7-game Division Series anyone?

[Mattingly]

I've heard a few things about the playoffs that it would be better being 7 games, since 5 games are a crapshoot. Even Joe Torre, who'd been in one every season since 1996, said the same.

I'm curious, how do you fans of BBF here feel about a 7-game ALDS & NLDS?

My feeling is that better teams can recover from early mistakes (be they player mistakes, strategic errors on the manager's part), and can win. Look at Boston coming from being down 3-1 to winning the ALCS as an example.

What are your thoughts on this, as opposed to its current 5-game situation, which was introduced in 1995. From what I remember, the NBA was the only other major sport whose opening playoff series went to 7 games.

No polls, just good baseball discussion. Let's hear it out there! :D

[Chi]

I'm all for it. If one team is clearly and overwhelmingly superior, they'll just have to win one more game. No real loss.

If the two teams are close and well-matched, as is quite often the case in the post-season, they get longer to prove it. A run of bad luck can still kill you, but not quite the same way.

That said, I still think Cleveland would have beaten the Yankees pretty resolutely. I really doubt it would have made any difference at all in 07, in fact...

[philkid3]

I'm mildly against it. I don't care much ,really.

[Richmond Hill Phoenix]

I'd support a move to a 7-game DS. It's very possible in a 5-game series that the worse team just gets lucky, and advances. I don't think that's the way it should be. With a 7-gamer, it's still somewhat of a crapshoot, but the better team would win more of the time than curently.

[ReignInBlood]

From the logic applied in these posts, why not just extend all playoff series to 9 games then? Since 7 games is not too much of a sample to get a clear picture of who the better team is.

Keep it at 5, I think it would only be an unecessary extension of the already long playoffs.

[NewEnglandAmazins]

Not crazy about it, but I'll still watch even if the Play-offs would end in November.

[Westlake]

From the logic applied in these posts, why not just extend all playoff series to 9 games then? Since 7 games is not too much of a sample to get a clear picture of who the better team is.

Keep it at 5, I think it would only be an unecessary extension of the already long playoffs.

From yours, why not make it 3? The playoffs are already too long, right?

[geezer]

Ill agree a best of 7 LDS format, it works in the NBA and in the NHL with a best of 7 first round format as well.

The next thing is to put 2 more teams in the AL, a 4 division format like in the NFL but no wild cards.

[JohnCropp]

I'd be for it as long as Game 7 of the World Series was scheduled for October 30th or earlier.

Shorten the season, eliminate two off days in a row, whatever.

Just don't give me baseball on Halloween or beyond!

[MyDogSparty]

My problem with it would be the lengthening of the overall baseball season. I don't like the games going to late into the year because the weather in the upper half of the US is really risky. You never know if it's going to be cold, raining or even snowing in some parts. If you could reduce the regular season so that it ended by the end of summer (typically Sept 22) and finish the playoffs about 1 month later I wouldn't mind but if not, I wouldn't want to extend the season further than it already is. Ideally, since not a big fan of the wild card I would rather re-align MLB along geographical lines, divide them into 4 divisions and the winner of each division would move to the playoffs.

RE-ALIGNMENT PLAN
AL EAST
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
New York Mets
Baltimore Orioles
Washington Nationals
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
AL CENTRAL
Atlanta Braves
Florida Rays
Detroit Tigers
Cleveland Indians
Cincinnati Reds
Minnesota Twins
Milwaukee Brewers
NL WEST
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
San Diego Padres
Arizona Diamondbacks
NL CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs
Chicago Whitesox
Kansas City Royals
St. Louis Cardinals
Houston Astros
Texas Rangers
Colorado Rockies

CONTRACTION/MERGER VICTIMS
Toronto Blue Jays merge with the Washington Nationals
Tampa Bay Rays merge with Florida Marlins to become the Florida Rays

SEASON
Regular season runs from April 1st to August 31 (~128 regular season games for each team, maybe more if you bring back double headers)
Playoffs run from Sept 1st to Sept 31 (The WS starts around the first day of fall, hence "The Fall Classic")
Playoff teams would have around 4 days off between the regular season and the LCS and 5 days off between the LCS and the WS in order to get healthy and set up rotations.
All-Star Break July 15/16/17

[ReignInBlood]

From yours, why not make it 3? The playoffs are already too long, right?

