Fixing the Wild Card

[Arctic Blast]

I agree with everything here except for #3.

The wild card has been very successful and is not broken. I do think there could be some tweaks made as I don't like how teams play each other so much more inter-divisionally and while a good division beats themselves up a bad division can have two teams with bloated records. The premise of the WC is very good, though this should be looked at.

Regarding the All Star Game...look, I don't like having an exhibition game decide home field for the WS but what better option is out there? Swapping each year is dumb, best record is not legitimate....someone come up with a better solution. I don't feel home field in baseball is that important, so putting it on the allstar game brings some meaning to that game and is the most logical solution IMO.

I don't understand how best record is illegitimate. Is it somehow WORSE than having an exhibition game decide it? So, if I'm the Sox, and I have the best record in baseball, but the Phillies are the NL team, and THEY get homefield because the NL team (consisting of...what...8% Phillies) beat the AL team (10% Red Sox), THAT is more fair than the Sox getting homefield because they won more games? Sure, they probably did have an easier schedule, but it still makes more SENSE because at least the Sox and Phils had absolute control over their circumstances, and weren't relying on teams filled with ringers from every other team.

[OldFatGuy]

I can't really argue with people wanting the all star game to mean nothing, because it was always an exhibition and this is sort a preferential call anyway. I still want it to mean something though

Me too. Maybe if they do away with it gaining home field in the series, they could use it to determine the league the next all-star game will be played in. They schedule these years in advance, but maybe the 2010 All-Star game determines the league whose park will host the 2013 game???? I dunno, I like it meaning something too.

[dickay]

I don't understand how best record is illegitimate. Is it somehow WORSE than having an exhibition game decide it? So, if I'm the Sox, and I have the best record in baseball, but the Phillies are the NL team, and THEY get homefield because the NL team (consisting of...what...8% Phillies) beat the AL team (10% Red Sox), THAT is more fair than the Sox getting homefield because they won more games? Sure, they probably did have an easier schedule, but it still makes more SENSE because at least the Sox and Phils had absolute control over their circumstances, and weren't relying on teams filled with ringers from every other team.

They didn't have absolute control of their circumstances which led them to a better record because they couldn't control their schedule.

You shouldn't think of it as the Phillies or Red Sox earning homefield, they didn't know they'd be in the WS until after the LCS was completed (lol). You should think of it as the NL or AL earning homefield advantage for their constituent, which is 'fairer' IMO than best record which is greatly scewed.

[dickay]

Me too. Maybe if they do away with it gaining home field in the series, they could use it to determine the league the next all-star game will be played in. They schedule these years in advance, but maybe the 2010 All-Star game determines the league whose park will host the 2013 game???? I dunno, I like it meaning something too.

And as I stated earlier, i have no problem with changing the All Star game 'meaning' but I don't see a better option for home field of the WS.

I suppose a coin flip for the WS, or paper rock scissors may be fairer than any option on the table.....but most 'fans' would prefer the all-star game over paper rock scissors.