Off Day Fun - How Would You Align the Divisions?

by MixFMKyle on Jul 14, 2009 9:19 AM EDT Comment 59 comments

Let's say for one day only you get to be in charge of MLB, and are charged with the task of re-aligning the divisions. across MLB.

Rules:

1. You could switch any team to any league, but cities with 2 teams can't have both teams in the same league.

2. There are 30 MLB Teams, so one league has to have 16 teams, and one has to have 14. The leage with 16 teams goes 5-5-6, and the 14 team league goes 4-5-5.

3. If you want, put your feelings about the DH in your response.

4. Have fun with it. If you want to put all the small market teams in a division, do it. If you want to see if the Cubs, Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox can have a pissing match over who can spend the most, put them all in the same division.

Enjoy!

2 recs | Comment 59 comments

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Comments

How I would do it

I would have Both Leagues use the DH. I like seeing the offense. Plus without DH, guys like Ortiz, Jr., Thome, and Hafner don’t have jobs. I think both leagues should use the same, even if it means no DH.

AMERICAN LEAGUE (16)

AL East (5)
Yankees
Red Sox
Phillies
Blue Jays
Pirates

AL Central (5)
Braves
Rays
Marlins
Astros
White Sox

AL West (6)
Angels
Mariners
A’s
Rockies
Rangers
Royals

NATIONAL LEAGUE (14)

NL East (5)
Reds
Mets
Indians
Orioles
Nationals

NL Central(5)
Cubs
Twins
Brewers
Tigers
Cardinals

NL West (4)
Dodgers
Diamondbacks
Padres
Giants

Find me on MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/mixfmkyle

by MixFMKyle on Jul 14, 2009 9:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Why not put the Angels in the NL West?

Wear something sexy to my funeral.

by Pops Daniels on Jul 14, 2009 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And, wow,

If you think the Pirates suck now, wait ’till that division is finished with them.

Wear something sexy to my funeral.

by Pops Daniels on Jul 14, 2009 10:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd align up the AL East

and shoot ’em.

Wear something sexy to my funeral.

by Pops Daniels on Jul 14, 2009 10:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I prefer keeping the traditional teams where they are

If travel is easier by moving an expansion team, like Arizona to the AL West, then fine.

I’d consider moving one of the non-Yankees/Sox teams out of the AL East out of sympathy.

AMERICAN LEAGUE (14)

AL East (4)
Yankees
Red Sox
Rays
O’s

AL Central (5) – same
Royals
Twins
Tigers
White Sox
Indians

AL West (5)
Angels
Mariners
A’s
Rangers
Arizona

NATIONAL LEAGUE (16)

NL East (6)
Phillies
Mets
Nats
Marlins
Braves
Jays

NL Central(5)
Reds
Cubs
Brewers
Pirates
Cards

NL West (5)
Dodgers
Padres
Giants
Rox
Astros

Keep DH the way it is. But reverse in interleague play to allow the fans to see something different. Imagine how kick ass we would’ve been if Junya had DH’d!

by ken on Jul 14, 2009 10:20 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I would love to put 16 teams in the AL

Let them even keep the DH, but that should shut up some of the crowing about how it’s the “superior league.” God, that bothers me!

by Brendanukkah on Jul 14, 2009 10:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This is what I'd do:

AL Rich:
LAA
NYY
BOS
CHC
DET

AL Middle Class:

AL Impoverished:

etc… I’m busy but I’ll revisit this later.

by jsl413 on Jul 14, 2009 10:34 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Here's mine

American League (14)
AL WEST:
LA Angels
Oakland
San Diego (I want them out of the NL. I am sick of ridiculous extra inning games)
Seattle
Texas

AL CENTRAL:
Chicago Cubs (I just hate the Cubs)
Kansas City
Milwaukee
Minnesota

AL EAST:
Baltimore
Boston
New York Yankees
Philadelphia
Tampa Bay

NL
NL West:
Arizona
Colorado
Houston
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco

NL Central:
Chicago White Sox
Cincinnati
Cleveland (Now we get more of a rivalry going, not that it means anything, but it could be fun)
Detroit
St Louis

NL East:
Atlanta
Florida
NY Mets
Pittsburgh
Toronto
Washington

Or I do like the idea of possibly doing it based on classes. Whatever

No more interleague play….at all…ever. Do away with the DH. That’s all I got.

by Who's on First? on Jul 14, 2009 11:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Expansion

Everyone’s favorite word.
Expand to 32 teams.
Have 8 divisions of 4 teams split into 2 leagues.
DH in both leagues.
I’d leave the 4 division winners as the playoff teams and not have wildcards.

Interleague schedule that works like football (everyone from a division has the same schedule). Overall schedule reduce to 156 games. Play the 3 teams in your division 12 times each (6 home, 6 road), 3 divisions in your league 6 times each, 2 divisions in the other league 6 times each on a rotating basis.

Move Washington’s team to San Juan
Add a team in New Orleans
Add a team in Las Vegas

AL divisions
TOR
DET
MIN
MIL

STL
CHC
CHW
KCR

TEX
HOU
COL
New NO

SFG
OAK
SEA
Las Vegas

NL divisions
BOS
NYY
PHI
NYM

BAL
PIT
CIN
CLE

TBR
FLA
ATL
San Juan

LAD
SDP
LAA
ARI

by rojosoto on Jul 14, 2009 11:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

nice ideas

although I’d say the A’s would be a better bet to move to San Juan, as they are having stadium issues and the Natty’s have a new stadium.

I love the 4 divisions of 4 teams concept too.

Find me on MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/mixfmkyle

by MixFMKyle on Jul 14, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No to NO

That’s a small market as it is. There’s no way New Orleans is going to support the Saints, Hornets, and a major league baseball team. Portland or San Antonio would be better choices.

"The big possums walk late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Jul 14, 2009 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would say if we add 2 teams

Las Vegas, Nashville, Portland, San Antonio, Indianapolis, or Charlotte would be the only markets that could handle it.

But I think MLB is more likely to contract than expand right now. I’ve always wondered if MLB would try to enter Mexico City.

Find me on MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/mixfmkyle

by MixFMKyle on Jul 14, 2009 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Gray could probably correct me if I'm wrong in thinking this,

but Raleigh would also be a pretty solid choice. It’s a growing city with only the Hurricanes and NC State to contend with — in other words, baseball could do just fine. Of course, I could be wrong and the people could love their Mudcats and Bulls more than I know.

Eighty-five percent of the f*ckin' world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here. A f*ckin' playground for the cocks*ckers.
-Lee Elia on Cubs fans

by Farneyismycopilot on Jul 14, 2009 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Of course, the plains are rather wide open as well

Eighty-five percent of the f*ckin' world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here. A f*ckin' playground for the cocks*ckers.
-Lee Elia on Cubs fans

by Farneyismycopilot on Jul 14, 2009 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lots of uncharted territory out there

Eighty-five percent of the f*ckin' world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here. A f*ckin' playground for the cocks*ckers.
-Lee Elia on Cubs fans

by Farneyismycopilot on Jul 14, 2009 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Unfortunately

probably none of the NC markets is really ideal for an MLB team. There are actually three possibilities:

Charlotte, city pop 700,000, CSA pop 2.3 million
Raleigh, city pop 400,000, CSA pop 1.6 million (also includes Durham, Cary, etc.)
Greensboro, city pop 250,000, CSA pop 1.5 million (includes Winston-Salem and High Point)

Charlotte has the advantage that plenty of cities are within several hours: Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro and Winston-Salem in NC, as well as basically all of SC. Atlanta is only four hours away, though, plus Charlotte already has teams from the NFL and NBA—and they had a lot of trouble funding a AAA stadium downtown a few years back, so it ended up being built across the state line in SC. Plus a lot of the recent growth was in finance, which hasn’t been faring so well, so the big-money boosters aren’t being so vocal these days.

Greensboro is basically at the midpoint between the two nearest teams, just over five hous (on a good traffic day) to either Atlanta or DC. However, the population (and tax base) of the area isn’t really growing in the absence of the kinds of growth industries that Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham have: finance, high tech, and health. There was a group trying to move the Twins to here (or maybe it was Winston-Salem), though of course that fell through. But for what it’s worth, Greensboro has one of the most popular single-A teams in the country, largely owing to a new stadium downtown.

