This blog (headed by a bitter, cynical, observant countercultural fiend) shall make lists, make observations, create criticisms, and also recommend ideas concerning areas in music, movies, video games, television, the Walt Disney Company, and pretty much anything in particular that catches my interest.
Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives has emerged as one of my favorite shows on the face of the earth. It is incredible as to how many amazing restaurants and amazing people can be found within the borders of the United States. Shows like this are upbeat, culturally accepting, and nearly makes you forget about all the unfortunate troubles of the world. Now the question arose that if I were to make a restaurant that would strive to become featured on this show, what would it be? What would it look like? What type of food would I make? Well, I would definitely aim for something unique, and I have a doozy of an institution.
The Food Truck Stop would be my idea. It would consist of several food trucks in a confined space each selling different types of foods. Some of the food trucks will be outside and get this, some of them will be indoors. We will have tables mostly outside but will throw a slew of them inside as well. In terms of the looks of the building, the most important is this: A truck rams through it. What better way to get the attention of a community then to have a building with a truck that has embedded itself inside it? I would use the truck as decoration and as one of our coolers. And we will have a truck on the side with the name of the place and our logo.
As for the food, well, the menu varies itself depending on season, and day of the week. The outdoor stands would focus on quick-service simpler foods like your usual burgers, hot dogs, Hispanic street food, etc. The small fare will be outside, so people can grab and go if they wanted to. Now, inside is where the deeper, thicker food is at. Larger foods like pizza, pasta, crazy sandwiches, seafood, and more can and will be found inside, depending on the week. Some days will call for more Italian food, while others will call for more Dominican cuisine. Our frontliner however is a food that I want to sell only on weekends: the barbeque.
The key to good barbeque is the marinating and the slow time required to create the right taste. Yesterday, I finally cooked a cod that had literally been sitting in Jack Daniels bbq sauce and brown sugar for about 5-6 days. The end result was some of the best seafood I’ve ever cooked, hands-down. What I want to do is spend Monday through Thursday keeping the barbeque chilled and swimming with its special spices and sauces, just waiting to be cooked. Then finally on the weekend, we bring them out to cook—the brisket, the pulled pork, the chicken, the barbeque steak, and lastly, the barbeque patties. All of this will be available outdoors and indoors on the weekends and no other time.
Speaking of time, I would have the place open from 6:00 at night until 3:00 a.m. This way we can get those looking for a quick dinner, grab those looking for an indoor dinner place, and finally take on those with the munchies and/or midnight craving. The indoor portion would close first, leaving the outdoor food joints open until the 3:00 a.m. mark. For location most importantly, it has to be close to beer/alcohol heavy places like Ale House.
Bottom Line: The Food Truck Stop would be a restaurant that consists of a multitude of different trucks each with different menus and options of food---leading to you needing to visit the place multiple times to get the true feel as to what food we serve. And our specialty would be on weekends, when the barbeque is kicked to full-gear to compete with all the other foods. You can eat outside, you can eat inside, eat small, or eat tall. But my goal is to make sure The Food Truck Stop would deliver you a unique experience.
Now the 2013 baseball season is going to be an interesting one because we have the Houston Astros moving to the AL West to even out the divisions amongst the 6 in the entire league. One little catch in all this: since both leagues will now carry 15 teams Interleague play will have to occur year-round as opposed to just a few weeks of the year. It turns what was supposed to be a low-key exclusive event into an all-season affair. While I am a fan of Interleague, doing it all year long will diminish its appeal and fun. The solution to all this? We need two more baseball teams and turn it into the NFL—4 divisions, 4 teams each.
What this does to the Wild Card will remain a mystery, but odds are the weakest Division Winner will take on the lone Wild Card—rather glitching the procedure that Major League Baseball had just approved of. But we will cross that bridge when we reach it. In the meantime we are focused and committed on finding two more teams to enter the baseball spotlight. There are plenty of areas still left unexplored by the sport that could benefit greatly from finally having their professional team.
