MLB, Selig Proposing "Radical Realignment" again.

[Saxon in Nashville]

Selig, committee considering radical realignment plan

When baseball commissioner Bud Selig named a 14-person "special committee for on-field matters" four months ago, he promised that all topics would be in play and "there are no sacred cows." The committee already has made good on Selig's promise by discussing a radical form of "floating" realignment in which teams would not be fixed to a division, but free to change divisions from year-to-year based on geography, payroll and their plans to contend or not.

The concept gained strong support among committee members, many of whom believe there are non-economic avenues that should be explored to improve competitive balance, similar to the NFL's former use of scheduling to help parity (in which weaker teams were awarded a weaker schedule the next season).

As with most issues of competitive balance, floating realignment involves finding a work-around to the Boston-New York axis of power in the AL East. In the 15 seasons during which the wild-card system has been in use, the Red Sox and Yankees have accounted for 38 percent of all AL postseason berths. The league has never conducted playoffs without the Red Sox or Yankees since that format began -- and in eight of those 15 years both teams made the playoffs. Since 2003 the Sox and Yankees have won at least 95 games 11 times in 14 combined seasons.

One example of floating realignment, according to one insider, would work this way: Cleveland, which is rebuilding with a reduced payroll, could opt to leave the AL Central to play in the AL East. The Indians would benefit from an unbalanced schedule that would give them a total of 18 lucrative home dates against the Yankees and Red Sox instead of their current eight. A small or mid-market contender, such as Tampa Bay or Baltimore, could move to the AL Central to get a better crack at postseason play instead of continually fighting against the mega-payrolls of New York and Boston.

Frankly, the player's union stomped all over the last attempt at "radical realignment" and it turned into Selig's own Brewers moving to the NL.  Now, this doesn't have a chance as far as I can tell.  Baseball would be better with a Premier and Relegated system than jumbled mess.

[Jeff in MD]

Skeletor Selig at it again.

I think this is a stupid idea. What they need is a salary cap & revenue sharing, but that will probably never happen. If teams like the Rays & Orioles want to get away from the Spankees & Sox to the Central because "it would be easier to make the playoffs", guess who they'd run into in the playoffs anyway? And what's this "free to change divisions from year to year" crap? If they want to make it easier for teams to make the playoffs, then let 6 or 8 teams make the playoffs in each league instead of 4, it would make the playoffs more interesting, keep more teams in the hunt in September, and give added revenue to the extra teams that made the playoffs. So the O's & Rays wouldn't have to worry about finishing 2nd in the East to get in, and teams would make more money from fans coming to games because they would be in the playoff hunt longer.   

[emstrem]

This idea may be dumber than having teams play a weighted schedule in their own division. They have dumb-ass Inter-league play now & with one league having the stupid ass  DH rule, that is just stupid (why that rule is in place still makes me wonder sometimes). The novelty of Inter-league play has worn off, nobody gives a shit anymore.

Doing this is akin to preseason college football polls. You cannot predict what will happen in the course of a season (it's kind of like the Tigers in '06, nobody predicted them to go to the World Series). Teams need to sack up & compete, nothing more, nothing less. Why don't they just have the Yankees & Red Sox have their own division, that is what ESPN wants anyway. MLB is ignoring the main problems with the league & trying to add more problems. They wont get rid of the weighted schedule because the Yanks & Sox play each other 20 times a year & it is the game of the week every other week. Meanwhile, us in Chicago, Detroit, & Minnesota get to see KC in town 10 times per year Teams will say "We're not going to compete this year, we'll just change divisions & bank some $$$. Maybe they should give up a series or two in their division & bring in some team from another division. Maybe they should let some National League team say "Our pitchers are sick of batting this year, so we're going to the AL for a year".

No team can compete with the Yankees cable deal, & if I was them I wouldn't share that either, but the luxury tax sure as f*ck isn't the answer.

[eric in houston]

this is beyond retarded. if this were to happen i would stop watching baseball and buy dynamo season tickets.

[Ralph In Orlando]

this is beyond retarded. if this were to happen i would stop watching baseball and buy dynamo season tickets.

Look what happened to the Mets I bought soccer tickets

[Snakeeyes]

this is beyond retarded. if this were to happen i would stop watching baseball and buy dynamo season tickets.