The Raleigh area is the fastest-growing part of the state (and much of that growth may actually be sustained), but it has some problems, too. Sure, there’s only one major sports team, but the experience building that stadium may make it hard to get a baseball stadium built. Moreover, while it probably would draw people from Winston-Salem and Greensboro, Charlotte fans would be less likely to drive in. But perhaps most importantly, you can’t just shut down the Bulls, and I doubt that they could coexist with a major league team less than half an hour away. I think that, more than anything, would make this a tough sell.

Let me write out a formal proof for you.

by Gray on Jul 15, 2009 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mexico City

Certainly has plenty of people, but I don’t know how many of them have a) any disposable income whatsoever, and b) even like baseball. I think the country is pretty thoroughly divided – South and East prefer soccer by far, and the West likes some beisbol. Think about if for a second, though – for all its size, you don’t see many players out of Mexico besides the likes of Elmer, Erubiel Durazo, Oliver Perez, Gallardo, Hairstons*, and half of Adrian and Edgar Gonzalez.

*Hahahahahaha

He sits alone...Reds are not home.

by Gapper on Jul 14, 2009 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think they could support a team, with facilities and fans

But the problem I’m thinking, is would anyone want to play there? If you’re a white free agent who doesn’t speak Spanish, would there be any appeal in playing in Mexico? I’d think they’d struggle to field anything other than an all-Hispanic team, which would be competitive for sure, but I’m not sure it’d be good for MLB.

"We, as for me all seasons you are affected peculiarly in the edge of my seat and are happy concerning the fact that the Adam Dunn fan has been mixed up exactly." - Reynard-san

by BK on Jul 14, 2009 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Seems like they would get the same thing a lot of current teams get:

Lots of players living far away from the team’s home base.

Let me write out a formal proof for you.

by Gray on Jul 15, 2009 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No way the Reds and Cubs would sacrifice the Indianapolis market to another team

I think Nashville would have shot, but I think again the Reds and Braves would fight it. Charlotte might make sense though, but would DC, Baltimore, and Atlanta be happy?

I think Portland has a case. The only team they’d piss off is Seattle. Houston is probably a big enough market on its own to not worry about San Antonio. What about Oklahoma City? Could they support a team?

"It seems like we're not hitting because we're not getting hits." - Dusty being Dusty

by Slyde on Jul 14, 2009 4:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah, I could see OK City.

I could also see Indianapolis and Nashville as no-go’s. But Indy has done very well with the NFL the last decade with franchises also in CIN and CHI.

According to this article – Sacramento, Round Rock and Louisville led MILB in attendance the first half of 2008, averaging more than 9,000 per game. Hard to find solid data on MILB attendance.

Another Possibility- Salt Lake City is probably a bit too small, but would be an area that is pretty wide open.

Find me on MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/mixfmkyle

by MixFMKyle on Jul 14, 2009 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Round Rock is also one of the fastest growing cities in America.

I’m not sure how the Rangers would feel about a team there, though.

Eighty-five percent of the f*ckin' world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here. A f*ckin' playground for the cocks*ckers.
-Lee Elia on Cubs fans

by Farneyismycopilot on Jul 14, 2009 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Portland and San Antonio

I believe they are better choices because they are both bigger than Oklahoma City and only have one major pro sports team. The NBA regular season doesn’t overlap the MLB season by that much. Sacramento is too close to both the Giants and Athletics for that city to get a MLB team. Salt Lake City is simply too small a market for MLB.

Indianapolis and Nashville already have two major pro sports teams. They don’t need a third.

"The big possums walk late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Jul 14, 2009 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Portland will be getting a Major League Soccer team in 2011

The rivalry between them and Seattle should be pretty amazing, so I would think that a baseball rivalry could also be intense. I don’t know of any history between the Blazers and the Sonics but, well, that doesn’t much matter any more these days.

by Brendanukkah on Jul 14, 2009 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Blazers-Sonics had its day

The each won a championship in the late ‘70s and were close enough in talent through the late ’80s and mid ’90s, though Portland had already peaked by the time the Payton-Kemp Sonics were in full force. It was never exactly Yankees-Red Sox. Maybe because Portland’s owner was from Seattle. Plus, I think the two cities recognize that they’re more similar than different. But these are my pretty dated memories of the Pacific NW.