I am handing down a list of potential baseball franchises I can see rising from the ashes and joining the ranks. They range from forgotten teams to forgotten cities to even cities that could benefit from a second ballclub. Here are potential suitors for being the next great franchise in baseball:
Not in any order
1) Indiana Cosmics Division: NL Central They have the Colts (Still mad at them) and have their basketball (of course) but they are missing that baseball team. While Indiana will always be Basketball Country I am sure with all their space they can construct a really nice baseball field to complement their beautiful summers. Their rival will of course be the Chicago Cubs and potentially the Cincinnati Reds, making it essential that we pit them in the NL Central.
2) Portland Lumberjacks Division: AL West
Portland is an oddity because it’s a great big city but has very little professional sports representation. I think a baseball team there to rival the Mariners to the north would be perfect. And post-note: I picked the team name to be Lumberjacks before even realizing that they used to have lacrosse team with the same name.
3) Albuquerque Roadrunners Division: NL West
New Mexico has the Isotopes, arguably the most popular minor league team on the planet thanks to the Simpsons. Their baseball presence has been well-met over the years, so why not give them a pro team to fight the Diamondbacks in the same division? The Arizona/New Mexico showdowns would be potentially epic. This area is notoriously drawing more teams for Spring Training, so its not like the fans won’t show up.
4) San Juan Pajaros Division: NL East
What better way to stir up a rivalry pot than creating a second Hispanic-heavy baseball team in the NL East? Puerto Rico was prime location for the Expos when that team was desperately looking for a home, and its shocking that MLB has not looked further into expanding the baseball scene there. The flight is only three hours from most of the east coast, and with baseball being arguably the most popular sport in the island the fans will definitely show up. And trust me, judging by the rapid-fire success of Miami Marlins gear before the season even started—you want the Hispanic fanbase on your side.
5) Las Vegas Jokers Division: NL West
Las Vegas had been looking for a pro team for quite some time as well. Now, I know baseball would be especially skeptical of Vegas, Birthplace of Gambling, getting a ballclub, but this Joker squad would represent the neglected Nevada area, which houses a crazy atmosphere, plenty of financial wealth, and a legion of locals thirsty for a team to support. Throwing a baseball team into their nightlife would result in plenty of fun, insanity, and success.
6) Brooklyn Boroughs Division: NL Northeast
The Dodgers were one of the most-loved baseball teams in history, as the fans in the New York area were enthralled and embedded in their beloved ballclub. This area still hasn’t fully emotionally recovered from the Dodgers being moved all the way west. How about giving New York a third team to spice things up even more? It stirred up plenty of fun when the Yankees, Giants, and Dodgers played at the same time. Imagine the Mets of Queens, the Yankees of the Bronx, and the Boroughs of Brooklyn starting a baseball season. The northeast would go crazy.
7) Boston Clovers Division: NL Northeast
New York has two teams. Chicago has two teams. Technically, Los Angeles has two teams. So why not give Boston another team? They can be the antithesis of the suddenly-pampered Red Sox, whom have dropped their old-school street ways in favor of being a Yankee-like organization with major bucks flowing. They can be the New England equivalent of the Brooklyn Dodgers and raise some bad blood in the northeast.
8) Louisville Sluggers Division: NL Central
They already make bats, they already have a strong baseball presence, and can pretty much represent the entire Appalachian area. So why not give this city a chance and allow them to mingle with the likes of the Reds, Cubs, and Cardinals?
9) Orlando Stormtroopers Division: AL Southeast
While I have repeatedly said that the Rays should move to Orlando, a third baseball team in the Florida area wouldn’t be a half-bad idea. Countering the glamour of the Marlins and the loveless Rays, Disney should sponsor a team down here and then use the Star Wars license that they have been using for decades and create a ballclub that centers itself around the Star Wars universe. Can you imagine the baseball stadium looking like the Death Star from the outside? The potential here would be amazing. Even if they suck they would sell more merchandise than any baseball team not named the Yankees.
10) San Antonio Bullseye Division: AL West
This city has done an amazing job supporting the Spurs (and their boring play) but should also have a baseball team to counter those pesky Rangers and the hapless Houston Astros. Three teams in Texas? Sure why not? Although, Texas might wind up with its own division in baseball at this rate.
