Commissioner Bud Selig just threw a curveball at the baseball playoffs, by inviting 10 teams into the post-season, instead of eight.
Selig’s Big Announcement
This move smacks of desperation. It’s a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. The baseball playoffs are exciting because unlike the NCAA college basketball tournament, not everyone can get in. The regular season actually matters.
Eight is the perfect number for baseball playoffs. allowing the 3 division winners in each League to compete against just 1 wild card team. The talent doesn’t get watered down and only the best teams can compete for the title.
This move is all about maximizing television revenue and works against Mother Nature. Baseball is about the Boys of Summer, not Winter Warriors. With 10 teams in the playoffs, will the World Series be played at Thanksgiving? Think about snowstorms in Colorado if the Rockies get in or sleet at Fenway Park in mid-November.
I’ll leave it to the great baseball philosopher Yogi Berra, who once described the October shadows at Yankee Stadium by saying, ” It gets late early out there.” Imagine what Yogi would think of a late November World Series. He’d probably say, “the future ain’t what it used to be.”