Portland never seemed like much of a baseball town given the attendance I saw at Beaver games (AAA for the Twins 20 years ago). But Maury Brown, who runs the bizofbaseball blog, is active in getting Portland at the head of the line for the next expansion or franchise move. And then there’s the Rob Neyer factor!

by ken on Jul 14, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It is lazy, inexcusable, stupid and unfair

that one division has six teams and another has four. The solution is simple: move the Brewers (or any team, but I do not see how those bastards got in our league in the first place) back to the AL, and put them or the Royals in the AL West, and stagger interleague play throughout the entire season, like all the other sports leagues do.

As for the DH, words are inadequate to express what a dumbass idea that was. Why do they not have 9 DHs? That way we could get the very best hitters and fielders on the field? I’m being facetious of course. Everyone should have to hit, and everyone should have to play defense. Give every team an extra roster spot to shut the talk of job loss up.

Very few teams have a dedicated DH anyway. It is just a rolling off-day to save someone from playing in the field, keeping all the bodies fresher. Is it any wonder one league outperforms the other?

by Colin Auscapee on Jul 14, 2009 11:46 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I like the 15 vs 15 league

with one Interleague at a time.

Find me on MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/mixfmkyle

by MixFMKyle on Jul 14, 2009 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i want to end interleague play

i think it is shitty that the Reds see the Indians as many times as they see the Giants.

Bloop

by justin007000 on Jul 14, 2009 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree wholeheartedly.

I don’t know why they moved the Milwaukee Seligs to the NL in the first place, but they are not wanted here. KC to the AL West, and Milwaukee to the AL Central.

I’d like the DH gone too. If this means we’d be without the Hafners and Ortizes, even better. It is a sick bastardization of the game to propose that hitting is the only required skill. How do you call yourself a baseball player if your glove has cobwebs in it? Fuck ’em.

He sits alone...Reds are not home.

by Gapper on Jul 14, 2009 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Since I'm feeling ornery, I say fuck leagues.

Straight up six divisions with five teams each, no DH.

All-Star game (If you give a shit) can be something retarded like USA vs. the World and then this BS about who gets home field for the WS is destroyed.

For the Playoffs, teams are seeded just like every other fucking sport, with the winner of each division getting in and the next two teams getting wild card spots (yes, a Wild Card team can and should be ranked higher than a divisional winner if their record is better).

Cut the season down by roughly 25 games to allow for extra playoff time: and for those records humpers — Too. Fucking. Bad.

And MixFMKyle, nothing personal, I’m saying fuck rule one. I’m in a shitty mood today.

My Daddy Drives a Benz Division

Red Sox
Yanks
Mets
Phillies
Os

Fuck It’s Cold Division

Jays
Tigers
Brewers
Twins
Cubs

Holy Shit These Teams Are Old Division

Pirates
Reds
Indians
White Sox
Cardinals

Lincoln Was Right: Fuck You Guys Division

Braves
Rays
Marlins
Rangers
Astros

One Day, You Will Fall Into The Ocean Division

Giants
A’s
Dodgers
Angels
Padres

No One Really Gives A Shit About You Division

Mariners
Rockies
Diamondbacks
Royals
Nationals

Eighty-five percent of the f*ckin' world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here. A f*ckin' playground for the cocks*ckers.
-Lee Elia on Cubs fans

by Farneyismycopilot on Jul 14, 2009 12:13 PM EDT reply actions 10 recs

haha

No One Really Gives A Shit About You Division

Find me on MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/mixfmkyle

by MixFMKyle on Jul 14, 2009 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I might have given up being a Reds fan by now

If my other choice by location wasn’t the Nationals. Second choice: Orioles. Congratulations Reds, I’m still a fan!

by Brendanukkah on Jul 14, 2009 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I really enjoyed this post

hatred and humor…a regular lewis black on our hands

Made from 100% Recycled Awesome,

by 'tHan on Jul 14, 2009 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well done.

Those Mariners/Nats games 18 times a year would make for a killer road schedule.

"We, as for me all seasons you are affected peculiarly in the edge of my seat and are happy concerning the fact that the Adam Dunn fan has been mixed up exactly." - Reynard-san

by BK on Jul 14, 2009 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed.

