The talk a few weeks ago about Major League Baseball's possible realignment got me thinking. Problem is I still don't know whether I'm in favor of it or not.
I wasn't necessarily a proponent of the Wild Card when it was instituted in 1995. I believed in the tradition of winning your division to make the post season. I've since made peace with the Wild Card, and now that I have, there's the possibility of changing the playoff format again. For those who haven't heard, here are the realignment rumors:
Two 15 team leagues (NL & AL) vying for 5 playoff spots in each league. The proposal, first reported by ESPN, would do away with the three respective divisions in each league. It would also force a NL team to switch to the AL and thus we would have Interleague play throughout the season because of the odd number of teams in each league.
While the idea of adding an extra playoff spot in each league sounds appealing for fans, I question how MLB is going to fit a 162-game season and an extra playoff series into a 7-month season. More than likely the World Series would end up being played into November. Realistically and logistically MLB would need to go back to a 154-game season and open the year with as many teams playing in as many warm weather climates or dome stadiums as possible. So much for Cincinnati's traditional home opener. Personally I like Mike Schmidt's idea. http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110625/SPT04/306250054/Mike-Schmidt-Eliminate-Central-divisions?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Reds
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Brandon Phillips recent comments that he would like a contract extension had Reds blogs burning up last week. Phillips public comments have been nothing but how much he wants to stay in Cincinnati. The team will most assuredly pick up his $12 million dollar option for 2012, but after that--who knows. Most likely Phillips long-term tenure in a Reds uniform will depend on attendance. Right now the team is averaging 25, 833 (according to ESPN.com). That's 16th, middle of the pack in MLB. Considering the contracts the team has handed out to Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Johnny Cueto, Bronson Arroyo and Aroldis Chapman, attendance average needs to climb to the middle or upper 30s to keep Phillips in red.
It's a little puzzling to me why attendance isn't better for a team that won the division last year. I know the economy still isn't great, the weather's been bad, and I am in no position to tell people how to spend their money, but unless attendance picks up, I fear the Reds will be unable to keep Brandon.
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As the Reds continue to tread along in the division race, Wimbledon has provided a welcome distraction for me. But I find it ironic that the players have to wear all white, yet the towels they use to wipe off their sweat are multi-colored. Weird.
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Finally a BIG congratulations to my media league softball team that won the tournament championship last Saturday (June 18). We beat the #1 seed and defending champions. It helped we dropped 20 -- yes he said 20 -- runs on them in the first inning!
My Sunday summer team is 2-0 so far! Here's hoping to continue the Laser Show through the rest of the season.
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