11) Alabama Tide Division: NL Southeast
Florida has teams, Georgia has one, so why not Alabama? Alabama can run with the SEC-pride vibe and occupy Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana in its thirst for a heavy fanbase. They can rival the Braves and rival the Marlins as a carryover from college football season. Attracting the college crowd in the True Blue South would mean nothing but success in a financial standpoint.
12) Carolina Peak Division: AL Southeast
The Carolinas get no representation either, as they probably have to pick between the quite far Orioles or the not-quite-them Braves. So, we can solve this by giving them a baseball team that would represent the Carolinas and everything east of the Appalachians leading into the White House territory. If the Carolinas combined they would be the fifth most populous state in the nation. Imagine getting THAT type of fanbase.
Special Mention: Montreal Expos Division: AL Northeast
It was a tragedy that we lost this team, but with the stadium still intact, with baseball being just as strong as ever, and with low-budget baseball finding a newfound success, isn’t it time to bring this team back? Imagine pitting them in the same division as the Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Yankees, that is just Rivalry Heaven right there. I think now is the time to revive this glorious franchise. If the Winnipeg Jets came back, why not the Expos?
The Peyton Manning Saga has been very interesting one because it started with a sure-fire Hall of Famer getting run out of the city that he made tolerable and actually relevant and ended with a young quarterback with the love of America on his shoulders being traded to one of the more hated franchises in the NFL. In the midst of all this my team fumbled multiple times in the free agency to a point in which I strongly believe that they just don’t want to win. And in the midst of all this John Elway is partyboying random strangers in Denver because he took a player he hated and threw him into an awful heap while picking up a good friend at the exact same time.
When the dust settles, it will be unveiled that several teams dropped the ball on this opportunity and failed to capitalize what could have been a very rewarding series of days. Here is my list of teams that I will currently give the Idiot Card to and until they can prove themselves again, will remain on the Idiot List. Without any order whatsoever, here they are:
1) Indianapolis Colts
The Colts were nothing before Manning. They were lower than crap, a 3-13 record and no signs of improvement. They had not won 10 games since 1977. Manning pops up and in only the second season, won 13 games. Under Manning they had 9 straight seasons of at least 10 wins. Under Manning they won a Super Bowl, and twice flirted with a perfect season (The latest attempt was marred by the coaching staff and the higher-ups, leading to a demise the Colts have yet to recover from). The value of the Colts has increased by over $150 million because of Manning. So the question is: why in the hell did you drop him like a hot plate of lava? Why in the hell did you not bait other teams with his value? And lastly, why the )(**%*$* did you try to restructure a contract and convince him to finish out the career and gradually hand the keys over to Luck?
What on earth is the Colts expecting from Luck? Instant success? Even the top rookie quarterback in the past couple years, a Cam Newton, didn’t exactly hold a good record with the Panthers. Rookies never win championships unless they are in an amazing offensive system. The Colts need desperate help in every possible category, and there’s no way Luck could fix these issues---and especially not in one season, and especially without the man that ran the offense for the past decade. The Colts ruined my respect for them in a span of a week by throwing Manning away after all he had done for them. I don’t care how many surgeries he had on his neck, you keep Manning on your Colts until he decides that Andrew Luck is ready. Before the season-ending injury, he was still one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The Colts forgot this, and they will pay severely in their low-brow competitive division.
2) Denver Broncos
Elway hates Tebow with a passion I rarely see from owner to player. The way he talks about him, the way he seems to cringe whenever the Gridiron Savior is discussed, and the way he never acknowledged that Tebow saved the Broncos from doom last season are all small pinches of proof that Elway would rather swallow fire than announce Tebow as the potential future of the franchise. Never mind the fact that in his first full season he shocked the world by sending the Broncos to the playoffs AND (repeat, AND) toppled the Steelers in the playoffs. The Broncos tossed him to the Jets for nothing, next to nothing. Why? Whatever did he do to Elway? Besides turn the Broncos from joke to contender with faith and hope….