But fuck them.

Eighty-five percent of the f*ckin' world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here. A f*ckin' playground for the cocks*ckers.
-Lee Elia on Cubs fans

by Farneyismycopilot on Jul 14, 2009 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Plus those games would be nigh unwatchable.

Everybody's a jerk. You. Me. This jerk.

by andromache on Jul 14, 2009 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just like every other Nationals game.

by Who's on First? on Jul 14, 2009 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You Lincoln was wrong division

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.
George Carlin

by Madville on Jul 15, 2009 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think the starting point has to be getting rid of the unbalanced schedule

I’d like to go back to no divisions and a true pennant race. Who needs playoffs?

"I never should have given up the animation rights."

by BobbyO on Jul 14, 2009 12:51 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Division I college football?

Eighty-five percent of the f*ckin' world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here. A f*ckin' playground for the cocks*ckers.
-Lee Elia on Cubs fans

by Farneyismycopilot on Jul 14, 2009 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

We'll see what Congress has to say about that

your tax money at work

"I never should have given up the animation rights."

by BobbyO on Jul 14, 2009 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

But that means hard salary cap

"I never should have given up the animation rights."

by BobbyO on Jul 14, 2009 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bud Selig needs playoffs!

Playoffs = $$$$$

Ideally, there would be no playoffs – playoffs suck for determining the best team of the year. Look at the Cardinals in 2006 – that team could barely stay above .500.

However, playoffs are quite good at raising dough – they’re premium games made for TV. Need more ‘must-watch’ games? Add another round of playoffs and you have 4 more decisive elimination games!

He sits alone...Reds are not home.

by Gapper on Jul 14, 2009 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Simple Change

I would move the D-backs to the AL West since they do not have a long history, and then move Houston the NL West. 5 teams in every division…

AMERICAN LEAGUE

East
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles

Central
Detroit Tigers
Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals
Cleveland Indians

West
Los Angeles Angels
Texas Rangers
Seattle Mariners
Oakland Athletics
Arizona Diamondbacks

NATIONAL LEAGUE

East
Philadelphia Phillies
Florida Marlins
Atlanta Braves
New York Mets
Washington Nationals

Central
St. Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburgh Pirates

West
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies
Houston Astros
San Diego Padres

by Crazy Legs on Jul 14, 2009 1:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This creates that scheduling problem though right?

Where there’s one interleague series going all the time, which I believe creates more headaches than the current system.

In the early days of the device they were made of straw, sheepskin and granite... I've seen pictures of the one Babe Ruth used and while it's a step up from the devices that Ben Franklin and, say, Billy the Kid used it's still positively barbaric. And the gromits, if you can call them that, were made of corn husks. -Judge Montgomery Davies

by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Jul 14, 2009 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Here's what i would do if i could realign the divisions:

give the Reds an automatic bid to the playoffs, kinda like how the BCS does for Notre Dame.

by Charlie Scrabbles on Jul 14, 2009 2:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This is a total flight of fancy

but I think it would be more interesting and potentially better for revenue to set up a more exhaustive playoff system based on European premier league soccer. This proposal also assumes relations with Cuba are normalized. Imagine the rivalry between the Miami Marlins and La Habana Vaqueros.

First step would be to standardize things. Expansion is probably not happening any time soon, but let’s assume it’s feasible.

NL North
New York Mets
Philadelphia
Washington
Baltimore

NL South
Miami
Havana
Atlanta
Charlotte

NL West
LA Dodgers
San Francisco
LA Angels
Colorado

NL Central
St. Louis
Cincinnati
Chicago
Cleveland

AL North
NY Yankees
Boston
Milwaukee
Toronto

AL South
Tampa Bay
Houston
Texas
Kansas City

AL West
Seattle
Arizona
San Diego
Oakland

AL Central
Pittsburgh
Detroit
Chicago

Then shrink the season down to 150 games or less. More time for playoffs. Set up a Champions league between top teams in the National League, American League and international leagues. Then expand the MLB playoffs to include qualifying rounds for other North American teams, including independent leagues and any teams not eligible in their respective countries for the Champions league. Good performance in the qualifying rounds puts them up for Champions League consideration next year.

