BASE-BALL

[Desert Man]

For all the moaning and complaining about this playoff format making it harder for the best teams, the LCS will feature both #1 seeds and one #2 seed.

If anything, I think this format (and season) shows MLB could go back to 2 Divisions per league and just take the Top 2 teams by record from each Division. Then expand the DS round to 7 games to make up for the lost WC games, for game inventory for the networks

Of course, with unified rules, there may be a time that MLB scraps the whole AL/NL anyway, then there could simple be the North, South, East, and West Divisions (or however MLB would carve up the 30 teams into 4 MLB-Wide Divisions)

They're gonna want to go to 32 teams someday, and I think it'll be like the other 32 team leagues: 8 divisions, one winner from each, 3 playoff rounds.

I doubt there will be MLB expansion, which means no more interleague play games and could bring back the Astros to the NL and Brewers in the AL. Not long ago, it appeared Portland OR was the most qualified for a MLB expansion team, but there was no other takers (to even the number of teams in the majors). I don't believe Montreal in Canada will be given a Les Expos deux (2).

Portland OR isn't going to get the majors after all, and thinking more about it, the MiLB Dream League should have the Mavericks instead of the PCL. I remember Japanese majors teams had affiliates in the USA: Lodi, Salinas and San Bernardino in the 1970s-90s period. A PCL Japanese co-op team would work, most likely located in former PCL city Honolulu in Hawaii.

[STLmapboy]

I'm rooting for the Dodgers because they trounced the Padres who themselves beat the Cards. Also, I've always been fond of the National League for some weird reason.

[Stephane Dumas]

An earlier post mentionned a reduction of affiliates clubs in the minor leagues.

I saw this news posted last September involving the Frontier League and the American Association and the MLB.  https://www.mlb.com/press-release/american-association-frontier-league-partner-leagues-of-mlb

Major League Baseball (MLB) announced today that it has named both the American Association and the Frontier League as "Partner Leagues"  of MLB. The American Association and the Frontier League join the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), which was designated a Partner League earlier this week.

As Partner Leagues, the Frontier League and the American Association will collaborate with MLB on initiatives to provide organized baseball to communities throughout the United States and Canada.

Morgan Sword, MLB's Executive Vice President, Baseball Economics & Operations, said: "We welcome the American Association and Frontier Leagues as Partner Leagues, and look forward to working with them toward our shared goal of expanding the geographic reach of baseball."

[Alps]

I doubt there will be MLB expansion

that's enough reason for me to believe

[Takumi]

I wonder how expansion would affect the ongoing minor league contraction/reaffiliaton. Would we see a return of co-ops, or would it just be "all right, I guess you get a team back after all" ?

[Desert Man]

I wonder how expansion would affect the ongoing minor league contraction/reaffiliaton. Would we see a return of co-ops, or would it just be "all right, I guess you get a team back after all" ?

Certain teams may be moved to different levels depending on need. I predict there will be 2 AAA leagues (16 teams each), 3 AA leagues (10 teams each), Class-A Advanced has the Cal (8 teams), Carolina (12 teams) and Florida State (10 teams), and Class-A Low has the Midwest (14 teams) and South Atlantic (16 teams). There's still the Arizona rookie and Gulf Coast (in Florida) rookie leagues in spring training sites.

Edit: Wikipedia has the NYP and NW (short-season A) and Pioneer (Advanced Rookie) leagues still active, the Appalachian league is no loner in existence, and the independent Pecos League with 3 divisions: Pacific, Mountain and Central, though the California teams would become the Western League in 2021 separated from the parent: "true" Pecos League (their closest teams in Maricopa and Tucson, both in Arizona).

[jeffandnicole]

For all the moaning and complaining about this playoff format making it harder for the best teams, the LCS will feature both #1 seeds and one #2 seed.

If anything, I think this format (and season) shows MLB could go back to 2 Divisions per league and just take the Top 2 teams by record from each Division. Then expand the DS round to 7 games to make up for the lost WC games, for game inventory for the networks

Of course, with unified rules, there may be a time that MLB scraps the whole AL/NL anyway, then there could simple be the North, South, East, and West Divisions (or however MLB would carve up the 30 teams into 4 MLB-Wide Divisions)

They're gonna want to go to 32 teams someday, and I think it'll be like the other 32 team leagues: 8 divisions, one winner from each, 3 playoff rounds.

I doubt there will be MLB expansion, which means no more interleague play games...

For as much grumbling as there is regarding interleague play, the fans that actually watch the games enjoy the interleague play. Interleague play started when there were 14 teams per league, so there's no reason why they wouldn't continue it should MLB have 16 teams per league.

Also, every other sport plays teams from the other league regularly.  Baseball "purists" get all whiny and upset about it, yet they generally have no issues with other changes to the sport.  From what I can tell, the extra innings rules this year, which was a dramatic change, was generally well received, and the 7 inning double headers, born out of necessity, went over fairly well too.

