2012 MLB Playoff Thread

[jacksonianmarch]

Whats going on with the game. Game cast says delayed.
Is this a rain delay ?

fans are pelting the field with beer bottles

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

What a disgraceful call by Sam Holbrook, but the Atlanta fans are showing even more with their shameful behaviour.

Agreed, that was uncalled for. I can understand the frustration though because of it being a win or go home situation.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Bourn in a big situation.

[jung]

What Selig needs is more parity not a jury rigged post season system. This will lose its luster quickly I think and then what does Selig do?

I am sure that is why MLB is insisting on calling this ridiculous one game a "post season" game complete with what I guess must be Wild Card Game Caps et al to lend some credibility to this thing. The "rational" MLB gives for this mess is to make the division win more meaningful. However how does that make sense when some divisions are won with fewer wins than the original one WC team had? But lets accept for a minute that it is all about the attendance/money which makes more sense anyway.

MLB had a 0.5% increase in total attendance 2011 over 2010 even though 6 fewer games were played in 2011, 2,418 games vs 2,424 games. Per game attendance was up about 0.82% 2011 over 2010, almost 300 attendees per game. The average attendance per game was up by 613 attendees in 2012 over 2011 or 2% up in per game attendance. So, you could say that the new format was worth an additional 1.2% on per game attendance over the average increase per game year over year. So whereas you might have expected an increase in per game attendance of about 300 attendees, you got 613 more attendees per game 2012 over 2011. If somebody wants to look at $$$$, if every team plays every game you have a 2,430 game season total. Average per game attendance across the MLB is between 30,000 and 31,000 attendees per game.the $$$ are maybe about $44M on what must be something like a $2.25B total gate per year.

I guess we can all decide for ourselves if we think a 1.2% increase in average per game attendance is worth seeing a 94 win team bumped out by an 88 win team based on a single game where the 94 win team plays uncharacteristically poor defense but worse than that gets jobbed by a bad call in the end. If there is one thing Selig did not want to see it was that bad call. Bad calls are always considered in baseball to be things that will even out over enough games. How do they even out over one game?

If they had a way to make this best 2 out of 3 then it might at least be tolerable I think. But there is simply no way to squeeze a best 2 out of 3 in after the 162 and before the best of 5 division series.

[jacksonianmarch]

I am torn on who to root for. The Rangers suffered some major rotational losses when they lost Wilson to LAA, lost Lewis to forearm surgery, lost Feliz to TJS, and then saw Oswalt and Dempster implode. I think we could definitely bludgeon their pitching. But we also have to shut down that offense, which I am unsure we can do through an entire series.

Then there is Baltimore, whose pitching is eminently hittable, their lineup is powerful but not dominant and their defense is meh. But after the first month of the season, they have owned us and seem to play up every time we play. Eliminating Darvish from throwing 2 games in the series leads me to want the Rangers to win. Plus, Joe Nathan is their closer and magical things happen when he closes playoff games against us

[jung]

I just saw the "special" WC game caps....the legend on the cap is "post season". That is about as funny as the Rays putting up a banner for a year when they make it into the post season as a WC team but go no farther.

[jung]

Selig is probably on pins and needles hoping he does not have a similar controversy in this the second WC game.

[jung]

Even as old as I am, I feel like I have seen Jim Thome playing my entire life.

[Bellhorn04]

What Selig needs is more parity not a jury rigged post season system. This will lose its luster quickly I think and then what does Selig do?

I am sure that is why MLB is insisting on calling this ridiculous one game a "post season" game complete with what I guess must be Wild Card Game Caps et al to lend some credibility to this thing. The "rational" MLB gives for this mess is to make the division win more meaningful. However how does that make sense when some divisions are won with fewer wins than the original one WC team had? But lets accept for a minute that it is all about the attendance/money which makes more sense anyway.

MLB had a 0.5% increase in total attendance 2011 over 2010 even though 6 fewer games were played in 2011, 2,418 games vs 2,424 games. Per game attendance was up about 0.82% 2011 over 2010, almost 300 attendees per game. The average attendance per game was up by 613 attendees in 2012 over 2011 or 2% up in per game attendance. So, you could say that the new format was worth an additional 1.2% on per game attendance over the average increase per game year over year. So whereas you might have expected an increase in per game attendance of about 300 attendees, you got 613 more attendees per game 2012 over 2011. If somebody wants to look at $$$$, if every team plays every game you have a 2,430 game season total. Average per game attendance across the MLB is between 30,000 and 31,000 attendees per game.the $$$ are maybe about $44M on what must be something like a $2.25B total gate per year.

