These playoffs suck
This is the worst playoff schedule ever, another great example of how MLB is willing to sacrifice fairness and the long-term interests of the game in order to make a quick buck and satisfy their broadcast partners.
Simply, the more crazy rest days there are in and between series, the more thin teams, particularly thin teams with one or two ace pitchers, are rewarded, and the more they make the playoffs into a different competition than the regular season.
For example: if you can put together a team with a good bunch of starting position players (however you want: offense, defense, it doesn’t matter here) but hampered by a horrible bench, where the starting rotation goes great-great-suck-suck-suck and the bullpen has one or two lights-out pitchers, you might struggle to win 90 games in a season. A better-balanced team — a better team — with deeper pitching and quality reserves — might win far more games than you over a season.
In this playoff format, though, it doesn’t matter: they can ride those two starters, those two relievers all series long, because with all the rest days they don’t need a deep staff. Reserves aren’t as important in a playoff series anyway, but with that many rest days they’re almost entirely irrelevant. The roster construction that made for a consistent, successful team are in some ways opposed to those that make a team that can thrive in this crazy scheduling.
Baseball, boredom, baseball, a rhythm that forms a paradise for the 1997 Marlins — this isn’t what I want out of the playoffs.
198: North – You may be right about Minaya being hired by Selig to run the Expos while the team was in receivership. I don’t remember off-hand what year Loria officially let go of the team, but I know he was responsible for most of that mess in the first place.
I also remember how that situation ended up favoring the Mets. That issue of credibility might be one reason why some owners have had doubts about hiring Minaya when he’s been available for various GM jobs that have opened up.
As for Loria, the fact that he’s allowed to continue to run teams into the ground (and, in effect, scam season-ticket holders out of their money by doing so) is a perfect example of just how much work MLB still needs to do to clean up their act. It may be ancient history, but Shoeless Joe Jackson continues to banned from the HOF to this day for something far less egregious than what Loria has done.
199: Wasn’t certain who hired who or when…it seemed like that whole mess was so tenuous back then.
Thanks for the clarification.
200: Oh, don’t get me wrong. It’s not like the Nationals couldn’t use Sizemore now! But ultimately you’re right. Loria’s the one who deserves responsibility for the ‘pos demise.