[Alps]

For all the moaning and complaining about this playoff format making it harder for the best teams, the LCS will feature both #1 seeds and one #2 seed.

If anything, I think this format (and season) shows MLB could go back to 2 Divisions per league and just take the Top 2 teams by record from each Division. Then expand the DS round to 7 games to make up for the lost WC games, for game inventory for the networks

Of course, with unified rules, there may be a time that MLB scraps the whole AL/NL anyway, then there could simple be the North, South, East, and West Divisions (or however MLB would carve up the 30 teams into 4 MLB-Wide Divisions)

They're gonna want to go to 32 teams someday, and I think it'll be like the other 32 team leagues: 8 divisions, one winner from each, 3 playoff rounds.

I doubt there will be MLB expansion, which means no more interleague play games...

For as much grumbling as there is regarding interleague play, the fans that actually watch the games enjoy the interleague play. Interleague play started when there were 14 teams per league, so there's no reason why they wouldn't continue it should MLB have 16 teams per league.

Also, every other sport plays teams from the other league regularly.  Baseball "purists" get all whiny and upset about it, yet they generally have no issues with other changes to the sport.  From what I can tell, the extra innings rules this year, which was a dramatic change, was generally well received, and the 7 inning double headers, born out of necessity, went over fairly well too.

No, neither of those were well received.

[Desert Man]

4 US-based winter leagues to have off-season baseball (the first is professional, 2 are instructional only, and later collegiate):

* Arizona Fall League (6 teams, owned and operated by Major League Baseball, all in the Phoenix AZ area, since 1992).
* Pecos Spring League in Houston, TX (owned and operated by said league, 4 teams share the same city, currently active).
* Western Winter League (owned and operated by Pecos League, 4 teams all in the Bakersfield CA area, might disbanded).
* California Winter League (owned by Palm Springs Collegiate League, 4 teams, not sure they're returning in 2021 or 2022).

In 2008 and 2020, the L.A. Dodgers talked to the city of Palm Springs on holding spring training camp in the city, where the LA/California/Anaheim Angels once did from 1961-93, both teams held spring training camp in the Phoenix area, AZ (the Angels in Tempe and Dodgers since 2009 in Glendale), but the Great Recession's economic damage locally and universally, and the COVID pandemic led to restrictions of sports events in many cities nationwide and globally, cancelled negotiations.

[Takumi]

RIP Joe Morgan

[skquinn]

For as much grumbling as there is regarding interleague play, the fans that actually watch the games enjoy the interleague play. Interleague play started when there were 14 teams per league, so there's no reason why they wouldn't continue it should MLB have 16 teams per league.

Also, every other sport plays teams from the other league regularly.  Baseball "purists" get all whiny and upset about it, yet they generally have no issues with other changes to the sport.  From what I can tell, the extra innings rules this year, which was a dramatic change, was generally well received, and the 7 inning double headers, born out of necessity, went over fairly well too.

The extra innings rule stinks and needs to disappear next year. The DH for the NL needs to disappear too, actually I wouldn't mind seeing it disappear for the AL as well.

I didn't watch any 7 inning double headers, but the statistical issues it brings up for shutouts, no hitters, and perfect games is enough for me to take at least a moderately strong stance against.

[hotdogPi]

My suggestion: If it's tied, whoever got the most recent run first (by inning number and number of outs) wins. If it's still a tie (this includes 0-0), continue to extra innings.

[kevinb1994]

RIP Joe Morgan

Shoot, looks like he passed away on my birthday this year.

[skquinn]

My suggestion: If it's tied, whoever got the most recent run first (by inning number and number of outs) wins. If it's still a tie (this includes 0-0), continue to extra innings.

An interesting idea but I doubt it will go over well.

[hotdogPi]

My suggestion: If it's tied, whoever got the most recent run first (by inning number and number of outs) wins. If it's still a tie (this includes 0-0), continue to extra innings.

An interesting idea but I doubt it will go over well.

I have the same idea for basketball and American football, where it would work much better. Baseball is a bit more complicated in that you can only score in one half of the inning, so a team that scores at 10:15 PM may score "later"  than 10:25 PM in the second half of the same inning depending on the number of outs. Hockey and association football have too many 0-0 scores for this idea to work. (Baseball also has its 0-0 games, but adding one inning at a time is less problematic than overtime in other sports.)

[NWI_Irish96]

My suggestion: If it's tied, whoever got the most recent run first (by inning number and number of outs) wins. If it's still a tie (this includes 0-0), continue to extra innings.

An interesting idea but I doubt it will go over well.

I have the same idea for basketball and American football, where it would work much better. Baseball is a bit more complicated in that you can only score in one half of the inning, so a team that scores at 10:15 PM may score "later"  than 10:25 PM in the second half of the same inning depending on the number of outs. Hockey and association football have too many 0-0 scores for this idea to work. (Baseball also has its 0-0 games, but adding one inning at a time is less problematic than overtime in other sports.)

