From: dxf12@po.CWRU.Edu (Douglas Fowler)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: A divisional formula (was Re: Expanding the Playoffs
Date: 21 Nov 1992 19:02:55 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: dxf12@po.CWRU.Edu (Douglas Fowler)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc12.ins.cwru.edu


     This is a little after this thread was finished, but I figured out
a way to expand, provided that baseball can take 4 more teams. (That's a
BIG if, considering the talent the Rockies and Marlins grabbed in the
draft.)  We would have 4 divisions in each league, and only the division
winners would qualify.  To keep some excitment going, the winners would
be seeded 1-4 based on winning %, as you're not always going to have
great races. (But it was just as problematic back when there were only 8
teams per league and the Yankees won everything, so don't let that be a
problem when examining this.)

A.L East         A.L. Central         A.L. Midwest        A.L. West
Baltimore       Chicago             Cleveland           California
Boston          Kansas City          Detroit             Oakland
New York        Tampa Bay            Milwaukee          Phoenix
Toronto         Texas               Minnesota           Seattle

N.L. East        N.L. Central       N.L. Midwest       N.L. West
Buffalo          Atlanta              Chicago           Denver
New York    Charlotte or New Orleans   Cincinnati      Los Angeles
Philadelphia     Houston               Montreal        San Diego
Pittsburgh        Miami                St. Louis       San Francisco

     If the majors had used this this year, one negative would have been
that the Braves-Pirates series wouldn't have been for the pennant, but
that wouldn't have been a 7-gamer, either; I think such playoff series
should only be 5 games.  On the plus side, there would have been close
pennant races between Cincinnati and Montreal, the Toronto-Baltimore one
still would have been there, and Minnesota and Milwaukee would have had
a great battle for the top spot.  Teams would have more of a shot at going
from worst to first, too.
     The teams would play the teams within their division 28 times each,
for a total of 84 game, and would play a home and away series with
each of the other teams in the league, for 72 games, 156 total.  An
alternative would be to place the Easts and Central in a conference within
a league, and have the teams play 22 division games with each team,
then 2 home and away series with each team in their conference, for
66+48 games.  Then, play 6 games with each team from the other conference,
for 48 more games and a total of 162.  It would depend on whether the
latter is too likely to cause a division to have a winner go about 70-92.
Since the N.L. East game close to a .500 division winner, even when
they play 90 of 162 games within the division, that is something one
would want to monitor closely.
     I wonder if anyone has ever tried to set up a video game to play a
league season with this kind of setup, just to see what would happen.  I'd
be curious to find out.
-- 
Doug Fowler: dxf12@po.CWRU.edu  : Me, age 4 & now: "Mommys and Daddys & other
   "Thou shalt love God with all: relatives have to give lots of hugs & love
thy heart...*and thy neighbor as: & support, 'cause Heaven is just a great
thyself*." Deut. 6:5            : big hug that lasts forever and ever!!!"
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball