MLB 2012

[ghost]

By a whole 2 games!

2 games that won't get watched.  I don't know why they don't shave about 60-80 games off the regular season and just expand the playoffs to half the teams. 

[Paelos]

By a whole 2 games!

2 games that won't get watched.  I don't know why they don't shave about 60-80 games off the regular season and just expand the playoffs to half the teams. 

If you think people won't watch a 1 game playoff, you don't really understand what motivates the sports watching public. People watch the games where something is decided. That's why game 7's get the biggest ratings.

[ghost]

I just don't think people will really give a shit about the lowest seeded teams playing each other in what sounds like a play in game. 

[Paelos]

I just don't think people will really give a shit about the lowest seeded teams playing each other in what sounds like a play in game. 

Depends on what you mean by "give a shit." Pull NFL numbers? Of course not, nothing else does. Pull at least a 6 rating? Yeah I think it can do that. That's more than giving a shit in my book.

[ghost]

I just don't think people will really give a shit about the lowest seeded teams playing each other in what sounds like a play in game. 

Depends on what you mean by "give a shit." Pull NFL numbers? Of course not, nothing else does. Pull at least a 6 rating? Yeah I think it can do that. That's more than giving a shit in my book.

Well, I'm sure it will pull better numbers than late July or August regular season games.  Hence why I think they should drop the regular season games if they are going to expand the post-season.

[Paelos]

That's a totally different issue.

[ghost]

No.  Not really. 

[Paelos]

Dropping regular season games has nothing to do with the post-season. They are separate issues, with some minor overlap.

I've wanted to drop regular season games rather than add on playoff games. I think they should drop regular season games for reasons totally unrelated to the playoffs, like grind, timing relating to football, and general malaise of the fanbase.

[ghost]

I agree with that, but I don't think that you can add post-season games to baseball very easily without dropping some regular season games.  So they aren't completely unrelated issues.

[WayAbvPar]

It is one game per team. Should they make the regular season 161 games now?

[ghost]

It is one game per team. Should they make the regular season 161 games now?

I think that would be peachy.  Anything to decrease the morass of hot shit that is late July/August baseball.

[WayAbvPar]

Yes, that ~.4% decrease should really make a huge difference. 

[Ingmar]

Not to mention that July/August are probably the last games that would ever be removed.

[ghost]

I'm all for cutting as much or as little of the regular season as possible.  Eighty-ish games would be ideal, in my opinion, but to even cut one game is a big deal because it means they would even consider it. 

[Ingmar]

Why do you want to ruin baseball? 80 games would be awful. There should be 200 regular season games.

[ghost]

That would not ruin baseball. 

[Ingmar]

It would ruin EVERYTHING. 80 games is hardly enough to even get warmed up. It would screw with all the beauty of the statistics and career numbers and such too.

You'd also halve the revenue every team pulls in, therefore driving ticket prices up and depriving little children of their chance to go to a baseball game because now their parents can't afford those $16 bleacher seats. Way to go, child-hater.

[ghost]

Maybe we should just line them up and shoot them.   

[HaemishM]

There will never be a contraction of the regular season because $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Period.

[ghost]

That's plainly obvious.  I can hope, however.  The only compelling reason I can see for having a longer season is what Ingmar described.  I really don't hate children.   

[Paelos]

I like the season as it stands for the most part. I don't like September because it loses too much to football. I'd be fine starting the season right now.

[ghost]

Interesting:  Lenny Dykstra gets three years in the California Pen for car theft. 

Looks like Nails is going to get nailed.   

[Ingmar]

That guy always did seem like a douche.

[ghost]

He really did.  That whole Phillies team that he was on rubbed me the wrong way. 

[Ingmar]

Kruk seemed likeable/human enough. Probably mostly because of his reaction to Randy Johnson throwing at his head.

[ghost]

I do like John Kruk, but he was a bit of a redneck douche as well.

[Fordel]

There will never be a contraction of the regular season because $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Period.

Yea, it's the same way in Hockey, and Hockey really could and should go back down to 40-50 games a seasons. It's never happening because that's just way to much revenue to let go of.



Ingmar, I expect you to keep me UPDATED on the Jays.

[Ginaz]

He really did.  That whole Phillies team that he was on rubbed me the wrong way. 

Which made the Jays World Series win over them in'93 even sweeter.  Not as sweet as the one in '92 against Atlanta with that stupid as fuck tomahawk chop and having to see Jane Fucking Fonda and Ted Turner every 5 mins, but sweet nontheless.  The best moment from the 93' WS was during the celebration ceremony they had in the Skydome a fews after when Todd Stottlemyre told the mayor of Philly to kiss his ass because the mayor made statements to the effect that Stottlemyre was so bad even he could get a hit off him.

[Sjofn]

I'm sure I've said it before, but I was almost surprised just how naturally hating the Phillies came to me. Like I know if I root for the SF Giants, I have to hate the Dodgers, boo hiss Dodgers, but it's not real hate yet. Not real, good sports hate, like how I hate the Eagles (and the Cowboys to a lesser degree). I also don't hate the Yankees at all, because whatever, Yankees. My indifference probably burns them more than any hate would.

But the Phillies? Fuck do I hate the Phillies.

[Paelos]

That's because Phillies fans and Red Sox fans have gone beyond insufferable assholes since they started winning.

[HaemishM]

To be fair, the Phillies's fans have always been insufferable a-holes since forever. Actually, all Philly sports fans, regardless of the sports. Just wretched cockgobblers the lot.

[Ingmar]

Just stare at this picture for 5 minutes a day if you need work on your Dodger hating skills:

[naum]

I think the regular season should be shortened. Not to some ridiculous amount like 60 or 80 games, but to ~140. And end it on the last day of August. Reserve September for playoffs. More doubleheaders too, please.

And regarding playoffs, I believe the field should be expanded, and the series extended to best of 9 (like original World Series). Best of seven made sense in a baseball world with 3-4 man rotations and just a few relievers but not in this age of modern baseball.

Starting in September would take some thunder away from NFL and college football as there would be no meaningless September games as 95% of MLB fans even turn their gaze away. Best of nine series would distinguish baseball as the most arduous championship journey.

Finally, it is simply unconscionable for world series games to be played in November, or even in the waning weeks of October.

[Teleku]

I think you guys are crazy.  Baseball works fine the way it is.  Long seasons are fundamental to the sport, and a 60-80 game season would destroy the sport and make it un-watchable.  I'm also a fan of the restrictive playoffs.  Fuck sports that let half the teams into playoffs.  It means your playoffs are a god damn joke.  That’s primarily why I'm still not happy about this stupid 2nd wildcard bs.

Also, I'm not really understanding the football gripe.  Why is it important not to compete with NFL in September?  Anybody who gives a shit still follows baseball during that time regardless (as a matter of fact, its probably the time they watch it the most, as playoff races start coming to a head).  It’s not like people can’t follow two sports at once.

Finally, it is simply unconscionable for world series games to be played in November, or even in the waning weeks of October.

Err, why?

[Paelos]

The NFL dominates all. To ignore it is silly. Football has taken over as the sport of choice, so going head to head with it at your most important time is downright stupid.