I have something a little bit different for football. There is an overtime where each team gets one possession. If the first team scores a touchdown, it is noted how many plays it took to score. If the second team scores in fewer plays they win, the same number of plays they continue to another overtime, and if it takes more plays they lose. Should cut down on the number of overtimes in college football.

[Henry]

The World Series is all set: It'll be the Rays taking on the Dodgers in Arlington. As much as I'd love to see another championship won by a Tampa Bay team (following the Lightning's recent win in the Stanley Cup Final), I'll go L.A. in six.

[CoreySamson]

So the Rays ended the Astros season, but I am still amazed about what they accomplished this year.

If you had told me that the Astros would make it all the way to Game 7 of the ALCS when they were 6-9 fifteen games into the season and coming off an ugly loss to the A's where one of their coaches got ejected, or at the end of the regular season when they finished 29-31 and were playing lethargically, or even when they were down 3-0 earlier in the ALCS, I would've said no way.

I can't think of a baseball team that has managed to thrive with so much adversity thrown at it. The pitching staff (particularly the bullpen) was full of inexperienced players, they had a new manager, some of the best bats had bad seasons (Altuve, Bregman), nearly the entire team was plagued with injuries the entire time, with Verlander and Alvarez missing nearly the whole season and almost every starter missing time at some time or another, not to mention all the hate they've gotten and the Covid restrictions every team has endured.

Yet they still made Game 7 of the ALCS. Hate all you want at them, but I think this season was a success.

As for who I'm rooting for in the WS...
Go Rays!

[ET21]

Go Rays, let's continue the trend of small market cities winning the WS

[Billy F 1988]

Watch all of South Florida forego COVID gathering restrictions when the Rays do win the series.

[hotdogPi]

Watch all of South Florida forego COVID gathering restrictions when the Rays do win the series.

Most of Florida, including South Florida, is near the national average for COVID in recent cases. It's not like it was two months ago. That said, large groups should still be discouraged.

[Billy F 1988]

Watch all of South Florida forego COVID gathering restrictions when the Rays do win the series.

Most of Florida, including South Florida, is near the national average for COVID in recent cases. It's not like it was two months ago. That said, large groups should still be discouraged.

True. 

[Desert Man]

The Dodgers won game 1, then the Rays under Mr October 21st century Randy Arozarena, the series now tied 1-1. This is the Dodgers' 3rd World Series in 4 years and they hadn't won it since 1988 when they were "team of the 1980s" included their 1981 victory over the Yankees with Mexican phenom Fernando-mania Valenzuela. As a (southern) CA region native, I want the Dodgers to win, just like with the Lakers (NBA champs), I want the 49ers back in the super bowl and the Golden Knights not far from me are hockey's best. 

[Desert Man]

There's this forgotten thread. Back when the last post to date was made there the Cubs had not won a World Series for over a century...

And I found this other forgotten thread about baseball, but I have something to share:

There's a minor league baseball team logo features a full moon: Asheville NC Tourists of the South Atlantic League (class A) and has been a Colorado Rockies affiliate for over 25 (exactly 27) years since the major league parent debuted in 1993.

https://www.google.com/search?q=asheville+tourists&rlz=1CATTSD_enUS897&sxsrf=ALeKk02bx0dWM0vEEEEpDDbJOktMvJH3wQ:1603598495311&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiWjbP17c7sAhXJqZ4KHc0-DmsQ_AUoAXoECAQQAw&biw=1366&bih=649

https://www.milb.com/asheville (for the logo of a Moon-man's face).

The minors from MLB affiliated to independent to collegiate level (not quite the minors) bring baseball into your hometown.

Hopefully, the pandemic shortened 2020 season ends with a Dodgers victory (they lead 2-2 after the Tampa Bay Rays won game 4 a minute ago). The MLB selected 6 neutral game sites in southern CA (LA and San Diego), FL and TX (the world series in Arlington) but I like a repeat world series next year for home fans in Los Angeles (Dodger stadium) and Tampa-St Petersburg areas.

The NL's Chicago Cubs in 2016 was "a sign of the end of the world", same hype back in (December 21) 2012 and the COVID pandemic in 2020 is expected to cease like all historic pandemics do, baseball is an escape from the fear and darkness in this sick sad world. The Cubs took longer (108 years) to win a world series than their crosstown White Sox (88 years), the other (Red) Sox (shorter in 86 years) and the 1980 Phillies after 98 years (almost a century). All I know is the Dodgers hadn't had a world title since 1988...a long 33 years, but the AL's Cleveland Indians hadn't won it longer for over 70 (exactly 72) years. 

[Henry]

It happened again: The Dodgers and Lakers winning championships in the same year (they also did it in 1988). If the Rays had come back and won, wouldn't that have been the first time that a city/metropolitan area had World Series and Stanley Cup champions in the same year?