What if Manning gets injured again? What if Manning’s neck is still a mess? You are going with Quinn over Tebow? What if Manning doesn’t become the man he used to be? Now, I severely doubt that Manning is going to flop miserably but not keeping Tebow as a backup plan (which worked amazingly well last season) is a perplexing move. Who better to develop Tebow than Manning? Tebow is a fantastic scrambler and runner---something Manning was never good at. So what if Peyton improved Tebow’s mechanics? Then we would have a nicer, more wholesome version of Michael Vick during the Falcon years. Instead, the Broncos gamble mildly with Manning, pushed Tebow for nothing, and still face an uncertain future. And lastly, the Broncos still don’t look as threatening as they did last season.
3) New York Jets
You stupidly sign Sanchez to an extension, stupidly sign a backup quarterback, and THEN trade for a third quarterback that does not fit into your low-key offensive strategy? Tim Tebow in a Jets uniform is very similar to Steve Nash donning a Spurs uniform or Prince Fielder wearing a Rays uniform---both are good players but would not thrive at all playing for those teams. Tim Tebow is going to cost you several million that you could have spent fixing your defense that has collapsed in the past season or trying to infuse any type of offense to your organization. Tebow is a good player, and the Jets do have the cards needed to make another push, but that man is a bad fit to a system that scrapes wins like Titanic against that dreaded iceberg.
4) Jacksonville Jaguars
You guys dropped your quarterback before the season even started—AFTER training camp. Now, why would Tebow want to play for a team that overlooked him heavily in the draft? Why would Tebow choose a team that has been in shackles for the past several years? There is absolutely nothing good that can come from being a Jaguar, and this squad did not push hard enough to get him. And if you guys were so desperate for a quarterback last season---where the heck were you in the Carson Palmer Sweepstakes!??!?!?
5) Miami Dolphins
(Takes Deep Breath)
(Screams)
Now, I said earlier in this article that I was not going in any order whatsoever. That was mostly true, but I wanted to save the last tongue lashing for the stupid franchise that has wasted my years of following. It’s one thing to skip Tebow (As well as Brees years earlier, but that’s another story) in the draft, it’s another thing to not even participate in the Carson Palmer Sweepstakes as he dangled around for several games before the Raiders got him for the equivalent of a corn dog. It’s a third thing to not even consider making a move for Manning while he was still in the clutches of the Colts, and it’s another thing to not even attempt to keep Ronnie Brown and watched him sign a laughable one-year deal with the Eagles as opposed to join Reggie Bush in the offense line.
I can forgive all of this mildly along with other baffling decisions (Dropping the Wildcat, which was your only clutch against the NFL, firing your coach when he had next to nothing to work with and was your only connection to a winning season for nearly a decade), but the sheer idea that you did not give heaven and earth to try to get Tim Tebow is ridiculous beyond belief.
Nobody wants to play for the Dolphins anymore, this franchise is flopping quite badly in a rising city. Trading for Tebow made sense in terms of improving the team financially, image-wise, attendance-wise, and lastly quality-wise. Tebow would have fit the College Football format of offense that had given the Dolphins success in the past. He would have brought fans back to that dump of a stadium. He would have given hope in the football season down south. There was no setback whatsoever in trading for him, nothing wrong could have happened. Even if he originally disappoints at first the attention and hype would have returned to Miami. We have an ex-Packer Offensive Helmer as coach---and that man put up with Brett Farve and his attempted sabotage of Aaron Rodgers! If anyone can improve the mechanics of Tebow and create an offense strategy fit to meet Tebow’s unique talents, it would be this ex-Packer.
But no, instead of looking good for Manning or even attempting to get Tebow, we wind up with a washed-up quarterback whom was cut by the Jaguars (THE JAGUARS!!!!) before LAST season. Tebow makes no sense in the hard luck New York, but would have been perfect in Florida, a football state known for its SEC-heavy fanbase and style of play. It only makes so much sense. But the Dolphins are all about destroying momentum, and now we watch a potentially great player move his way into our freakin’ ultimate rival. The Dolphins fans don’t deserve this. We have not had good news in years, and we constantly make stupid, boneheaded moves that measure an 87 on the Idiotic Richter Scale. If I see Tebow throw a game-winning touchdown against the Dolphins while sporting a Jets jersey.....I will not be surprised at all---and will most likely switch to alcohol as my new coffee.
