Catching the Dodgers

[HalfSmokes]

The NBA and NHL play half as many games.

The NFL plays even fewer and manages to have divisions with meaningful rivalries.

[bluestreak]

You don't. And you can only go by who won or loss the most. So why should a team that won more games not get home field advantage?

Baseball for whatever reason has spilt into divisions. They have decided there should be a premium on winning the decision.  I think this is intellectually defensible based on how the schedules are made. With an unbalanced schedule the only thing you’re sure of is that if you win your division you’re the best team in your division over 162. Everything else is guesswork and speculation.

As long as you have divisions this is the way to do it.

[mitlen]

Aka... Make Baseball Boring Again

The division split and the addition of the wildcard way back in 1995 or thereabouts was the best thing baseball ever did.  Suddenly a lot more teams are playing meaningful games into Sep.

The 2nd wildcard made things even more interesting even later into the season. There's still a handful of team in the AL wildcard race still clinging to hope. The only thing they need to fix there is to make the wildcard a 3 game series. 1 and done works for basketball and football, but not baseball.

Strength of divisions is a cyclical thing. One year your division might be bad, then 2 years later it's the best in the league. They could maybe cut back on intra-divisional games a little and add more against the West and Central. But who wants the Nats making several West Coast road trips every year? Plus a lot of NL Central games are blacked out for me on mlb.tv.

Ya must have missed the sarcasm.

[Minty Fresh]

That's ridiculous. Now you're being just like Slateman. You talk as if there is no such thing as a better team or a better division.

What's your definition of "better"?

[Slateman]

As long as you have divisions this is the way to do it.

Why? For an opening round, it makes sense. You also have the team with the best record playing the wild card team. But if the wild card team beats them and has a better record, shouldn't they receive the benefit of home field? THey've proven to be the better team.

All I'm asking is what the NHL and NBA do. Re-seed after the NLDS.

[Minty Fresh]

Let's put it this way, which division do you think it would be more difficult to win 95 games in right now?

Subjective. 

You fail.

Again.

[Minty Fresh]

The NBA and NHL play half as many games.

And admit three times as many teams into their respective bloviated playoffs.

[varoadking]

And admit three times as many teams into their respective bloviated playoffs.

Math is clearly not your strong suit...

[mitlen]

And admit three times as many teams into their respective bloviated playoffs.

Indoor sports can do more bloviatin'.

[Minty Fresh]

Math is clearly not your strong suit...

I was being deliberately obtuse.

#Slatemanning

[Minty Fresh]

Indoor sports can do more bloviatin'.

Sure.  If you love oversaturation. 

[Slateman]

Subjective. 

You fail.

Again.

Actually, we can measure this objectively with strength of schedule. Or we could do it more objectively with the number wins.

[varoadking]

Actually, we can measure this objectively with strength of schedule. Or we could do it more objectively with the number wins.

Wins are all that matter...

[Slateman]

Wins are all that matter...

Then who should get homefield advantage in the NLCS? The Cubs or the Diamondbacks?

[bluestreak]

Why? For an opening round, it makes sense. You also have the team with the best record playing the wild card team. But if the wild card team beats them and has a better record, shouldn't they receive the benefit of home field? THey've proven to be the better team.

All I'm asking is what the NHL and NBA do. Re-seed after the NLDS.

But they haven't proven to be the better team. That's the whole thing with an unbalanced schedule, we don't know for sure which teams are better because they play significantly different schedules.  And who cares what the other leagues do? The NFL does it just like baseball, so what.

[Slateman]

But they haven't proven to be the better team. That's the whole thing with an unbalanced schedule, we don't know for sure which teams are better because they play significantly different schedules.  And who cares what the other leagues do? The NFL does it just like baseball, so what.

Neither is the team that won their division. They played their division a bunch. Could have been a weak schedule. Could have been a strong schedule.

Why does the team that won a division they were arbitrarily put in get home field advantage, even over teams with better overall records?

[Minty Fresh]

Actually, we can measure this objectively with strength of schedule.

Still subjective. 

Or we could do it more objectively with the number wins.

That is the only objective measure and you as well as everyone else here knows that's an imperfect measure.

Wins are all that matter...

Yup.

[varoadking]

Then who should get homefield advantage in the NLCS? The Cubs or the Diamondbacks?

The Dodgers...

[Minty Fresh]

But they haven't proven to be the better team. That's the whole thing with an unbalanced schedule, we don't know for sure which teams are better because they play significantly different schedules.  And who cares what the other leagues do? The NFL does it just like baseball, so what.

This whole discussion involving other leagues makes me think the best system of running a professional sports league is the EPL.  Next in line is MLB.

[Minty Fresh]

The Dodgers...

[mitlen]

This whole discussion involving other leagues makes me think the best system of running a professional sports league is the EPL.  Next in line is MLB.

I like the relegating concept.

[Minty Fresh]

I like the relegating concept.

It's the best thing going.  Send the Phillies to AA!   

[bluestreak]

This whole discussion involving other leagues makes me think the best system of running a professional sports league is the EPL.  Next in line is MLB.

I agree. Everyone plays the exact same schedule, you know whoever wins was the best over the season.

[Minty Fresh]

I agree. Everyone plays the exact same schedule, you know whoever wins was the best over the season.

And if you can't win enough games, you suck enough to go play in a league that more closely suits your "talents."

[Slateman]

I agree. Everyone plays the exact same schedule, you know whoever wins was the best over the season.

This implies that every team is the same at all times. Which they aren't.