Why can’t MLB have a balanced schedule?
There have been 14 teams in the American League since 1977, when both Toronto and Seattle became members.
Now in 2013, for the first time that number will be raised to 15.
The NL only had 12 teams in 1977, but they kept rising until they reached 16 in 1998.
Why baseball thought it was better to have six teams in one division and four in another, never quite made sense, and for the past 15 seasons that has been how the leagues were divided up.
Baseball has had a fear about playing Interleague games dispersed all through the season. Now in 2013, for the first time there will be at least one Interleague series always going on.
For the first time since 1993, each division will have the same amount of teams in it. All six divisions will have five teams.
Whoever makes up the baseball schedule decided that in 2013, teams should play 19 games with each team in their own division, seven games with six teams, and six games with four teams in their same league.
Why wouldn’t they make it balanced by keeping it at 18 divisional games, and then playing all ten teams in the same league seven games each?
Why should an AL East team play seven games with Houston and Seattle, and only six with Texas and the Angels? Why not play them all seven games?
The first change for the 2014 schedule is to play each team in your league the same amount of times.
18 and seven work perfectly.
72 Divisional and 70 same league, leaves 20 Interleague games.
If you took a vote how many would divide up 20 games by playing four games with two teams, and three games with four teams, instead of just playing five teams, four games each?
The only way to explain this is that baseball is hung up over the Yankees playing the Mets each year. If baseball just tried to make the game equal for all teams they could just rotate one complete division each year.
- AL East vs NL East in 2014
- AL East vs NL Central in 2015
- AL East vs NL West in 2016
Play each team four games each, and then every three years every team plays in every park.
How simple is that?
Then to really make baseball more exciting, play a Wild Card two out of three playoff series (WCS), instead of just one game.
In baseball, teams play series’ all year, why not in the Wild Card playoffs as well?
Wild Card Series, Divisional Series, League Championship Series, World Series.
They all should be a series.
Which schedule would you vote for?
A. MLB 2013 schedule
19 games with four divisional teams: 76 games
Six teams with seven games, four teams with six: 66 games
interleague- two teams four games, four teams three: 20 games
One Wild Card playoff game
B. Balanced schedule
18 games with four divisional teams: 72 games
Seven games with all teams in the same league: 70 games
One complete division five teams four games each: 20 games
Two out of three Wild Card Series
I’m going with my own option, C….
There is no need for so many Divisional games. The schedule could consist of 13 Divisional games (52 games), and 9 games against the rest of the League (90 games), which leaves the 20 total Interleague games. Now THAT is a balanced schedule.