Fred White's Plan for MLB Radical Realignment

[rockchalk]

Just finished reading "Play By Play" written by Royals announcers Denny Matthews and Fred White today (decent book for KC fans, nothing special), and in the end, Fred talked about how he would realign to make the game more appealing. Nothing spectacular about it, four divisions of 8 teams geographically...except he brought up the fact that they would all play only within their division for a total of 154 games, much like the old days, with each division winner getting to the playoffs.

American League: NY Yankees, NY Mets, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Toronto, Detroit

National League: Atlanta, Florida, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and an expansion team (New Orleans, Charlotte, Nashville, Indianapolis, Louisville)

American Association: Kansas City, St. Louis, Cubs, White Sox, Minnesota, Houston, Texas, Colorado

Pacific Coast League: San Diego, LA Dodgers, LA Angels, San Francisco, Oakland, Arizona, Seattle and an expansion team in Vegas

Each year, the AA and PCL champs would play in the Championship Series, with the winner facing the winner of the AL/NL CS in the World Series

[Joshawaggie]

hmm talk of contraction later leads to talk of expansion. weird.

[rockchalk]

Well, the book was written before the contraction thing came up. I would actually be more in favor of contraction, but other than Tampa, I don't know who. If you must realign or expand in anyway, I think this would be the best.

[omnivore]

Just finished reading "Play By Play" written by Royals announcers Denny Matthews and Fred White today (decent book for KC fans, nothing special), and in the end, Fred talked about how he would realign to make the game more appealing. Nothing spectacular about it, four divisions of 8 teams geographically...except he brought up the fact that they would all play only within their division for a total of 154 games, much like the old days, with each division winner getting to the playoffs.

American League: NY Yankees, NY Mets, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Toronto, Detroit

National League: Atlanta, Florida, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and an expansion team (New Orleans, Charlotte, Nashville, Indianapolis, Louisville)

American Association: Kansas City, St. Louis, Cubs, White Sox, Minnesota, Houston, Texas, Colorado

Pacific Coast League: San Diego, LA Dodgers, LA Angels, San Francisco, Oakland, Arizona, Seattle and an expansion team in Vegas

Each year, the AA and PCL champs would play in the Championship Series, with the winner facing the winner of the AL/NL CS in the World Series

The problem with this is, what would happen to the real PCL and International League? The American Association was disbanded with AAA realignement a few years back.

It seems pretty hard that people would want to see the same teams all season long, rather than now where it's mixed up nicely with interleague teams coming in, plus all the teams from the rest of the league.

I don't think expansion in baseball is bad, I just wish it was setup more like soccer is overseas. It'd be far more interesting and would have even more appeal than it does now. I think it's the only sport where such a format would ever work (relegation, promotion) because most people in baseball readily admit that there are the elite players, there are good players and the rest are just lucky to be in the majors at all, as there are a whole cadre of minor leaguers who could play just as well - if not better - in their spots.

So..yeah.

[yh]

Restricting play to an exclusively intradivisional basis means that MLB fans will be denied the opportunity to see 75% of the game's stars. At least with some interleague play, the chance exists that every MLB star will play in every MLB stadium at least once during their careers. This proposal is beyond fantasy - it would be suicidal to baseball.

[rockchalk]

Restricting play to an exclusively intradivisional basis means that MLB fans will be denied the opportunity to see 75% of the game's stars. At least with some interleague play, the chance exists that every MLB star will play in every MLB stadium at least once during their careers. This proposal is beyond fantasy - it would be suicidal to baseball.

Well, how about this, every year you play a home and home series with every team in one of the other leagues, rotating leagues every year, so that every team comes into your place once every 3 years.

interleague:6 games*8 teams=48

intraleague:15 games*7 teams=105...That leaves 153, all in 3 game series...too simple, huh?

[yh]

That would make sense and in a way kind of resemble what the NFL does. I'd go to 16 intraleague games, however and bump the schedule up to 160, just to even things up.

[Plaid Paint]

four divisions of 8 teams geographically

American League: NY Yankees, NY Mets, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Toronto, Detroit

National League: Atlanta, Florida, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and an expansion team (New Orleans, Charlotte, Nashville, Indianapolis, Louisville)

American Association: Kansas City, St. Louis, Cubs, White Sox, Minnesota, Houston, Texas, Colorado

Pacific Coast League: San Diego, LA Dodgers, LA Angels, San Francisco, Oakland, Arizona, Seattle and an expansion team in Vegas

So please explain to me how the hell Milwaukee and Tampa Bay are related geographically. That's the stupidest set up for divisions since the Atlanta Braves were in the National League West for nearly 25 years.

Geographical my butt.

And he's absolutely insane if he thinks MLB will ever put a team in Vegas.

Has he not heard of Pete Rose?

Ill-informed moron.

