07/03/1999
In response to last weeks column on realignment
Mr Agnes writes:
"The problem with 15-team leagues is that you have interleague games on a
daily basis. The alternative is to give 1 team per league an off day everyday.
I find neither of those preferable to the current 16/14 split. "
Well, Interleague play can just go the way of Disco Demolition Night, the
idea for interleague play was almost as good as DDN. As for one team always
having a day off, I don't see that it is that big of deal, though the schedules
might get a bit strange.
The solution for that is to either fold two franchises or expansion,
in which case it would make more sense to go with four or eight divisions
instead of six.
If MLB decides to go with eight divisions the wild card would go the way
of interleague play unless a solution can be found to add another round of
playoffs without pushing the World Series back another week, which won't
happen.
If however, four divisions are the choice, the Wild Card would be expanded
to include the two teams in each league with the best records that did not
win their division. Or the Wild Card could be totally scrapped but MLB likes
the extra revenues that the expanded playoffs allow so is not likely to do
away with the Wild Card.
32 Team Field
(expansion in Mexico and Vegas or Salt Lake City)
*If Montreal moves to DC or Charlotte then they would switch divisions with
Houston.
28 Team Field
(Oakland and Montreal folded)
-
NL EAST: Atlanta, Florida, Tampa Bay, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh,
Cincinnati
-
AL EAST: New York (AL), Boston, Baltimore, Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee
-
NL WEST: San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Colorado, Houston, St. Louis,
Chicago
-
AL WEST: Seattle, Kansas City, Texas, Anaheim, Arizona, Chicago, Minnesota
Mopping Up
Braves rookie first baseman Randall Simon recorded his first four-hit game,
a double and three singles, off three Expos pitchers. A disappointing .256
season in Richmond last season, his sixth year in the Braves Organization, put
his future with the franchise in question, but his response this summer has
been impressive. He enters the weekend hitting .330. Maybe Klesko
is the odd man out after all. Simon hits for nearly as much power as Klesko
and for a much better average from what he's shown so far, even if he comes
back down to earth and hits .280, not to mention being a better first baseman,
too bad he can't play left when Galarraga comes back next year.
The Expos drew roughly 30,000 people in four games against the Braves. I
think its about time to start discussing the new name of the Expos when they
move south. How about the Northern Virginia Rebels????
The Mets 16-0 loss to the Braves on Friday night was so bad that when closer
John Franco couldn't get out of the 9th inning, starting pitcher Rick Reed
entered the game to play right field, while third baseman Matt Franco came
into pitch, with Louis Lopez moving to third, and right fielder Roger Cedeno
after going to the dugout moving in to play second when someone realized
there were only eight men on the field. And if you got all that you could
do a better job of managing than Bobby Valentine is doing.
Tom Hallion was suspended for three games without pay by NL president Len
Coleman on Friday for his actions during an argument with Colorado catcher
Jeff Reed and pitching coach Milt May on June 26. What is this? Has
anything like this ever happened before? An above the law umpire getting
his due for actually doing something out of line, that a player would
have received a similar punishment for? Its about time. I
think this signals that the umpires are going to be in for one heck of
a fight at the table this off-season.
The San Diego Padres have been a great story the last two weeks. No
one gave the defending NL Champions a chance in the National League West
this year. Here they are, having won 14 straight games, sitting 4.5
games back of the division leading San Francisco Giants, on Fourth of
July weekend, while the LA Dodgers, expected to win the division are sitting
in the cellar 9.5 games back. Who's to say there isn't justice
in baseball after all.
-- O-fer
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© 1999 K. Hollingshead
1999 |
