Possible Expansion Scenario...

[NWinAZ]

I've met quite a few really nice and great people but Portland as a whole I despise.

Like I said before, I live 40-45 minutes north of Portland and I avoid it at all costs unless it is Jantzen Beach area which is right across the bridge from Vancouver. I go in and out. Keep Portland weird is their motto and they are succeeding. But I would go if they got a team, especially when the M's came to town. Hell, I might even get a season ticket package of some sort.

 

[NWinAZ]

From 2004:

Oregon Stadium Campaign :: Completed Ballpark Financing Plan

 

[wazzu31]

Like I said before, I live 40-45 minutes north of Portland and I avoid it at all costs unless it is Jantzen Beach area which is right across the bridge from Vancouver. I go in and out. Keep Portland weird is their motto and they are succeeding. But I would go if they got a team, especially when the M's came to town. Hell, I might even get a season ticket package of some sort.

I'm sure there are a ton of people like you who live in the vicinity that would love to. But dispute my dislike for city as a whole the logistics of it seem pretty rough with no land within a reasonable traffic accessibility location and with their politics. I guess it's the same for with the Sonics, the sports fans deserve the Sonics but the city of Seattle does not. But like i said, these are just my personal feelings on Portland.

But realignment is something I completely would support. It lightens travel, can shorten the season without contracting games, and since baseball is so regional now it makes more sense just to go with it and go all in on the regional attitude instead of Manfred trying to fundamentally changing the sport because younger viewers aren't tuning in. It's like the Mariners placating to the gimmick fans who will only go to a view games instead the hardcore fans who buy packages like the early 2000's.

 

[PolarVortex]

Expansion Could Trigger Realignment, Longer Postseason | BaseballAmerica.com

Wondering what you guys think of this.

Expansion and realignment? Sure, why not.
Extending the post season? No. Definitely not. Baseball was not meant to be played in the snow. Only way I would support an extended post season would be if they cut 8-10 games off of the regular season schedule. (And they will never do that. They will never willingly decrease revenue.)

 

[unlvmariners]

Expansion and realignment? Sure, why not.
Extending the post season? No. Definitely not. Baseball was not meant to be played in the snow. Only way I would support an extended post season would be if they cut 8-10 games off of the regular season schedule. (And they will never do that. They will never willingly decrease revenue.)

A lot of these expansion scenarios include fewer games during the regular season. In this specific case they are saying reduce the regular season by 6 games, they believe the decrease in revenue is offset by lower travel costs and increased attendance in september due to more teams being in playoff pictures.

Who knows how realistic all this expansion stuff is, right now its just a bunch of what ifs. I'll take it more seriously when expansion is official.

 

[wazzu31]

A lot of these expansion scenarios include fewer games during the regular season. In this specific case they are saying reduce the regular season by 6 games, they believe the decrease in revenue is offset by lower travel costs and increased attendance in september due to more teams being in playoff pictures.

Who knows how realistic all this expansion stuff is, right now its just a bunch of what ifs. I'll take it more seriously when expansion is official.

I don't understand why they even need to shorten the season a game if they realign teams. Expand the roster to 28 like the MLBPA wants, they already put in the 10 day DL, and with less travel, there (to me) is no excuse to have so many off days.

 

[unlvmariners]

I don't understand why they even need to shorten the season a game if they realign teams. Expand the roster to 28 like the MLBPA wants, they already put in the 10 day DL, and with less travel, there (to me) is no excuse to have so many off days.

My understanding is just the way it works out with the math and playing every team an equal amount of times.
12 games against each team in your division. 12X7= 84
3 games a piece against every other team in the league. 3X24=72
I really don't know though.

 

[wazzu31]

My understanding is just the way it works out with the math and playing every team an equal amount of times.
12 games against each team in your division. 12X7= 84
3 games a piece against every other team in the league. 3X24=72
I really don't know though.

Ya, I don't know the math or really the total breakdown of it. If it drops games off the schedule I wouldn't personally be a fan, and not sure how the MLBPA would sign off on it because incentives in contracts.

 

[Msfann]

I wouldn't like to see the season get shortened either because it would screw up stats. The post season I dont really care about.

 

[PolarVortex]

Pre 1961: 154 games + 7-game WS = maximum of 161 games
2018: 162 games + 1-game Wild Card round, +5-game Division round + 7-game LCS + 7-game WS = maximum of 182 games

If they add any more games then they will either be playing in the snow in March or playing in the snow in November, or both. When you play in the snow, the integrity of the game gets tossed out the window. We aren't talking about football or hockey here. We are talking about baseball. It's a warm weather sport.

 

[unlvmariners]

I wouldn't like to see the season get shortened either because it would screw up stats. The post season I dont really care about.

Hard to care about this mythical event called "playoffs" we are Mariners fans. We don't really even know what it means.

 

[unlvmariners]

Pre 1961: 154 games + 7-game WS = maximum of 161 games
2018: 162 games + 1-game Wild Card round, +5-game Division round + 7-game LCS + 7-game WS = maximum of 182 games

If they add any more games then they will either be playing in the snow in March or playing in the snow in November, or both. When you play in the snow, the integrity of the game gets tossed out the window. We aren't talking about football or hockey here. We are talking about baseball. It's a warm weather sport.

Yeah I agree, I don't really care to see baseball games that are heavily influenced by the weather. It is definitely a warm weather sport. I don't need to see baseball in November.

 

[NWinAZ]

Play 100 games and have playoffs in August. As a M's fan, the off season is where all the excitement is anyways. That is where they sell us on the great turnaround year after year.

 

[wazzu31]

Pre 1961: 154 games + 7-game WS = maximum of 161 games
2018: 162 games + 1-game Wild Card round, +5-game Division round + 7-game LCS + 7-game WS = maximum of 182 games

If they add any more games then they will either be playing in the snow in March or playing in the snow in November, or both. When you play in the snow, the integrity of the game gets tossed out the window. We aren't talking about football or hockey here. We are talking about baseball. It's a warm weather sport.

It's not just the snow, it's all weather and why I've never understood giving teams so many off days. I know in 01 the MLBPA wanted the rostered expanded, if they expanded to 28 Then there is zero reason to not be able to put 162 games in between April 1st and late September. Reggie Jackson was Mr. October because the WS was suppose to be in October not the DS and LCS.

 

[SeattleCoug]

Sadly my reaction is we can’t make the playoffs in a 4 team division and can’t in a 5 team division so I just assume in an 8 team division forget it.

 

[Destroydacre]

90% of the baseball games I've watched in my life have been Mariners games, so I've always kind of enjoyed watching pitchers try to hit. I have nothing against the DH, but I think it's kind of fun to watch a pitcher try to hit.

For us AL fans it's kind of like a gimmick, sure. There's only a small handful of games each year where we see it. But even still at this point, I would be totally fine with giving up those dozen or so games where the pitcher hits to have Nelson Cruz in there. I am on the side of the people that think having two leagues play by different rules is silly. But it amuses me just how bent out of shape the traditionalists get over the DH, even going so far as to claim that the AL "isn't baseball."

The thing is, even with the DH, you can still have the pitcher hit if you want. There's a reason teams don't do that though.

 

[unlvmariners]

The DH issue is very simple to me, I think the DH gives the game a better product. I personally don't like watching most pitchers hit because its just garbage and they don't have the skill set to hit major league pitching. The game has evolved a lot since it started and pitchers are very very specialized. Most position players cannot pitch at a major league level and they are not forced to. Most pitchers cannot hit at the major league level but they are forced to in the NL. One of the best things about baseball is there is beauty in a really well pitched game when the pitcher owns the other team and there is also beauty in the monster 450 foot homer. There is rarely anything beautiful about pitchers hitting.

Probably a little American League bias...

 

[wazzu31]

The DH issue is very simple to me, I think the DH gives the game a better product. I personally don't like watching most pitchers hit because its just garbage and they don't have the skill set to hit major league pitching. The game has evolved a lot since it started and pitchers are very very specialized. Most position players cannot pitch at a major league level and they are not forced to. Most pitchers cannot hit at the major league level but they are forced to in the NL. One of the best things about baseball is there is beauty in a really well pitched game when the pitcher owns the other team and there is also beauty in the monster 450 foot homer. There is rarely anything beautiful about pitchers hitting.

Probably a little American League bias...

Plus, back in the day, one of the selling points was relief pitching was becoming a thing and having a DH theoretically shortened games because you don't need to make so many pitching changes/double switches.