A View On Re-Alignment

In commentary titled Time Right For Baseball Realignment, Mark Whicker offers the the opinion that baseball is in dire need of real.

Whicker goes on to say that there should never be a five game series in the post season. He claims that too many under achieving teams are given and advantage in a short series.

His proposal is to remove the leagues, and have three divisions in baseball. The division and teams would be:

West: Dodgers, Angels, San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Houston.

Central: Cubs, White Sox, Detroit, Kansas City, St. Louis, Minnesota, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh.

East: Yankees, Mets, Boston, Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia, Toronto, Florida, Tampa Bay, Atlanta.

Teams within the division would play 18 times per season.

The three division winners would make the play-offs. There would be one Wild Card, which would be awarded to the team with the best record to not have won the division.

The Wild Card team would have no home advantage during their entire run in the play-offs.

The season would start around April 6th, and the first round of the play-offs would be on October 10 or so.

The World Series would be finished by October 29.

There are a few good points, but most I disagree with:

I hate inter-league play, and would hate to see the Mets and Yankees play 18 times/season.

A team wouldn't face any team from another division unless it was in the play-offs

It's already a nightmare that any time the Yankees and Mets, Red Sox and Yankees, etc. play it is always the game of the week. Joe Buck and Tim McCarver make a game un-enjoyable. Can you imagine having to listen to McCarver's bias against the Mets 18 times annually?

This would remove the foux rivalries that Selig has yearned for since developing inter-league play, but will KC and St. Louis ever really be a rivalry? Or maybe SF and Oakland? Then there is always Washington and Baltimore.

Whicker made a nice attempt, but missed the mark.