/Mariners contraction a few years ago?

Where would they play? Montana?


:shrug:

[Italian Halibut]

...The Twins and Expos were the two teams in the contraction talk.

Oh, then the new team could play in the UP...better build a dome...

[MyKenk]

I don't think you know what "contraction" means.

[Italian Halibut]

I don't think you know what "contraction" means.

Perhaps you don't have a sense of humor.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

I don't have a problem with the unbalanced leagues (16/14).
I like, from above:
1. No divisions. Divisions are obsolete in these modern times' transportation.
2. Top 4 in playoffs.

Here's my twist:
For 14-team league, each team plays the others 12 times each, for 156 games total.
THEN, as still part of the regular season, to get to 162 games:
1. 1st- and 2nd-place teams play 7th and 8th place teams three games each.
2. 3rd and 4th place teams play 5th and 6th place teams three games each.
3. 9th-14th play each other in a who-gives-a-shit format. (I.e., I'm letting someone else deal with the irrelevant details.)
4. So, the last week of the season is scheduled after the round-robin is finished.

For the 16-team league, each team plays the other 10 times. THEN:
1. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th play 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th three games each.
2. 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th play 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th three games each.
3. So, the last two weeks of the season are scheduled after the round-robin is finished.

Opinions? Comments?

[Dr T Non-Fan]

American League:
East (5 Teams)
Central (5 Teams)
West (4 Teams)

National League:
East (5 Teams)
Central (6 Teams)
West (5 Teams)

These divisions are unbalanced. I think it makes more sense to "undo" the divisions and simply have American League and National League. No inter-league play. Move Milwaukee back to the American League.

Um, they've been unbalanced for quite some time. You just get here or something?

[Funemployed]

What's wrong with baseball?

Pretty much everything...but let's just start with 162 regular season games :yawn:

[MyKenk]

Pretty much everything...but let's just start with 162 regular season games :yawn:

:troll:

[mlschop]

1. No divisions. Divisions are obsolete in these modern times' transportation.

Yeah I don't agree with this.

Divisions allow fans to have a smaller focus and allow rivalries to develop. It also allows some teams to have a shot at the playoffs if their division is weak one year. Whiner "top tier" teams will hate on this, but it's good for baseball to have a "cinderella" team.

[BG5150]

What's wrong with baseball?
Nothing.

[Keep It Real, Yo]

They could have 15 in each league and have one interleague series going on at all times, rather than that full week of it, or however it works.

Anyhoo, the Wild Card helps take away much of the disadvantage of having six teams in one division.

I like divisions, but I do feel bad for the Orioles. Yet if the Rays can win Baltimore oughta be able to.

[vividox]

I don't know a heck of a lot about baseball, but I have to think that even with wild card spots, being in a 4 team division is a hell of a lot easier than being in a 6 team division.

[MountainHawk]

I don't know a heck of a lot about baseball, but I have to think that even with wild card spots, being in a 4 team division is a hell of a lot easier than being in a 6 team division.
But the 4 team division is also by far the most spread out. Texas, Seattle, Oakland, and Anaheim, there are no close by games.

[panther]

Depends on the division at the time. I'm sure a few teams from the AL East wouldn't mind playing in another division right now. The AL West has been tough a few times over the past decade or so.

[vividox]

But the 4 team division is also by far the most spread out. Texas, Seattle, Oakland, and Anaheim, there are no close by games.

Does the distance help alleviate the fact that there are only 4 teams, though? Maybe you travel a bit more, but at the end of the day, you still only have to beat 3 other teams to be guaranteed a playoffs spot instead of 5.

[MountainHawk]

Does the distance help alleviate the fact that there are only 4 teams, though? Maybe you travel a bit more, but at the end of the day, you still only have to beat 3 other teams to be guaranteed a playoffs spot instead of 5.
Dunno, it's a factor though. Plus the division with 6 teams has the Pirates and Astros, it it might as well have 4 teams. :)

[Italian Halibut]

Another consideration beside travel distance is time zone changes - for instance, it may make sense to move KC or Min to the ALWest and Milwaukee into the ALCentral to even up the divisions...but then most divisional road games for KC/Min would start at roughly 9pm local time which sucks for building a fan base that includes young families. Of course Texas already has that problem so who knows...

[Robot_Insurance]

It always made sense to me to have Houston switch sides. You get a Texas rivalry and even out all divisions. You do have to have interleague play all the time, but I have a hard time seeing what the issue with that is.

[Flying Squirrel]

No divisions. Top 4 in each league go to playoffs. No unbalanced schedules where the Orioles have the toughest schedule every single year.

I thought what made the Orioles schedule so tough was no games against the Orioles :wink:

[Italian Halibut]

It always made sense to me to have Houston switch sides. You get a Texas rivalry and even out all divisions. You do have to have interleague play all the time, but I have a hard time seeing what the issue with that is.

Milwaukee used to be AL and has those rivalries with DET and CHISox to rekindle.

[MyKenk]

Milwaukee used to be AL and has those rivalries with DET and CHISox to rekindle.

Right, those were totally rivalries. Oh wait. Please let Milwaukee keep playing real baseball, kthx.

[punmanbowler]

I like the idea of playing Interleague year round. I think it's been around long enough that you don't need to isolate it to a certain time of year. Heck, I wouldn't mind it expanding a bit either.

[MyKenk]

I like the idea of playing Interleague year round. I think it's been around long enough that you don't need to isolate it to a certain time of year. Heck, I wouldn't mind it expanding a bit either.

And dropping the DH.