If it was up to me I would go back to 2 divisions and have only League Championship and the World Series. But since I have no say in that, my best option would be to leave the playoffs as they are.

[NYMets523]

Get rid of the division series all together.

[EdTarbusz]

I'd like to see the Division Series scrapped as well. They make the baseball post-season too long.

[nyy6488]

I actually like the 5-game series. It's cool how a hot team with a couple of good starters can be so dangerous in a short series. As for getting rid of the division series, that's a bad idea. The wild card is great and makes the long series much more interesting down the stretch.

[Gary Dunaier]

What do you think of, instead of extending it to seven games, keep it at five games but give the team with the better record a significant advantage? I guess, ideally, have all five games played at the home of the better team, or maybe the better team would host games 2-5 with the other team getting just the first game at home.

[EdTarbusz]

What do you think of, instead of extending it to seven games, keep it at five games but give the team with the better record a significant advantage? I guess, ideally, have all five games played at the home of the better team, or maybe the better team would host games 2-5 with the other team getting just the first game at home.

I think the team with the best record should always play the Wild Card team, and the Wild Card team should have to win four games (team with best record gets extra loss) or the Wild Card team should be elimated after losing either one game or two games (instead of losing series with three losses).

[brewcrew82]

I really don't like the idea of the LDS going seven games. I, like a few of the other members in this thread, feel that the playoffs are too long as it is. I'm sure the playoffs whiz by if your team is involved in it (something I wouldn't have any idea about :dismay:), but as a casual observer, it's easy to just lose interest in it by the time the World Series rolls around.

It's very possible in a 5-game series that the worse team just gets lucky, and advances. I don't think that's the way it should be.

Come on, 8 out of 30 teams make it to the playoffs. Can you really say it's an injustice if the 'worse' team wins? It's not like the NHL or NBA where it is entirely possible that an average team can get hot in the playoffs and upset a heavily favoured opponent. Baseball isn't set up the same way. Can you really say that on a yearly basis the Wild Card team is really overmatched and shouldn't be in the postseason? Often times time WC winner is one of the better teams in the league.
If you don't want upsets in the playoffs, lets scrap the playoffs completely and give the trophy to the team with the best record in Baseball.

[Westlake]

Im still hoping for the elimination of the wild card. The 2 division winners with the worst records play a 7 game series to determine who plays the team with the best record that is waiting for them.

Then again, after seeing this postseason, we'd be hearing crying about the team with the best record having to wait too long.

[plask_stirlac]

Why would the 2 extra games make the series longer in days? Scrap the off days, or scrap one and tack on more games without breaks. I know, what if we have the Angels and Red Sox again, 3 hours and 3000 miles... well, tough. The DS is actually good about having day games, so play a game that starts AT 7 ET, not 8:45 (until 1 or 2 AM!), then have a game at 2:00 or 3:00 the next day before a night flight.

The playoffs are wacky, there's a test over 162 with one off-day per week and then that roughly triples. Goodbye fifth starters and less for #3 and 4. I can see how it helps entertainment and that has a louder voice than having a true test.

[tigers527]

Ill agree a best of 7 LDS format, it works in the NBA and in the NHL with a best of 7 first round format as well.

Ummm....both those sports are played indoors. I say leave it the way it is, if anything compress the schedule. The way things are now, with days off for location switches, TV schedules and between series, I heard you could slot a 3 man rotation that would still get their normal regular season off days.

[redlegsfan21]

I'd like to keep the LDS 5 games but I wouldn't mind a 9-game World Series. The World Series was originally 9 games and 1919-1921 were 9-games too.

[TonyStarks]

I wouldn't mind it being up'd to 7.

[mikeymussina35]

Would love that!! The Yankees lose because of those Best of 3 out of 5 series for the past 3 yrs.!!!! Thats a great idea:):dance

[philipthegreat]

Not a bad idea, it gets rid of the whole crap shoot thing but they would have to change the schedule in order for me to support it.

The season is too long.

[Neilios]

Im still hoping for the elimination of the wild card. The 2 division winners with the worst records play a 7 game series to determine who plays the team with the best record that is waiting for them.

Then again, after seeing this postseason, we'd be hearing crying about the team with the best record having to wait too long.

That and I would hate my team just sitting for 7-10 days just to find out who their LCS opponent is going to be. Maybe a 1-game playoff between the other 2 division winners?

[Westlake]

That and I would hate my team just sitting for 7-10 days just to find out who their LCS opponent is going to be. Maybe a 1-game playoff between the other 2 division winners?

Thing is, no one is going to be "sitting" during this time. Anyone actually think the rockies did nothing the whole time they were waiting? They can take BP, throw, run, even play a simulated game if they want to. Just because they arent playing playoff games doesnt mean they aren't ready. I think they layoff thing was blown completely out of proportion.

A one game playoff seems like too little. Maybe it doesnt have to be a 7 game series, but one game is way too short IMO.

[The_Leff_Fielder]

I think it's a good idea. In a five game series, winning the first game becomes essential, and no series should ever hinge to such a degree on one game (unless it's Game 7, of course). I say make the Division Series 7 games, and shorten the season slightly, maybe to 158 or 154 games.

[Old Sweater]

I have always hated the 5 game division series. Just doesn't make sense to me for 2 teams that have played a 162 game schedule to have a 5 game series to determine the best team. And my all means get rid of that extra day off that they had this year. Hats off to Francona for starting Wakefield in game 4 of the ALCS.

[bigtime39]

I'm in favor of the seven game Division Series. I'm also in favor of forcing all MLB teams to schedule one split-admission doubleheader per month to take a week off the back end of the season, thus allowing the playoffs to start (and end) a week earlier than they do now.
I don't think the Rockies' layoff this year was overblown; but I do think it was under explained. That team was on a hellacious run (21 wins in 22 games at the end of the regular season, IIRC, plus the playoff wins) and had a big head of steam and lots of momentum built up...and then had to sit around for a week. I think quite a bit of air went out of their balloon in that week.
Not saying they'd have beaten Boston w/o the layoff. I do think they'd have been more competitive, though.

[Zagi-CRO]

Ideally, since not a big fan of the wild card I would rather re-align MLB along geographical lines, divide them into 4 divisions and the winner of each division would move to the playoffs.

RE-ALIGNMENT PLAN
AL EAST
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
New York Mets
Baltimore Orioles
Washington Nationals
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
Tampa Devil Ray

AL CENTRAL
Atlanta Braves
Florida Rays
Detroit Tigers
Cleveland Indians
Cincinnati Reds
Minnesota Twins
Milwaukee Brewers

NL WEST
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
San Diego Padres
Arizona Diamondbacks

NL CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs
Chicago Whitesox
Kansas City Royals
St. Louis Cardinals
Houston Astros
Texas Rangers
Colorado Rockies
Toronto Blue Jays



Seems good.
My suggestion:

Conference Series 7 games:
ALE(1) - ALC(2) for ex. Boston-Detroit
ALC(1) - ALE(2) Atlanta - NYY

NLW(1)-NLC(2) LA Angels-Toronto
NLC(1)-NLW(2) Colorado-SD Padres
------------------------------
Conference Final Series 7 games
------------------------------
World Series 7 games

Season's schedule:

Each team from ALE:

ALE 7 x 8 games = 56
ALC 7 x 6 games = 42
NLW 7 x 4 games = 28
NLC 8 x 4 games = 32
Overall ------ 158 games

etc.. for ALC, NLW, NLC.