GDT 3/31/24: Braves @ Phillies - It's an Easter Sale

[Enscheff]

This was discussed in another thread - but MLB tries really hard to gives teams who prefer July 4th over opening day that option- and they have to switch that around too. Said differently, they try to let every team have one or the other. That makes “all teams open the season in the south” unrealistic. Further, if you look around (other than Florida) we are kinda the only team down here- yes I’m fully aware of all the teams in the southwest.

Waiting also suggested: "If the White Sox have to host, make them play AL Central games or the Cubs this early where it’s easier to make up the games."

That covers everything by applying 2 ounces of common sense.

[bravesfanMatt]

this should be simple
-- drop the number of games to 150 and start the season later and remove some days off.
-- Drop 'everyone makes the playoffs' (three division winners and ONE wild card) also remove all the days off in between post season games so they don't drag out until November
-- first month should be divisional games only so easier to make up.


The post season one is the one I really want.. I hate that teams play all year one way and then get to change completely due to all the days off in between games and series. It is like two different styles all together and you can see teams now building more for playoffs and not regular season. It doesn't matter if you only win 80 games.. just get in and have 2 dominate starters and hope you get lucky.

[bravesnumberone]

this should be simple
-- drop the number of games to 150 and start the season later and remove some days off.
-- Drop 'everyone makes the playoffs' (three division winners and ONE wild card) also remove all the days off in between post season games so they don't drag out until November
-- first month should be divisional games only so easier to make up.


The post season one is the one I really want.. I hate that teams play all year one way and then get to change completely due to all the days off in between games and series. It is like two different styles all together and you can see teams now building more for playoffs and not regular season. It doesn't matter if you only win 80 games.. just get in and have 2 dominate starters and hope you get lucky.

Let us know when the owners and the TV/cable networks agree to give up the revenue of six fewer home games and fewer postseason games. If anything, it's going to go the opposite way of eight playoff teams per league once we get expansion to 32 teams within the next decade. Maybe they'd shave off a week of the season to 156.

[CyYoung31]

They’ve been needing to drop the amount of games with adding all those extra wild cards, so I definitely agree that is the best solution to this problem also.

[Fredi Gonzalez]

Miss me yet?

[CyYoung31]

Let us know when the owners and the TV/cable networks agree to give up the revenue of six fewer home games and fewer postseason games. If anything, it's going to go the opposite way of eight playoff teams per league once we get expansion to 32 teams within the next decade. Maybe they'd shave off a week of the season to 156.

Since postseason games bring in more revenue, you can rectify this by adding more postseason games with there being less games in the regular season. You could make the wildcard series best of 5 and DS best of 7.

[msstate7]

Since postseason games bring in more revenue, you can rectify this by adding more postseason games with there being less games in the regular season. You could make the wildcard series best of 5 and DS best of 7.

Don't want any more of delay for the division champs in playoffs.

[CyYoung31]

Don't want any more of delay for the division champs in playoffs.

Well, the wild card “series” should be a single elimination round robin between the three wild card teams, with the 3rd division winner also getting a bye. It’s completely ****ed up the way they do it now. But I’m just trying to entice owners to agree to less regular season games.

[zbhargrove]

Just gave up too many players to get him.

Players that had virtually zero value

[Enscheff]

This board is only against expanded playoffs because the Braves have been winning the division. I promise the opinion would change if the Braves were the wildcard the last few years.

At least have the self awareness to realize this while the discussion takes place.

[msstate7]

This board is only against expanded playoffs because the Braves have been winning the division. I promise the opinion would change if the Braves were the wildcard the last few years.

At least have the self awareness to realize this while the discussion takes place.

I don't care about number of playoff teams. I do care about teams being punished with a long layoff. The wildcard wound should be consecutive days and start division round the next day

[bravesfanMatt]

I would 100% still have the same view if the Braves missed the playoffs. I absolutely hate playoff baseball when there is so much delay between things. If they don't want to cut the teams then do what State said and make the wild card rounds a death match in 3 days and then immediately start the next round.. no way should a wild card team have a chance to reset the entire pitching staff because they sweep a 75 win team that shouldn't be in playoff baseball.

