Torn Between Conservatism and Fandom
The crotchety conservative purist in me recognizes how much more exciting the current Major League Baseball pennant race would most likely be this year under the old two-division system. This is what the standings might look like this morning, in the old American League East, where only one of the following three teams could secure a playoff spot…
| Club | W | L | GB |
| Cleveland | 90 | 62 | — |
| Boston | 90 | 63 | 1/2 |
| New York | 88 | 64 | 2 |
The Indians fan in me feels the same way. I also feel teams should get extra wins based on payroll % but I’ll acknowledge some midwestern jealousy and bias for that.
One wild card is good for the sport. It’s when the number of post-season teams get into NBA or NHL territory that it becomes absurd.
Yeah, but they also wouldn’t be playing against the likes of the Devil Rays, and Cleveland would have had more games against the Yankees.
You really can’t compare the old situation with the present.
Us Yankee fans are also very appreciative of the wild card.