I thought Houston's WNBA franchise folded??   

[Steve in GR]

Changes Divisions as they please from year to year.   What ridiculously dumb idea Selig has managed to come up with this time.

You think Baltimore might want to check out of the AL East?

[Jeff in MD]

this is beyond retarded. if this were to happen i would stop watching baseball and buy dynamo season tickets.

I thought Houston's WNBA franchise folded??   

I think he meant soccer, not horse racing.

[emstrem]

Changes Divisions as they please from year to year.   What ridiculously dumb idea Selig has managed to come up with this time.

You think Baltimore might want to check out of the AL East?

somebody should tell Skelator that the next time he has an idea that he should keep it to himself. This idea right here is enough for owners to force his resignation... As if they need another reason. So far on this piece of shits watch MLB has witnessed a deluge & breeding ground for steroid induced players, (and yet he did nothing except bury his head in the sand). On his watch MLB has seen every hallowed HR record not only passed, but absolutely obliterated, Babe Ruth hit 60 in 1927, then 34 years later Roger Maris hits 61 (and it was such a travesty that Commishoner Ford Frick attached an * next to the 61 because it was done over the course of 162 games as opposed to Ruth's 154 (Frick was also a friend & ghost writer for the Babe) which didn't help Maris any). On Selig's watch we may have had to wait another 37 years for somebody to hit 60+ HRs, but in 1998 Sosa smashed 66 which blew out Roger Maris' total, but not to be outdone that year Mark McGwire smashed 70 Give me a f*cking break. Sosa also hit 63 in 1999, & 64 in 2001. Not to be outdone while Selig was cheering this bullshit on, McGwire also hit 65 in 1999. Now 60 jacks was a very rare thing prior to the 1990's & early 2000's & you would think that Mcgwire's 70 number would last a lifetime (or at least another 35+ years, but no way Jose. Along comes Barry Bonds & he busts out 73 only 2 f*cking years later. The only good thing about that HR ball is the fact that it resides in the Baseball HOF with a die-cut asterisk branded on it.

Goddamn Selig, everyone can see what is going on, but since you let Donald Fehr bully you around, causing a strike that canceled the World Series, you figured the more juiced players, the better. It's bringing fans back you surmised, but at the same time you may have cost Don Mattingly a World Series title as a player, the Expos were 6 games up in the NL East (but forced to cut payroll & never approach the postseason again they were forced to fold up shop after MLB bought them).

What the f*ck happened to commissioner's having some cojones? I mean right, wrong, or indifferent Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned players just for tarnishing the games image, even if a court of law proved their innocence, such as Buck Weaver & Shoeless Joe Jackson of the 1919 White Sox & banned Giants center fielder Benny Kauff even though he had been acquitted of involvement in a car theft ring. Nonetheless, Landis was convinced Kauff was guilty and argued that players of "undesirable reputation and character" had no place in baseball.. He did everything in his power to ban blacks from playing in MLB, even curbing the minor leagues where some owners wanted to experiment with black players.

Commissioners used to have cojones, Landis, Frick, & even Bart Giamatti who banned Pete Rose (the correct move) & Fay Vincent (collusion be damned) who upheld it. This asshole that we have now turns a blind eye to everything, starts inter-league play, lets the World Series get canceled, lets Roid-raged players in the game so that their monster HR's will bring fans back. He let in juiced baseballs (along with players), a canceled WS & All-Star game. He oversaw ball parks that are smaller than the local High School's field in the city where I live.
He instituted the stupid ass Wild Card in post season play, making pennant races a thing of the past & making dumb ass AS games decide WS home field advantage . We now get to watch World Series' being played in November, what the f*ck? In 50 years fans will be asking "Who is Mr. October & who gives a shit about October, the real action is in November".It's long past time for Commissioner Steroid to get the f*ck out of MLB. He needs to take his ridiculous salary & go. If this f*ck-stick gets in the HOF, I'm done with the game too. It won't surprise me though, if the ass-hat does get elected.

[Adam in the 253]

The explanation of that realignment plan gave me a gigantic headache; of course since it doesn't make any sense, it will probably happen, just like most things in sports.