MLB Playoffs:

Each division winner qualifies and is seeded according to record. Worst record among divisional winners plays an additional opening round against the winner of the qualifying field, which would function similar to the Premiership. Winner of that field could be the league wildcard team (which would play in the final round only) or some unaffiliated team fromSouth Dakota.

by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Jul 14, 2009 4:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I really, really like the Champions League idea.

But there’d be only a few teams that would be competitive, like Mexico, Cuba, Japan, South Korea, and maybe Taiwan. Still though, a tourney with two teams from each of those, with the AL and NL winner would be a lot of fun.

"We, as for me all seasons you are affected peculiarly in the edge of my seat and are happy concerning the fact that the Adam Dunn fan has been mixed up exactly." - Reynard-san

by BK on Jul 14, 2009 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Domincan Summer League wouldn't be bad — if allowed to include MLB talent.

Also, is there an Australian baseball league? I thought I read somewhere that there was, but I can’t remember. I’m also clueless on whether or not it would even be International League-caliber good.

Eighty-five percent of the f*ckin' world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here. A f*ckin' playground for the cocks*ckers.
-Lee Elia on Cubs fans

by Farneyismycopilot on Jul 14, 2009 4:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Check that, I meant Domincan WINTER League.

Eighty-five percent of the f*ckin' world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here. A f*ckin' playground for the cocks*ckers.
-Lee Elia on Cubs fans

by Farneyismycopilot on Jul 14, 2009 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is a neat idea...

Seems to me to simplify qualification you could just include the winners of the top leagues in each country…

US:
NL winner
AL winner

Japan:
Pacific League winner
Central League winner

Cuba:
East League winner
West League winner

that’s six teams and probably the top baseball playing nations in the world, so the seventh and eighth spots can be decided by a qualifying tournament between say Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Italy, Netherlands, Australia, South Africa, etc.

Then just play an 8-team tournament a la the current MLB playoffs, maybe five-game series so the season doesn’t run too long into the colder months. No need to cancel the World Series – it can still be played to determine the major league champion. Maybe the final round of qualification for the seventh and eighth spots in the CL could be played at the same time.

by cubsforever on Jul 26, 2009 9:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Proposed Alignment

AL East
Yankees
Red Sox
Tigers
Orioles
Blue Jays

AL Central
White Sox
Twins
Royals
Indians
Brewers

AL West
Rangers
Angels
Mariners
A’s
Astros

NL East
Phillies
Mets
Nationals
Marlins
Rays

NL Central
Cubs
Pirates
Braves
Reds
Cardinals

NL West
Rockies
Diamondbacks
Dodgers
Giants
Padres

Each league would have 15 teams.

"The big possums walk late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Jul 14, 2009 4:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

All this expansion talk

could lead to a good post tomorrow….Who would you protect in an expansion draft? Good discussion.

Find me on MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/mixfmkyle

by MixFMKyle on Jul 14, 2009 5:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Astros to AL West, go back to 154 games.

I think it would be a great PR move for baseball to return to the 154-game schedule. No longer would the single-season accomplishments of PED-centric Bonds, McGwire, and Clemens be a major part of the touchstone of statistical comparison. Instead we will return to folks trying to match or best Babe Ruth’s 60 home runs and Hank’s 755. Add 2 more games to the first round of playoffs, subtract a few from the head and tail of the season, and you are there.

The owners won’t go for it because of lost revenue, but I believe it would be the in the best interests of baseball.

While we’re at it, I also like the Paul White (Sports Weekly, and Baseball Weekly for those of you older than 6) concept of moving the Astros to the AL West. This would create 6 perfectly balanced divisions (unlike now) but would force 2 teams on any given day to either play an interleague matchup or have an off day. This hasn’t happened because some feel that the interleague games are more marketable and exciting if scheduled in bunches and in conjunction with other teams’ interleague games. I disagree. This would allow us to return to a more balanced schedule that had us playing the out-of-division teams twice as often, while it would also be important to schedule the lesser teams to face each other at the end of the year (i.e. KC should face the Pirates in their last series), but we already do some of that; the Red Sox never play KC to finish out the year. This also creates additional revenue for the Astros and Rangers, as their in-state rivalry will increase attendance, interest, and ratings, while decreasing their travel time and putting more away games on the air during their local prime-time television schedule, further increasing revenues.