Fire the GM. Now. As soon as possible. In a league that demands a good/great quarterback, you decided to go with a guy who had not played for a year over someone who practically saved a season, saved a franchise, and got America's attention. Since being a full-time quarterback, Tebow has posted a better winning percentage than the Dolphins, and has seen more playoff games. Worst stat of all, Tebow won 8 games in 13 starts. The Dolphins need two seasons to reach that same number of wins. I don't care if his mechanics are all wrong and if his style of play is awkward---have you seen the Dolphins try to win? Now that's awkward.
Before, the Dolphins looked like this:
Now, we Dolphins fans are reduced to this:
In this past week, the stupidity of several teams have been shown quite prominently. While the end results of next season might force me to remove the Idiot Card from certain ballclubs, as of now these five teams handled the scenarios and opportunities quite poorly. Starting from the selfish and uncaring Colts to the abysmally dying turn that is the Miami Dolphins.
I used to be in love with Tebowmania and the mayhem it caused. Now with it reaching the Jets, I don't even know what to feel anymore.
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island was in a pickle during development back in 1995 because Nintendo wanted the game to have Donkey Kong Country-like graphics, the glossy 3-D look as opposed to the colorful, hand-drawn look that Miyamoto was aiming for. Furious, Miyamoto purposely made it look even more vibrant, even sketchier, and more like what you’ll find in the wallpaper of a newborn’s room as opposed to what’s considered cutting-edge. While Donkey Kong Country was a fantastic-looking game, Yoshi’s Island stood out like a sore thumb in the gaming industry because it had hands-down some of the best art design in the history of the medium. As opposed to pushing the envelope on how a game should look, Miyamoto when another direction and turned his game into a playable work of art. The game still stands well today and remains one of the nicest-looking games you’ll ever play.
Fast-forward to today, with the recent Super Mario 3D Land. While the game has its moments, it lacks a total art style as it focuses on 3-D graphics, 3-D effects, and gameplay. It did not toy with how games should look, did not attempt to add personality to the visuals, and the result was another Mario game that doesn’t separate from the norm. While Yoshi Island went for childish drawings, Mario Sunshine went for the island look, and Mario Galaxy aimed for an epic feel, Mario 3D Land didn’t really aim for anything. If you go back a little, neither did New Mario Bros. Wii, and neither did New Super Mario Bros. Are they great games? For the most part, but they are not going to age in the same way as the masterpieces like Yoshi’s Island, like Mario World, like Mario Bros. 3, and not even like the underrated Super Mario Land 2 (which went for a simple kids cartoon look).
The 2-D Mario games have been slacking in presentation lately and while the gameplay still holds up mildly, other platform games are beginning to mold themselves into good competitors as becoming 2-D gaming at the visual peak. And unlike certain genres of games, platform games do rely on visual presentation to progress the game and maintain your interest. The Mario games in the 2-D level have been on the same color palette since New Super Mario Bros. for the DS. Even a non-Mario game officially borrowed the same graphical technique, when we had Mario vs. DK 2 for the DS and its latter inclusions in the DS Download Channel.
Want to see the completion? We shall start with Rayman Origins, which went for a very fun art style that mixes SNES graphics with 90s cartoon flair. The end result was arguably the best Rayman game of all-time, as they went crazy with the artsy look and created clever levels to build around the images. While it was met with awful sales in late 2011, the critics were praising it to holy heaven, and if you call tell from the video above, with good reason too. Compare that look to the look of Mario Bros. for the Wii.
Not that good.
The other main competitor is Little Big Planet, which has become Sony’s official response to Nintendo’s famed plumber. This game oozes so much personality, and almost every level looks different from the last, adding more stylish points to one of the best-looking games of this previous generation. Now, Mario is definitely in the weakest of the Big 3 systems, but it has minimal excuse for pulling off the visual lack-of-flair it pulled off. Even Nintendo’s own Donkey Kong Country Returns upstaged it with a jungle fever look that draws references to the original as well as provide new ways to view the Kong Jungle.
