Not even you, Bud Selig, can be this dumb

by Eric Schwartz

Tuesday March 9, 2010 

Sometimes it’s hard not to want to slap Bud Selig in the head.

This is one of those times.

SI.com’s Tom Verducci put together a piece today about a 14-person committee for on-field matters that was put together by the MLB commissioner four months ago. Well the committee has already come up with an idea — make that a ridiculous idea.

There is now talk of baseball doing away with its current division alignment in favor of ‘floating divisions’, as Verducci puts it.

Here is an excerpt:

As with most issues of competitive balance, floating realignment involves finding a work-around to the Boston-New York axis of power in the AL East. In the 15 seasons during which the wild-card system has been in use, the Red Sox and Yankees have accounted for 38 percent of all AL postseason berths. The league has never conducted playoffs without the Red Sox or Yankees since that format began — and in eight of those 15 years both teams made the playoffs. Since 2003 the Sox and Yankees have won at least 95 games 11 times in 14 combined seasons.

One example of floating realignment, according to one insider, would work this way: Cleveland, which is rebuilding with a reduced payroll, could opt to leave the AL Central to play in the AL East. The Indians would benefit from an unbalanced schedule that would give them a total of 18 lucrative home dates against the Yankees and Red Sox instead of their current eight. A small or mid-market contender, such as Tampa Bay or Baltimore, could move to the AL Central to get a better crack at postseason play instead of continually fighting against the mega-payrolls of New York and Boston.

Could you imagine that reaction from the fans if this happens? Imagine — as hard as it may be — that the Phillies were back to their mid-90s losing ways. In this scenario, picture the Marlins, Braves, Mets and Nationals have all supplanted the Phills and the Phightin’s are in straight rebuilding mode. Since they don’t think they can contend, they trade places with the Rays to play in an AL East division that they have no chance to contend in. This would be a straight forward admission that ownership is more concerned with making a few bucks and not winning a few games.

Would any fan in Philadelphia be happy with that scenario just because they could see the Red Sox and Yankees in town more? Heck no. They would be lighting up the radio airways crucifying the team’s GM for quitting on team. Season ticket holders would boycott.

Even a man who once allowed an All-star game to end in a tie can see this is a horrible idea, right Bud?

I want parity in baseball more than anyone and this is no way to accomplish that. About the only thing this would accomplish is putting securing Selig’s legacy as the worst commissioner in recent history.

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Filed Under Grinding My Gears

Comments

4 Responses to “Not even you, Bud Selig, can be this dumb”

  1. Ryan on March 9th, 2010 7:41 pm

    ummm why not just add more playoff teams???

  2. Eric Schwartz on March 10th, 2010 3:58 pm

    There is no way this goes through. I wouldn’t mind seeing a couple more playoff teams, but I don’t want it to get watered down like the NBA where .500 teams sneak in.

  3. Ryan on March 10th, 2010 4:50 pm

    looking at the previous two years if they added 4 more teams from each it would still be winning record teams. I don’t think they would ever add 4 more from each though. It would definitely be a better idea then the floating divisions.

  4. Jersey Joe on March 11th, 2010 11:42 am

    Leave baseball alone. Realignments. More teams in the playoffs. Stupid idea. Get the owners to spend money. Get better General managers with better farmsystems and you will be competative.

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