[CyYoung31]

This board is only against expanded playoffs because the Braves have been winning the division. I promise the opinion would change if the Braves were the wildcard the last few years.

At least have the self awareness to realize this while the discussion takes place.

I can promise you it wouldn’t. I’ve only been bitching about the diluting of the pool and continued diminishing of the regular season since they first expanded in 2012. But go off.

[striker42]

I don't care about number of playoff teams. I do care about teams being punished with a long layoff. The wildcard wound should be consecutive days and start division round the next day

This. The expanded playoffs isn't the problem. The scheduling is the problem. My idea is a little different.

Realign into 4 divisions. The top two records among division winners get a bye. The other two division winners get all the games of the wild card round played at their field.

Have the season end one day, the next day start a best of 3 wild card round with a double header. If two teams split their double header, they play the next day for a winner take all. If one team sweeps the double header, they get an off day the next day. The division round starts the day after.

This incentivizes teams to win in the regular season as the top two squads in each league avoid the double header while only resting 2 days so rust isn't an issue. They also get to face a team whose pitching staff has likely been wrecked by the double header and who wont be able to throw either of their top two pitchers until game 3 at the earliest.

It also incentivizes winning your division as even if you have to play in the wild card round, division winners get the whole round at their park. Wild card winners are given the largest disadvantage in this system as they should be.

[bravesfanMatt]

I can promise you it wouldn’t. I’ve only been bitching about the diluting of the pool and continued diminishing of the regular season since they first expanded in 2012. But go off.

I mean, he probably ain't too far off.. back when the team stunk and we all cared about prospects, there was a group who would write off a pitchers bad game to probably working on a pitch, yet when a hitter was raking, he was the bomb.. but wouldn't the first philosophy apply to the opposing pitcher as well???

but to your point, I agree with you.. I hate the watered down playoffs.. if it is about more money, then at least come up with incentives other than some stupid home field advantage to make winning more games mean something. take out some of the luck in the playoffs.

[CyYoung31]

I mean, he probably ain't too far off.. back when the team stunk and we all cared about prospects, there was a group who would write off a pitchers bad game to probably working on a pitch, yet when a hitter was raking, he was the bomb.. but wouldn't the first philosophy apply to the opposing pitcher as well???

but to your point, I agree with you.. I hate the watered down playoffs.. if it is about more money, then at least come up with incentives other than some stupid home field advantage to make winning more games mean something. take out some of the luck in the playoffs.

Yeah, that still happens everyday here. I didn’t say no one here was biased. That much is obvious.

[thewupk]

This board is only against expanded playoffs because the Braves have been winning the division. I promise the opinion would change if the Braves were the wildcard the last few years.

At least have the self awareness to realize this while the discussion takes place.

Doubtful. Most people on this board lived through the 90's dominance. The deep playoffs run got wrecked in the late 90's due to the playoff format changing with the extra teams. I would suspect most people are agaisnt expanded playoffs. It's killed a lot of great Braves teams.

[mfree80]

Enscheff has never been one to give people the benefit of the doubt… if the Braves were squeaking into the playoffs, I would take it, but that doesn’t mean I am happy about baseball taking on the NBA model where you have to be tanking to miss the playoffs.

[Tapate50]

I’m not against it per se- but I’d like a better advantage for the division winners for sure

[Hulavol]

Why do folks want a shorter regular season?
Like, more baseball is better than less baseball, right ? Right? Maybe I’m crazy …. But come January, I’m ready for some damn baseball and am practically counting the damn minutes until pitchers and catchers report.
Maybe I’m just a junkie, to me, any plan that involves cutting 162 by so much as an inning seems like a communist plot.

No offense to those who prefer communism.