wdm1219inpenna Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I know the 1981 MLB season was played in two halves. I also know that each of the then 4 divisions had different 1st place finishers in each division. My question is, what would baseball have done had one team finished in first for both halves? Say if the Yankees won the first half and the 2nd half too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sport Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Fun fact about that year: The Reds had the best record in baseball and didn't participate in the postseason because they didn't finish in 1st in either half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBTV Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 According to Wikipedia, if you won both halves you played a wild card team. The WC was originally supposed to be the non-playoff team with the best overall record, but that was revised to be just for the 2nd half. KC made it with a sub .500 overall record, while CIN and STL didn't make it despite the 2 best overall records.WTF. I guess the owners needed the extra revenue generated by an extra playoff round due to the lost games. Either that or they just felt that there was too much momentum lost and it wasn't really one continuous season anymore. I have to think it's the former though, but it's crappy to have teams who were already guaranteed spots when the season resumed and had nothing to play for throughout the entire second half.Interesting that teams don't recognize these "half championships" with their flags or pennants. At least I haven't seen any. "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmoehrin Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 According to Wikipedia, if you won both halves you played a wild card team. The WC was originally supposed to be the non-playoff team with the best overall record, but that was revised to be just for the 2nd half. KC made it with a sub .500 overall record, while CIN and STL didn't make it despite the 2 best overall records.WTF. I guess the owners needed the extra revenue generated by an extra playoff round due to the lost games. Either that or they just felt that there was too much momentum lost and it wasn't really one continuous season anymore. I have to think it's the former though, but it's crappy to have teams who were already guaranteed spots when the season resumed and had nothing to play for throughout the entire second half.Interesting that teams don't recognize these "half championships" with their flags or pennants. At least I haven't seen any. Think the Brewers are the only one with one though. The Astros don't appear to mention it.Another angle. '81 clearly missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbadefense1990 Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Fun fact about that year: The Reds had the best record in baseball and didn't participate in the postseason because they didn't finish in 1st in either half.I get a lot of beef from Reds fans living in LA saying our 1981 title doesn't count, and should have an asterisk next to the record books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmoehrin Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Fun fact about that year: The Reds had the best record in baseball and didn't participate in the postseason because they didn't finish in 1st in either half.I get a lot of beef from Reds fans living in LA saying our 1981 title doesn't count, and should have an asterisk next to the record books.It was a dumb move to make the '81 season two halves any way you cut it. The Dodgers, Yankees and Phillies all clearly tanked it for the second half.To me the Expos won the NL East, the Dodgers won the NL West, the Yankees the AL East and the A's the AL West. Those are the only division titles that should count. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sport Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Fun fact about that year: The Reds had the best record in baseball and didn't participate in the postseason because they didn't finish in 1st in either half.I get a lot of beef from Reds fans living in LA saying our 1981 title doesn't count, and should have an asterisk next to the record books.I wouldn't go that far. 1981 was just a weird year for baseball. This brings up something I've thought for a while, we've come to hold mostly negative connotations when we hear the word "asterisk", but an asterisk doesn't have to equate to a black mark or mean that something was an undeserved accomplishment. It really just means that you need to reference another part of the record book. Maybe something like this: Los Angeles Dodgers 1981**it was a weird year for baseball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaytonBlue Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I saw a Brewers banner Sunday night in NLCS game one and only saw the words "Division Series". I thought the Brewers were better than the Mets (putting up a banner to say NLDS winner is silly Mets) as far as putting up silly banners, but then saw 1981 and remembered the split-schedule weirdness, so I let them off the hook. "I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be." -Peter Gibbons RIP Demitra #38 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgesL Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 The one thing I remember about the 1981 season is something to painful for me to discuss: The Expos were defeated in the 5th and deciding game in the NLCS at home against the Dodgers. > Imagine the Expos would have played the Yankees in the World Series that year.I hated the Dodgers then. 30 years later, I still hate them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdm1219inpenna Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 The one thing I remember about the 1981 season is something to painful for me to discuss: The Expos were defeated in the 5th and deciding game in the NLCS at home against the Dodgers. > Imagine the Expos would have played the Yankees in the World Series that year.I hated the Dodgers then. 30 years later, I still hate them.And I was very surprised, and disappointed, that this game was not one of the top 20 games in the past 50 seasons as voted on by the experts at MLB Network. "Blue Monday" as it was called. At least the Expos did beat the defending World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies in the first "Division" Series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.