Tom Verducci as Commissioner for a Day

July 6, 2006 by cubsnet

If SI's Tom Verducci were MLB Commissioner for a day, here's what he'd do. I like idea #1: If you're the wild card winner, "you get one fewer home game in the Division Series and in the Championship Series. The wild card team gets one home game (Game 3) in the Division Series and two (Games 3 and 4) in the Championship Series. Too harsh? Too bad. Win your division."

An alternative solution that gets rid of the same problem (wild card teams getting an even shot in the playoffs): Get rid of the wild card by expanding by two teams, creating 4 divisions of 4 teams in each league. The problem with that is that it increases the chance that a division winner will finish with a sub-.500 record. But that's a better problem than the current wild card setup.

Another problem that must be addressed is the inequity in the scheduling. The Cubs' interleague rival is the White Sox, while the Cardinals' is the Royals. Therefore, every year, the Cardinals have a built-in advantage by playing a lesser team (assuming the Royals' fate continues as it has the past decade). If you're going to have a wild card, each team in each league needs to play the same number of games against the same opponents. If you get rid of the wild card, each team in each division needs to play the same number of games against the same opponents.

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