I guess what happened is that Nintendo now knows that these games sell, so why screw with the visual formula? And besides, Nintendo goes the whole nine yards visually when they make the Mario Galaxy games. So 3-D Mario is getting the attention and love, while 2-D/2.5D Mario—a visual plane that offers much more flexibility to become creative, gets next to nothing. It is a shame considering that 2-D Mario used to be the cutting edge on graphics, animation, and style. Even Rayman Origins borrows graphical elements from the SNES Mario World games—although it seems like Earthworm Jim is the best comparison.
Bottom Line: While platform games are making a major comeback visually and quality-wise, 2-D Mario is choosing not to push envelopes and instead focusing on delivering the same type of gameplay using the same types of colors. And while the sales represent Nintendo not having to do shift with its technique in making money, it does prevent the 2-D Mario franchise from going above and beyond its creative limits like in the 90s with Yoshi’s Island leading the way. But who knows, maybe they will have to step up its game if the competitors continue outperforming Mario in the effort division. Remember, Donkey Kong, Earthworm Jim, Spyro, Crash, and even Wario crashed down to earth after years of success. I’d hate to see 2-D Mario suffer this fate and go through a drought-----again.
Never, ever, ever use 9/28/2011 as an example towards any argument you might be making towards trying to change the regular season of Major League Baseball. Don’t do it. You are insulting that crazy day in baseball by using it to explain why you don’t want to expand playoffs. Simply saying that if you make certain changes to baseball, then we can never experience the last day of the 2011 regular season ever again is rather ridiculous.
Let’s throw one thing out there: what happened between the Rays, Red Sox, Braves, Cardinals, Yankees, Phillies, Orioles, and Astros will never, ever happen again. It did not happen during the 150+ year history of baseball, and it sure as hell could not ever happen again. The sheer amount of drama, tension, surprises, and insanity that occurred in the 8-hour span cannot be duplicated, not even if you were to write a movie about it. The Rays in a span of two hours went from a team that just missed the playoffs to a Wild Card surprise-surprise. The Red Sox went from barely surviving a nasty collapse to becoming the biggest choker in the history of baseball---in twenty minutes.
Everything that occurred that day was a perfect storm of drama that you rarely ever see in sports—not just baseball. You had two epic collapses, one epic comeback, two teams one strike away from winning winding up losing the game, a projected playoff matchup shuffled several times in a couple hours, and lastly at least five heroes that will become trivia answers decades down the road. You expect baseball to do this again? Shame on you. Clearly the people mentioning this day don’t really, truly, madly, deeply know how improbable it is that such a night can happen again. So you sports writers out there, if you are not in favor of making the playoffs a little longer, you better provide better evidence.
Sincerely, Witness of the Greatest Night in Baseball History
I am like a kid on Christmas upon hearing that Major League Baseball is expanding its playoff system to two Wild Card teams that have to play each other on a one-game playoff. I have discussed (here) this playoff expansion (here) many many times (here) and now my dream (oh and here too) has become a reality. The craziness that is playoff baseball is about to get amped up even more by giving more teams a legitimate shot at the playoffs. Teams in nasty-nasty divisions like the Blue Jays, Orioles, Marlins, and Nationals will have an added layer of hope, while lower-market teams like the Pirates, Royals, Indians, and As will have more incentive to not just throw the season by making a stronger push for a longer period of time as an extra slot remains open for the taking. A third place team will still have a shot at the World Series which leaves the door open for a playoff push for a far longer time. Now, here I am discussing all the pros, cons, and arguments for/against this new change that is sure to re-shape the world of baseball for decades to come. In case you haven’t noticed, this is a very big deal.