Anyone think Paul White’s plan is a good one?

I can see you're not going to agree with me, so let's move on. - Bill Maher

by PeteyHendrix on Jul 14, 2009 7:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Expand by 2

That way you could have 4 divisions, 4 teams each. Play teams in the division 25 times a year, 6 for each team in conference but not in division, and one interleague series home and home a year.

NL East
Mets
Phillies
Pirates
Nationals

NL West
Giants
Dodgers
Padres
Diamondbacks

NL North
Cubs
Brewers
Cardinals
Reds

NL South
Braves
Marlins
Astros
Rockies (the rockies really kind of screw things up geographilcally in this scenario)

AL East
Red Sox
Yankees
Orioles
Blue Jays

AL West
Mariners
A’s
Angels
Las Vegas

AL North
White Sox
Twins
Tigers
Indians

AL South
Rangers
Rays
Royals
Expansion team (Charlotte, San Antonio, Indianapolis, New Orleans)

by backtocali on Jul 15, 2009 1:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

BTW I'd send the Mets to the AL and the indians to the NL to even things out geographically

NL East
Reds
Indians
Pirates
Nationals

NL West
Giants
Dodgers
Padres
Diamondbacks

NL North
Cubs
Brewers
Cardinals
Phillies

NL South
Braves
Marlins
Astros
Rockies

This is the best alignment – it allows for 4 divisions and an easy play off schedule. no long trips and the Reds would actually have a shot at winning the division.
Fuck the Al, they can figure their own shit out.

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.
George Carlin

by Madville on Jul 15, 2009 4:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Basically, undo everything Bud Selig has done.

1. Contract the NL back to 14 teams. The D-backs and Marlins can go, or anyone really, I don’t particularly care. Then each league has 14 teams, a nice number for reasons that will become apparent later. Also, the level of play will increase as talent is spread among fewer teams.

2. The wildcard has ruined the concept of a pennant race. So it goes, and with it goes the LDS. The LDS sucks. Its sole purpose seems to be to allow underdogs to knock out superior teams to create more “drama”. Whatever. Drama is when the two best teams in the league are tied in the standings with twenty games to go and only one playoff spot.

We can’t have three divisions obviously with no wildcard, so back to the two-division system. The AL will have the same alignment it had from 1977 to 1995 when Selig messed everything up, and the NL will have a similar alignment to 1993, the sole year it played at 14 teams and 2 divisions. Like so:

AMERICAN LEAGUE
AL East
Boston
Baltimore
Cleveland
Detroit
New York
Tampa Bay
Toronto

AL West
Chicago
Kansas City
Minnesota
Oakland
Los Angeles
Seattle
Texas

NATIONAL LEAGUE
NL East
Chicago
Milwaukee
New York
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
St. Louis
Washington

NL West
Atlanta
Cincinnati
Colorado
Houston
Los Angeles
San Diego
San Francisco

3. The schedule needs to be balanced. Why? Because unbalanced schedules are unfair and stupid. Turns out in a 14-team league, this is easy as pie. A 16-team league is much more difficult to schedule fairly, which is why the NL has to contract. Basically, each team plays 12 games against each of the 13 other teams for a total of 156 games. Yes, it’s a shorter season. That’s fine. There’s no reason we ought to be playing baseball in November, (1) because of the weather and (2) because we ought to minimize the amount of time we are competing with football.

4. Play a 6-game interleague series with a natural geographic rival. The catch? This series doesn’t count, it’s just a friendly, because the AL and NL are two separate leagues, gosh darn it. If the NFL and CFL had two teams play each other, that game wouldn’t count in the standings. That brings the total games played up to the normal 162. Potentially statistics from these games could count to maintain the “integrity” of the statistical record and to not penalize a player that gets red hot and hits 6 home runs in 6 games. This way, the players are motivated to play, even if the games don’t count. But doesn’t Cubs-White Sox always count?

5. The LCS is 7 games, the World Series is 7 games, and home field advantage is alternated each year.

by cubsforever on Jul 26, 2009 9:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs