Tiger337

That could easily be solved by not having divisions!

No thanks, I have spent my life trying to stay away from people like them!

A third place team which is 15 games behind is no more appealing than a 6th place team that is 15 games behind. The reason for small divisions is that there is objectively a better chance for a team to win a small division. Once a team falls way behind though, the only thing to sell is the wildcard.

The problem is Detroit and Cleveland have never really had a chance to be rivals because they have rarely been good at the same time.

You've got AL type players and NL type players. NL players are more athletic and aggressive, whereas AL players are more geared towards power. Also, AL players are nicer and more dignified (especially the Yankees) whereas NL players are vile and dishonest like Pete Rose and Barry Bonds. So, it's only natural thst we should trust the AL records more. This kind of characterization of AL vs NL players was actualy a thing when I was growing up which is part of why old timers don't want to give up the league designations.

Finnegan warming up.

I still do not feel the lockout is inevitable, at least not one that would cancel games. I hope the standard off day is just one required scheduled off day per week for every team. They have kind of been doing that already with Monday/Thurday. Having a designated day each week with no games would not be appealing.

Then they didn't like McGwire and Bonds in the record book! They seemed to be OK with Judge. Some want his 62 hrs to be the official record.

More games are better, so I prefer 162, but there isn't a big difference between 162 and 154. Best of 5 or best of 7 in the second round also doesn't make a big difference to me. I do not like more days off for pitchers to rest though. Having a day off during a 2 or 3 game span at one ballpark is unnecessary.

But the schedules were still balanced within divisions: 18 against your own division and 12 against the other division.

They could have gone to 9 x 16=144 games. Choosing 162 instead of 144 was the money part.

They went to 10 team leagues and they wanted a balanced schedule. They previously had 8-team leagues, so each team played each of 7 opponents 22 times = 154 games. When they expanded to ten teams, 9 didn't go into 154 evenly, so they went to each team playing each opponent 18 times = 162 games. There is really nothing magical about the number 154 the way the leagues are currently constructed.

If the Dodgers lose, the owners are going to look pretty silly this off-season. Not that that is going to get in the way of their greed or anything.

It did make sense historically since many old-time fans still fans viewed Milwaukee as a National League city. Now, old timers view Milwaukee as an American Leaguie city! As much as I disliked used car salesman Selig, I dislike Manfred even more. The commisioners have always been hired to look out for owners interests, but it always seemed that they had some respect for baseball history and tradition. I don't get the sense that Manfred even likes or cares about baseball. At least, that is how he comes across every time I hear him talk. He seems very cold and corporate.

I do too. The league identity is still very strong in baseball even with interleague play and no DH. I wouldn't be surprised if they eliminate that identity in their next realignment and just go by regions.