Rosenthal Re-aligns MLB

[mweb]

Actually, it's very much not figured in. This is where most of the $$$ disparity comes from. Nobody knows how much they get from their private TV deals, there a zillion ways to make it look like one thing when it's really something else. Getting the TV money to be a known factor that comes under revenue sharing is perhaps the biggest single need re: getting the insane wealth disparity down to uncrazy levels. Sadly, because the teams have had years to set up their RSN deals in opaque ways, it's gonna be very, very difficult to do...

Actually it is figured in, just not with much accuracy. So basically what I said.

[eddie83]

I would leave it the way it is now but add another wild-card team. That would allow a third place team from a power division like the AL East to make the playoffs. The two wild-card teams play in a best of three to advance. The three division winners could set their pitching up and it would place more emphasis on winning the division so you could avoid the three game wild-card round. The problem would be finding time in the calendar. You still have a better chance of a weak division winner than a 2nd wild-card team having a weak record making the playoffs. Only 1 wild-card team would compete in the division round just like now. By having two wild-cards it at least allows you a chance to be in the postseason but gives the division winners an advantage.

I personally like the unbalanced schedule even though it is hard on the Orioles, though it still doesn't change where you finish in a division. I pointed out before on another thread it is beneficial for the National League because of 4 Pacific Time Zone teams and one Mountain Time Zone team. When the Orioles go to Seattle in April during the week how many fans can stay up to watch the games? In the AL it is not as big of a deal due to the 4 team West having a Central Time Zone team like the Rangers.

Expansion I don't think is realistic. I think trying to have an interleague game every day would cause scheduling issues. By having the interleague games in May and June there is less chance of rainouts. I like interleague and I don't think 18 games out of 162 is that big of a deal.

[RShack]

I don't care if they juggle divisions a little bit, but I really don't see the point. That's not what the problem is anyway. I want the divisions to be stable, not changed around every year or three, and I want the O's in the same division as the MFY's, not in some wimpy division.

As for the post-season, I pray they don't add any more teams to it. One wildcard team is fine, but that's enough. The post-season is plenty long enough as it is, we don't need to make it any longer. Plus, with a long season you want the season to count for a lot, not just for ID'ing a bunch of teams who can coast near the end because they know they're gonna get in somehow. Baseball shouldn't be ruined by turning it into the NBA...

[DrungoHazewood]

I want the divisions to be stable, not changed around every year or three, and I want the O's in the same division as the MFY's, not in some wimpy division.

I think this is the equivalent of a software bug being touted as a feature. I just don't get how it makes for a better product on the field by having every team locked into the same unequal matchups for all eternity.

I guess part of your point of view is that they'll eventually fix the revenue disparities and it won't matter that the O's are always 100s of $millions behind their direct competition. But that looks even more remote than the chances of rotating divisions.

As for the post-season, I pray they don't add any more teams to it. One wildcard team is fine, but that's enough. The post-season is plenty long enough as it is, we don't need to make it any longer. Plus, with a long season you want the season to count for a lot, not just for ID'ing a bunch of teams who can coast near the end because they know they're gonna get in somehow. Baseball shouldn't be ruined by turning it into the NBA...

I don't like long, multi-tiered postseasons, either. But that's the North American way, and we're not going back. If anything they'll add more teams to the postseason whether folks talk fondly of pre-expansion baseball or not. It's how they deal with the fact that league competitions are everything, and there's are no other cup/tournament type things to generate extra revenues. And it's also the work-around to fixing revenue inequities; throwing more luck into the equation makes it look like there's more parity.

All of these choices boil down to incremental improvements versus a massive upheaval to fix the root issues (that the powerful teams don't even see as issues). I used to be a person who wanted all or nothing, that incremental improvements were compromise, and compromise was bad. I now see this as a choice between a halfway solution and no solution at all, because transformational change is exceptionally rare.

[elsid]

Rosenthal's plan just wouldn't work. Mainly because there are 15 teams in each division. You would either have someone off every day, or you would have interleague everyday.

I like some of the ideas here, and one that kind of sprang to mind when Drungo mentioned about not putting one in Schaumberg, IL. They do support their independent league team, and that got me to thinking about one other team, of which my brother played for, Winnipeg. They supported their team greatly, near the highest in attendance every year. Not sure if another Canadian team would work, like Winnipeg, or maybe even a Vancouver. Just a thought.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Rosenthal's plan just wouldn't work. Mainly because there are 15 teams in each division. You would either have someone off every day, or you would have interleague everyday.

And the problem is?

[elsid]

And the problem is?

How would you play a series? If someone has to be off everyday, then if there are series, they would get 3 off days in a row. Or, then you would have one AL/NL matchup every week. I just think it would be even harder to put together a balanced schedule that way.

[BaltimoreTerp]

How would you play a series? If someone has to be off everyday, then if there are series, they would get 3 off days in a row. Or, then you would have one AL/NL matchup every week. I just think it would be even harder to put together a balanced schedule that way.

I was referring to the Interleague point, because it makes no sense despite it being used as a throwaway point in combination with the legitimate "day off" point in every mention of an even set of leagues.

As though it matters whether the Orioles play the Rays or Marlins to start the season, or the Tigers or Reds to end it.