[Chadforpresidentin08]

Is the wild card in the MLB bad?
I think, besides for steroids, it's the worse thing that has ever happened to the MLB.
You play your ass off for 162 games, and you win your division, and you win 120 games, but in the playoffs you get knocked off by a team that suddenly becomes hot at the end of the season? That's terrible.
The World Series should feature the best team in the A.L. and the best team in the N.L. I think it's unfair to teams, like last year the Yanks and Cards, to be beaten by a team than coudn't even win their division. I'm not just saying that because the Yanks lost to Boston, but it's a complete disgrace to the game and I'm writing a note to Bud Selig about this.
Tell me, this is wrong. I mean, a team that CAN'T WIN THEIR DIVISION CAN GO INTO THE WORLD SERIES AND WIN IT ALL!?!?!?!!? I'm sorry, but you have to be the best for 162 games to get in the Fall Classic, not good for the last month where you're unbeatable, you need to be unbeatable for a whole season.
Imagine a team like the 1998 Yankees losing to some second place team because than team found it's way later in the season. I think it's terrible, and last year, it shoulda been Yanks and Cards.
Your thoughts?

[ganggreen_ewok]

Is the wild card in the MLB bad?
I think, besides for steroids, it's the worse thing that has ever happened to the MLB.
You play your ass off for 162 games, and you win your division, and you win 120 games, but in the playoffs you get knocked off by a team that suddenly becomes hot at the end of the season? That's terrible.
The World Series should feature the best team in the A.L. and the best team in the N.L. I think it's unfair to teams, like last year the Yanks and Cards, to be beaten by a team than coudn't even win their division. I'm not just saying that because the Yanks lost to Boston, but it's a complete disgrace to the game and I'm writing a note to Bud Selig about this.
Tell me, this is wrong. I mean, a team that CAN'T WIN THEIR DIVISION CAN GO INTO THE WORLD SERIES AND WIN IT ALL!?!?!?!!? I'm sorry, but you have to be the best for 162 games to get in the Fall Classic, not good for the last month where you're unbeatable, you need to be unbeatable for a whole season.
Imagine a team like the 1998 Yankees losing to some second place team because than team found it's way later in the season. I think it's terrible, and last year, it shoulda been Yanks and Cards.
Your thoughts?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Obviously, it is a good thing. The last 3 out-of-5 world series winners are Wild card and the Last Four out of Five have had a wild card in them. I don't think that is the problem in MLB. The biggest probl;em in Baseball is the Designated Hitter. The invention of that steadily deofrmed the track of baseball from the time on. That needs to be rid of, which in turn will do its part to rid the league of steriods. To explain this, players who are DHs are more liable to take steriods because their only job is to hit.

[JetsOhFive]

Not only is it not the worst thing to happen to baseball, it's probably the best. With it, they were able to go to 3 divisions in each league (which turned out to be much better geographically) and it expanded the playoffs from 4 teams to 8 giving more teams a chance to win it all, and it has proved to be of use since there were several wild card teams to have already won the world series. I mean its much better to see 8 teams in it instead of the same 4 high payroll teams in it every year. The Wild Card is perfect, if the #4 seed can beat the #1 seed in a best of 3 series then they deserved to be there. Also, while the division winners are working their asses off, the wild card teams are too.

P.S. Without it, would we ever have seen either of those epic Yankees/Red Sox from 2003 and 2004.

[Chadforpresidentin08]

I care about the stake and integraity of the game (I think that's right), I don't give 2 shits about a good series, always put the integrity of the game first.
How about it's like the old days, an A.L. and an N.L. and the team with the best record in each goes to the World Series, we don't need any crappy ALDS and ALCS stuff, you have to look at the 2 best teams, not the 2 best series ever played.

[JetsOhFive]

I care about the stake and integraity of the game (I think that's right), I don't give 2 shits about a good series, always put the integrity of the game first.
How about it's like the old days, an A.L. and an N.L. and the team with the best record in each goes to the World Series, we don't need any crappy ALDS and ALCS stuff, you have to look at the 2 best teams, not the 2 best series ever played.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The integrity of the game, like how the league doesn't have a salary cap, so some teams suck up all the good players? Or how several records in the past have been broken because of cheaters? Or how bout the way they test those cheaters with a drug policy that has more holes in it than the Devil Rays organization. They call it playoffs for a reason. The teams play off to decide who deserves to be champion. And wild card teams have ultimately proven that they deserve to be there. Why? because the last 3 world series winners were wildcard teams. I think without a doubt that the wild card is better for baseball than just the 4 division winners.

[Chadforpresidentin08]

The integrity of the game, like how the league doesn't have a salary cap, so some teams suck up all the good players?  Or how several records in the past have been broken because of cheaters?  Or how bout the way they test those cheaters with a drug policy that has more holes in it than the Devil Rays organization.  They call it playoffs for a reason.  The teams play off to decide who deserves to be champion.  And wild card teams have ultimately proven that they deserve to be there.  Why?  because the last 3 world series winners were wildcard teams.  I think without a doubt that the wild card is better for baseball than just the 4 division winners.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, the ironice thing, in the late 90s when the Yankees were killing everyone, there weren't toomany household names on that team, and they weren't being paid a fortune.
Now they are barely compiling a winning season, and look at the household names, Rodriguez, Giambi, Johnson, Jeter, Rivera, Matsuie (who I don't have a problem with). In those late 90s, they had just Jeter and Rivera, and notice, those guys on the team now aren't very much so in love with the team, more like in love with themselves.
I'm not sure money helps build a winner, passion does.
I agree, the steroid policy should come first, and when I write my letter I'll also include how soft it is and a player just might do it the first time knowing they'll only miss 10 games.
I think you miss the next 162 games and get your ass fined $100,000. Steroids, and the wild card, have made me lose interest in baseball somewhat.
JetsOhFive, imagine your Phillies have te best record in baseball, they won like 130 games, but after 162 games of hard work, they're tired. So how would you feel if some team that won 25 or it's last 30 games, which is good, but never won their division, sweeps the Phillies in the ALDS, or whatever.
Don't you think it's wrong a record setting team has it's hopes ruined of a World Series in the playoffs by a team that can't win their division, but is hot at the time?
The only reason a their is a wild card pretty much is too make more money, like last year with the Astros, if it wasn't for the wold card, no one would really care and wouldn't go to their games, but there is a wild card and they did go.
Hey, isn't a fact that the Yankees have money and that's why you hate them? Then why not hate a thing that helps teams with no buissness going into the playoffs or even a World Series, to make money?
And JetsOhFive, that's the bad thing, 3 of the last 4 teams that are "World Champions" are wild card teams. It makes we sick.

[HurricaneJet32]

How is this any different than the playoffs in football?
Playoffs are how it's done.

If you are a TRUE champion you shouldn't have a problem beating a team no matter when you play them. If you win all year long but then choke in the playoffs you aren't champions. That's crunch time, that's when it counts!

This is a ridiculous question! Of course there should be a wild card!

And I can't believe you tried to back up your argument with the integrity of baseball. The only sport with less integrity than baseball right now is hockey!