Breaking News: Additional Wild Cards for 2012

[MiamiHomer]

The only thing I find interesting is that is just makes winning the division, as well as having the best record, more important than anything else. The wild card team before just had the loss of home field advantage where now they lose their best pitcher in the process.

[MiamiHomer]

Unless you start your #2 in the wild card game, becuase you can.

Yes, you can but there aren't a lot of teams out there that would feel good about their chances doing that.

[Mainge]

If you don't like it, then win the division.

Bingo.

[MiamiHomer]

Does the rule still apply that if the wild card is from the same division as the team with the best record in the league that they can't play?

[Swifty]

I'm not a fan of the one game playoff (is it a playoff or is it a game 163?). I'm also not a fan of trying to disadvantage the wild-card team because, since 2002 (the first of the back-to-back wild-card World Series winners) the average AL Wild Card was won by 5 games and the NL 2.

Also, what happens if you have a division tie and when the loser previous fell into the wild-card, there wasn't a playoff...will there now potentially be multiple 1 game playoffs? I like that even less because then you disadvantage that team with the better wild card record even more. For example: Yankees and Rays tie for the AL East with 100 wins, current wild card standings have Boston with 95 and Cleveland with 94 wins, season ends. Yankees and Rays previously wouldn't play, loser of head to head becomes wild card. Now the new system would (?) have NY and TB play a one game playoff for the division, loser faces Boston for the wild-card. Hypothetically, the Yankees could burn Sabathia and Pineda despite having 100 wins and a 5 game "lead" in the wild-card. Definitely not a fan of the format, love the idea of adding an extra wild-card team (since, let's really be honest, it's not about "punishing the wild-card team nearly as much as it is about extra playoff revenue and keeping more teams relevant late in the season).

[Namaste]

Why does mlb.com say "talks are ongoing"?

[Ramp]

because they haven't made an official announcement yet

[Party]

They got rid of not allowing division rivals to play in the first round.

[Party]

For this year alone, the LDS will go to the 2-3 format it had in the 90s.

[Namaste]

For this year alone, the LDS will go to the 2-3 format it had in the 90s.

My initial reaction to this is "ewwwwwwwwww" but I'm sure there is a very good reason for it that I'm not thinking of right now.

[Party]

TV contract and travel.

[Namaste]

see I KNEW there was a reason!!!!