Fan Fuel: MLB wild card should be best of three

BY JOHN BAIN – FAN FUEL BLOGGER

With the first ever Wild Card playoff games tonight, in comes the speculation of the format. Sure the addition of one game in both the American and National League for a berth in the divisional playoffs has made the final race that much more exciting in the MLB, but the format in which the winner is chosen needs to be changed.

Yes, the baseball traditionalists were against this whole wild card playoff thing from the get go, but realistically, one game should not decide who advances into the next round. That is what the tiebreaker at the end of the season is for. Ever other series in the regular season goes at least three games, so why not have a best of three series?

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Now some people may be against the idea of a post-season entering into November, but for that, you shorten the regular season by about six or so games and everyone is dandy. The World Series trophy is still handed out at the end of October.

A one game playoff really isn’t worth it for teams who fought to the last day for the wild card births in their respective leagues. Nor is it fair. Three games, it takes four days maximum, with the higher seed getting two home games if necessary.

A one game match is hardly a “playoff game.” Best of three is fair, more exciting, and if the MLB thinks it made lots of money of this years extra wild card teams, it will just generate even more money and intensity in September.

One measly game. One! If Major League Baseball really wants to put on true October baseball they will make it a true series.

So yes, the new format is terrific, but there are flaws, and if they make the necessary changes, surely even traditionalists will eventually latch on and love the idea. It’s not like the game is getting more interactive, or futuristic, it is making a series just that, a true playoff series, otherwise what is the point of having that one game?

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