Selig, committee considering radical realignment plan

[Jeffy25]

On the topic of possible expansion sites down the road, why not Salt Lake City or New Orleans or some big city in Iowa or something like that?

I'd be more open to Nashville, Portland, maybe even Vancouver over New Orleans and Salt Lake....personally.

even vegas.

[Mike67]

Well, it could be worse.. They could decide to do a tiered system.. For example, put the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, and other high payroll teams. Next tier put the next group of payroll.. Third tier put teams that have pretty much been middle of the pack and the last tier put the bottom feeders.. Possibly the only way for the Pirates to make the post-season.. Top teams in each tier goes to the post-season.

Now that would be worse than floating realignment.

[ragecage]

I bet tang came up with this idea. What an idiot.

[ewing6]

mets can't contend to the al central

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

I'd be more open to Nashville, Portland, maybe even Vancouver over New Orleans and Salt Lake....personally.

even vegas.

Portland and Vancouver are both deep-seated in Mariner's country, I have a hard time seeing another team succeeding or pulling fans there. Nashville might work. It's far enough from Atlanta where they probably wouldn't have much trouble in getting fans. However the problem you'd probably get in Nashville (that you'd also get in New Orleans) is that they're pretty much football cities.

[free2131]

Birmingham needs a MLB team, and I'm not just saying that cause I live 30 minutes away, either... I swear.

[kenny1234]

Portland and Vancouver are both deep-seated in Mariner's country, I have a hard time seeing another team succeeding or pulling fans there. Nashville might work. It's far enough from Atlanta where they probably wouldn't have much trouble in getting fans. However the problem you'd probably get in Nashville (that you'd also get in New Orleans) is that they're pretty much football cities.

As someone that used to live in Vancouver, their problem wouldn't be the Mariners - it is that there aren't enough baseball fans in Vancouver to support a team. People tried basketball in Vancouver, and that didn't work, and I can't see baseball being any different. Add to that that they don't have an adequate stadium and the city/province would have no interest in funding one. They didn't fund the building of the hockey arena - there is no way they are going to pay for baseball.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Birmingham needs a MLB team, and I'm not just saying that cause I live 30 minutes away, either... I swear.

I'd agree if the Braves weren't two hours away .

[dickay]

I find it very very positive that Selig and MLB discuss different possibilities with an open mind. Judge them after they agree to the changes. If one doesn't ever discuss out of the box possibilities with an open mind, how can one expect to improve?

[HoustonGM]

Why should ideas only be judged after they are implemented?

[dickay]

Why should ideas only be judged after they are implemented?

not the ideas, I didn't say the ideas, but the comments in here attacking Selig for "opening his mouth" and the comments of the idea being stupid. Its a discussion. You can debate the merits of the plan, but to call anyone stupid for bringing it to the table or for merely discussing it with hopefully an open mind is just plain wrong. Kudos to Selig for listening to radical ideas.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

not the ideas, I didn't say the ideas, but the comments in here attacking Selig for "opening his mouth" and the comments of the idea being stupid. Its a discussion. You can debate the merits of the plan, but to call anyone stupid for bringing it to the table or for merely discussing it with hopefully an open mind is just plain wrong. Kudos to Selig for listening to radical ideas.

Okay, so you think it's good of him to entertain the idea. But what do you actually think of the idea?

[dickay]

Okay, so you think it's good of him to entertain the idea. But what do you actually think of the idea?

seems a bit outlandish but I honestly haven't looked at it that closely. I don't like the idea of teams moving all the time. I'd grow old with that real quick. The wild card and last realignment however was thought to be the same some time ago, outlandish or at least initially it was.

While these extreme ideas rarely get implemented I think often you find parts of them that are included into future ideas that do get implemented. So in short, keeping an open mind to these radical ideas is positive.

I may have been misleading in my initial post. I have no problem hating the idea or not. I think it rediculous to blast people who recommend or even worse, merely listen to them such as Selig is. Thats where I took issue.

[Jeffy25]

seems a bit outlandish but I honestly haven't looked at it that closely. I don't like the idea of teams moving all the time. I'd grow old with that real quick. The wild card and last realignment however was thought to be the same some time ago, outlandish or at least initially it was.

While these extreme ideas rarely get implemented I think often you find parts of them that are included into future ideas that do get implemented. So in short, keeping an open mind to these radical ideas is positive.

I may have been misleading in my initial post. I have no problem hating the idea or not. I think it rediculous to blast people who recommend or even worse, merely listen to them such as Selig is. Thats where I took issue.

spot on

[tdk1984]

Floating realignment: STUPID idea...

expanding to 32 teams, with 4 4-team divisions in each league: Awesome (perhaps even perfect) idea, but as was said earlier, not happening in this economy.