I guess we can all decide for ourselves if we think a 1.2% increase in average per game attendance is worth seeing a 94 win team bumped out by an 88 win team based on a single game where the 94 win team plays uncharacteristically poor defense but worse than that gets jobbed by a bad call in the end. If there is one thing Selig did not want to see it was that bad call. Bad calls are always considered in baseball to be things that will even out over enough games. How do they even out over one game?

If they had a way to make this best 2 out of 3 then it might at least be tolerable I think. But there is simply no way to squeeze a best 2 out of 3 in after the 162 and before the best of 5 division series.

Good post, jung. I share a lot of the same thoughts.

[SoxFanForsyth]

What Selig needs is more parity not a jury rigged post season system. This will lose its luster quickly I think and then what does Selig do?

I am sure that is why MLB is insisting on calling this ridiculous one game a "post season" game complete with what I guess must be Wild Card Game Caps et al to lend some credibility to this thing. The "rational" MLB gives for this mess is to make the division win more meaningful. However how does that make sense when some divisions are won with fewer wins than the original one WC team had? But lets accept for a minute that it is all about the attendance/money which makes more sense anyway.

MLB had a 0.5% increase in total attendance 2011 over 2010 even though 6 fewer games were played in 2011, 2,418 games vs 2,424 games. Per game attendance was up about 0.82% 2011 over 2010, almost 300 attendees per game. The average attendance per game was up by 613 attendees in 2012 over 2011 or 2% up in per game attendance. So, you could say that the new format was worth an additional 1.2% on per game attendance over the average increase per game year over year. So whereas you might have expected an increase in per game attendance of about 300 attendees, you got 613 more attendees per game 2012 over 2011. If somebody wants to look at $$$$, if every team plays every game you have a 2,430 game season total. Average per game attendance across the MLB is between 30,000 and 31,000 attendees per game.the $$$ are maybe about $44M on what must be something like a $2.25B total gate per year.

I guess we can all decide for ourselves if we think a 1.2% increase in average per game attendance is worth seeing a 94 win team bumped out by an 88 win team based on a single game where the 94 win team plays uncharacteristically poor defense but worse than that gets jobbed by a bad call in the end. If there is one thing Selig did not want to see it was that bad call. Bad calls are always considered in baseball to be things that will even out over enough games. How do they even out over one game?

If they had a way to make this best 2 out of 3 then it might at least be tolerable I think. But there is simply no way to squeeze a best 2 out of 3 in after the 162 and before the best of 5 division series.

I do like the idea of the 1 game wild card play in, myself. I have always hated that WC got virtually the same treatment as the division winner, especially when they both came from the same division because they couldn't play each other.

This is first year, though, and there will be kinks that need to be ironed out. But regardless, you have to remember that in a situation where there is a 94 win team vs an 88 win team, the 94 win team both has a better record and has had more time to set up it's pitching staff. So there are some major advantages of being the higher ranked team.

I'm sure a lot of people hated the WC when it originally was formed too. People hate change, that's just how it is. But I think it's making the game better. I believe baseball had the least amount of teams qualifying for the PS out of the major sports in America (NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB) in terms of percentage. So I think it's a step in the right direction, myself, but yes, kinks need to be ironed out.

[Bellhorn04]

I do like the idea of the 1 game wild card play in, myself. I have always hated that WC got virtually the same treatment as the division winner, especially when they both came from the same division because they couldn't play each other.

I don't think this new format does much to resolve inequities. With 3 divisions, we already have major inequities. Detroit is in with 88 wins in a weak division. I don't see why they should be sitting back while 2 93-win teams play off.

[jacksonianmarch]

I don't think this new format does much to resolve inequities. With 3 divisions, we already have major inequities. Detroit is in with 88 wins in a weak division. I don't see why they should be sitting back while 2 93-win teams play off.

The whole point is to give an advantage to the divison winners by assuming the two wild card teams burn their aces. If Texas wins, that will be appropriate. If the O's finish this off and then have 2 games at home, the whole advantage thing will slip into their favor since they dont have an ace

[Meh]

The O's make me wonder.... They're not that great of a team, but they get the job done. I guess a lot of that has to do with Buck. Starting Saunders here... I thought for sure was a mistake. I think the Rangers have a giant off season and acquire David Price(Cruz, Olt, and Perez) and Justin Upton(Andrus, Martin, and Loux, maybe another prospect too). Letting Hamilton walk though.

[jacksonianmarch]

The O's are this yr's DBacks. They will be around .500 next yr

[Bellhorn04]

The whole point is to give an advantage to the divison winners by assuming the two wild card teams burn their aces. If Texas wins, that will be appropriate. If the O's finish this off and then have 2 games at home, the whole advantage thing will slip into their favor since they dont have an ace

It'll be interesting to see how it plays out, but I don't think it's that big of a disadvantage for the Wild Card team that survives. Their pitching might be a little off schedule but on the other hand they'll be the 'hotter' team coming off a big win.