A quick thought on the MLB Playoffs

September 9, 2010 By 5 Comments

I have NO idea why they don’t make round one (the LDS) best of 7, especially after a grueling 162 game season where teams earn their way into the playoffs.

This is in stark contrast to the NBA where half the teams make it and they still have best of 7 round one…and FOUR rounds!

In baseball, unlike other sports, anything can and does happen. But the media already whines about the long season and November playoffs (which has happened ONCE) so they won’t add two games potentially?

The Cubs of 2007 & 2008 as well as last year’s Cards and Boston got screwed by the quick 3 game exit in the best of 5.

What do you think? Should the LDS be a best-of-seven?

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Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: MLB, mlb playoffs
About AJ Kaufman

AJ Kaufman is the co-editor of Midwest Sports Fans, where he has been a columnist since March 2009. AJ, a former Los Angeles schoolteacher and Indiana military historian, is now a corporate journalist, compiling publications for organizations across the country. He is a supporter of anything baseball-related -- especially minor league ball -- and mid-major college hoops. The author of three books, AJ is married to Maria and currently lives in Lincoln, Neb.

Follow him on Twitter (@ajkauf7) for ruminations on sports, politics, history and travel.

  • http://www.realfakesports.com RFS

    I'd be all for a best of 7, but the way MLB draws out their playoffs with so many off days, the World Series would always be played into November. Then everyone would complain even more about the cold weather.

  • http://twitter.com/kacsports Kurt

    The groundwork is already being started, next year's Opening Day will be on a Friday instead of Monday, which ensures World Series ends by Halloween. Guessing best-of-seven first round will be implemented after CBA is resolved. And yes best-of-five is stupid, especially when three of the four matchups are three-game sweeps…

  • AJ Kaufman

    Yes, Kurt, saw that. So yes, "The groundwork is already being started." Good stuff. Very, dare I say, "progressive."

  • Thomas

    With baseball's waning popularity, why give the public more games they don't care about? If anything, shorten the post season by putting the AL and NL teams with the best records against one another within a week or so of the end of the season. That way you don't have week after week of playoff games that nobody but the diehards are going to watch, you get an actual winner while there's a chance there's not going to be snow on the ground (believe me, I've lived in the Midwest all my life and we can get snow in October), and the season actually MEANS something.

  • AJ Kaufman

    Waning popularity? With all the negative attention baseball undeservingly gets, they're still setting attendance records. And considering it's 81 games, mostly in summer when people travel, it's amazing how popular the sport is. Imagine if the NFL played 81 games. Who'd show up? People like football because it's once per week. If baseball was once per week, stadiums could sell one million tix. Baseball is VERY popular, especially in the largest markets (NY, Boston, Philly, Chi, STL, Minne, etc) where teams drawn 40k plus 81 nites per year. Try to avoid the media's negativity. You're better than they are.