[OMMF]

four divisions of 8 teams geographically

American League: NY Yankees, NY Mets, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Toronto, Detroit

National League: Atlanta, Florida, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and an expansion team (New Orleans, Charlotte, Nashville, Indianapolis, Louisville)

American Association: Kansas City, St. Louis, Cubs, White Sox, Minnesota, Houston, Texas, Colorado

Pacific Coast League: San Diego, LA Dodgers, LA Angels, San Francisco, Oakland, Arizona, Seattle and an expansion team in Vegas

So please explain to me how the hell Milwaukee and Tampa Bay are related geographically. That's the stupidest set up for divisions since the Atlanta Braves were in the National League West for nearly 25 years.

Geographical my butt.

And he's absolutely insane if he thinks MLB will ever put a team in Vegas.

Has he not heard of Pete Rose?

Ill-informed moron.

I guess we and baseball officials are all absolutely insane then.

The stigma that Major League Baseball might have once attached to Las Vegas has worn away, says a baseball official. Gambling is far more widespread than 20 years ago, he notes, mentioning the reservation and riverboat casinos and online betting. Baseball would probably ask for and receive assurances from Las Vegas that the major league games not appear on the books.

"I think that there has been an unspoken concern," said Logan. "But the proliferation of gambling around the country has eased concerns, if it hadn't already eased before. The [gambling] industry is extremely well-maintained. It has to be perceived as legitimate to succeed."

What was the phrase you used? Oh yes, ill-informed moron.

[Cyclopsis Joe]

I don't know about others, but a lot of people who are absolute NL fans and absolute AL fans hate...HATE inter-league play. It's like inviting the Republican prospects for President to the Democratic Convention to these people.

[rockchalk]

First of all, he didn't go into details about setting up divisions, that was my doing...thanks for the constructive criticism I did the best I could, and if you'll notice, in that division (league, whatever) there's three teams in the Southern US (Atlanta, TB, Florida), and four in the Rust Belt (Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Milwaukee) and an expansion in between. I'm sure you could do better if you tried though...

As for Vegas, it's only a matter of time...I'm not sure if you've heard the NBA ASG is pretty much set for there in 2007. The A's opened the season there in 1996, I believe, when they were remodeling the Coliseum.

Yale, I wouldn't be above that, that all works out...just thought the shorter season would help get rid of some of the crappy weather early in the year, though losing a round of playoffs would help to.

Joe, I agree with these people, I'm just saying if it HAD to be done (which it doesn't) this would be one of the best ways, and I thought I'd share.

[Mac the Knife]

Uh... no. The concept stinks.

[IronChefShark]

baseball does not need to realign

everyone who thinks they do needs to be exterminated!

[Bleujayone]

While I do not like the example posted, the overall idea is interesting to turn over.

I divided up the teams into three leagues- kinda like european football (soccer)

I set up the teams less on geography and more on financial status.

1. Premire- A group of elite teams mostly here because of higher payrolls, hence deeper talent pools, consitent postseason performance, and overall potential.

Boston, NY Yankees, LA Dodgers, Baltimore, St. Louis, LA Angels, Cleveland, San Francisco, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta

2. Middle- some of these teams could be in an upper or lower division, higher spending is a short era more than a way of life, same as most of their players developed. Once these teams produce good players it becomes difficult for them to hold onto them.

Florida, NY Mets, Oakland, Toronto, Texas, Seattle, Philadelphia, Chicago White Sox, Houston, Detroit

3. Small- Small markets and small payrolls year in and year out. While it's not impossible for them to do well, many teams are already counted out by the end of spring training.

Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Washington, San Diego, Houston, Cincinnati, Colorado, Arizona

The idea behind this set-up is that the teams would concentrate most of their games within their own league, with a few other games set against teams in other league levels for inter-league games with each team seeing everyone else in a matter of three or four seasons. Teams that are consistantly dominate or hampered in one league can petition for promotion or demotion by a competition committee. The champions of each league would then square off to decide the overall champion. That way it is still possible for a team in the small league level to win the World Series if they have the right kind of roster.

It isn't a perfect system by any means, but I don't see much entertainment watching some teams getting contantly slammed every year against teams with superior budgets and talent pools. With this idea, the rich teams have to slug it out with the other rich teams, and the smaller teams actually stay competitve with more games against smaller teams. Keep in mind the smaller teams still have to face the juggernauts every now and again, but now for example you wont have teams like Tampa Bay getting their heads handed to them 40 games out of the year against Boston and New York within their own division.

Just an idea, and as always not all of them are winners...

[FiddySicks]

The problem with this is, what would happen to the real PCL and International League? The American Association was disbanded with AAA realignement a few years back.

My question exactly. They wouldnt necessarily have to disband the PCL and International leagues, the Majors would just have to use different names