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October 13, 2005

 

Gone in 60 Seconds: The Story of the MLB Playoffs

 

By Darth Reagan

 

As a baseball fan, I have to admit that I’m disappointed. The NLDS/ALDS is terrible in its current form. Hopefully, that is blunt enough, but just in case it isn’t, let me rephrase; it is counter to everything I believe about the game of baseball.

 

Now I understand that many of you will portray this diatribe as my first attempt at justifying the Yankees’ dismal performance in the playoffs. However, in all honesty, I’ve been working on this article for months.

 

So what is my problem with the NLDS/ALDS?

 

It’s a best of 5 game series……How can Major League Baseball allow for this injustice? Imagine for a moment that you just finished a grueling 162 game schedule and qualified for the playoffs on Sunday afternoon. On Tuesday, you are facing another playoff team’s 20 game winner. If you lose Game 1 your team will have to win 3 of the next 4 games to win the series. The game of baseball is 90 foot bases, 60’6” to the plate and most importantly, 7 games in the playoffs. Asking major league players and managers to gear up for a 5 game series following a 162 game schedule is like taking the top 2 college football teams in the country and asking them to decide the Champion in a Kansas Tie Breaker…it just doesn’t make sense.

 

Look, I know the Wild Card has proved to be a good idea for fans. In fact, I like the Wild Card because it just means more baseball for me to enjoy. However, the first round should be 7 games. The longer the series the bigger the advantage for the better team; period! And isn’t that the goal of the post season? To determine the best baseball team in the World…If we were currently enjoying a 7 game system we’d be watching Houston in Atlanta with a 3-1 advantage and The Angels in New York with a 3-2 advantage…In other words, we would have two excellent series developing. Instead, we are off to the ALCS/NLCS and where we will finally see 7 game formats.

 

Baseball is great for many reasons in my opinion. There’s no clock, no ties and they will play until there is a winner, i.e. Atlanta/Houston game 4. It’s a game of ebbs and flows, a game of strategy, patience and endurance. Throwing in a quickie 5 game series at the end of the year is flat out counter to the entire foundation of the game of baseball.

 

 

 

Contact Darth Reagan at darthreagan@thehighcourtofsports.com.