Rewarding Mediocrity
Paul Johnson notes the resurgence of the Minnesota Twins and the late faltering of the Detroit Tigers while lamenting that the wild card devalues the playoff race:
What does the wild card system give us in return? It gives us the cheap thrill of mediocre teams scurrying for playoff spots they don't deserve. There is no longer any meaningful wild card race in the American League, but in the NL Philadelphia is dueling with San Diego/Los Angeles for the wild card slot. This undoubtedly is a matter of intense interest to fans in Southern California and the Phillie area, but there's little reason for other baseball fans to feel excited -- with a winning percentage of under .530, none of these teams really belongs in the playoffs.
No disagreement here.
What does the wild card system give us in return? It gives us the cheap thrill of mediocre teams scurrying for playoff spots they don't deserve. There is no longer any meaningful wild card race in the American League, but in the NL Philadelphia is dueling with San Diego/Los Angeles for the wild card slot. This undoubtedly is a matter of intense interest to fans in Southern California and the Phillie area, but there's little reason for other baseball fans to feel excited -- with a winning percentage of under .530, none of these teams really belongs in the playoffs.
No disagreement here.
posted by MCO at 12:27 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home