Let’s start with some more pros. This extra small round of baseball will mean much more potential for classic games with everything on the line similar to what happened (You know....the day I always talk about) last season, and what happened with recent tie-breakers like the Padres/Rockies, Tigers/Twins, and going farther back the Cubs/Giants classic in 1998. The extra Wild Card format means that there is much more emphasis on winning the division—which means the division leaders unless they are explosively far from the pack will not just rest players and throw away games in September in fear of dropping down to a one-and-done scenario. Those division rivalries will have even more depth late in the season—and if the scheduling team is smart they will do what the NFL does and end the season with each team facing their divisional foes and/or rivals.
The road to the World Series will become even harder for the Wild Card teams, which is a breath of fresh air for those division winners that wind up getting trampled by the momentum of a Wild Card runner (Phillies are nodding politely right now). Now you have to sacrifice your best pitcher for the one-game playoff and immediately throw yourself in the pit of facing the #1 seed. Now, this season the Wild Card winner gets the first two home games but this will disappear in 2013. Starting in 2013, momentum will not be the only thing you need—sheer willpower will also be a requirement. You may have to look at your #4 and #5 starters for support, something that has not been done in playoff baseball in forever.
Baseball is the toughest, roughest, nastiest sport to get into the playoffs. Adding two Wild Card teams will make the breathing a little easier, but will have fans care for a longer period of time. Let’s admit the truth: our team is third/fourth place in late August, our care drops much like the care towards the Miami Dolphins after September. But, with the extra Wild Card, the fans can still dream, can still imagine the possibility of sneaking in to play against the Division Winners. Teams that are usually good but never good enough like the Blue Jays, Indians, Angels, Dodgers, and Mets will be able to threaten for a longer time.
Of course, there are cons. Imagine being in a nasty division in which you develop an excellent record, but you are still second place. Then comes a Wild Card challenger that comes from a marshmallow division (*cough*AL West*cough*) and beats you in said one-game playoff. Basically: sucks to be you. It gives you much more reason to try to knock off the division leader, but divisions like the AL East, NL East, and the NL Central make it quite a hassle to be king of the mountain. But you can look at it in the other direction: a team in an evil division like the AL East can have a shot at taking out a team that’s in a much smoother division (*cough*Rangers*cough*Angels*cough*Giants*cough*). And thanks to ESPN, here are some more wonderful reasons why this new playoff system is going to work:
============ Doug Kern, of ESPN's trusty Stats & Info group, went back and studied this. And, if the cutoff for what constitutes "contention" on Sept. 1 is 10 games (or approximately how far back the Cardinals and Rays were last year), here is what he determined:
• Last season, just in the National League alone, adding a second wild-card team would have meant that 11 teams would have headed into September "alive" instead of six. Big difference. Wouldn't you say?
• From 2003 to 2011, the average number of teams that would have found themselves "alive" on Sept. 1 was 20. And only once in all that time would that number have dropped below 19 (to 17, in 2008).
• And that drama would continue right down to the final day of the season. From 2003 to '11, 19 more teams would have found themselves within a game of a playoff spot on the final day under this system than under the old system.
• Finally, if you take in the entire wild-card era (including the strike-shortened 1995 season), only nine times out of 34 races would all five playoff spots in a particular league have been determined going into the final day. Under the current system, all the playoff spots were a done deal 21 times. Oh, and one more thing. Just the race for the No. 2 wild-card spot alone would have produced many a dramatic finish.
We took a look at this on our own and found that, if we'd had this system in place since 1995, 24 of the 34 races for that spot would have been decided by three games or fewer -- and 12 of them would have been decided either by a margin of one game or in a 163rd-game tiebreaker.
======================== Thanks ESPN
Now, while I am stoked at this new playoff system, I will admit it’s still not perfect. If it honestly were up to me, I would cut the season just by a little (144-152 games) and then make it a best-of-three format. And the tension is still strong as you are two games away from losing your entire season. And do remember that one of the greatest moments in baseball history came from a best-of-three playoff. Bobby Thompson anyone?
But like I said before, I am still very much excited that baseball is making a change to benefit more fans, more teams, and make September baseball even more important than usual, and more relevant to the league as a while when compared to recent years. The Wild Card was an amazing addition back in 1994, and expanding it some more will continue baseball’s reign as the top postseason league in all American professional sports.
