Welcome Back Baseball

I love baseball and am so happy that it’s back. The best part of watching sports is following the rivalries. MLB got it right this year by starting the season with Yankees/Red Sox. It’ll be fun watching them duke it out this year.

For the first time in many years Brewers fans can be excited about the direction the team is going in. New ownership, a savvy GM, Carlos Lee, top prospects getting close to the majors, etc. It’s hard to contain my enthusiasm.

Posted by chuck at April 3, 2005 9:01 PM

Comments

Yankees/Red Sox? They’re everything that’s wrong with baseball. Besides the steroids.

80% of the league has absolutely no chance of making the playoffs BEFORE THE SEASON HAS EVEN STARTED because their payrolls are 1/10th of the top spending teams. Yeah, yeah, money can’t buy you a championship, you still need to perform, blah blah blah.

But hey, if teams like the Brewers can build through their farm system for 5 or 6 years, they’ll have a chance at competing for a wild card spot. Of course the window of opportunity will only be 2 or 3 years, and then we won’t be able to afford those players, who will subsequently sign with the Yankees.

Baseball: PFFFFTHPFFFHHHTTTT!!!!!! (I’m also making a thumbs-down geusture!!)

Posted by: Bryan Buchs at April 3, 2005 10:27 PM

There’s 30 teams in major league baseball. Eight teams will make the playoffs. So, by definition, 26.667 percent of the teams in pro baseball actually do make the playoffs. Since the typical wild-card race boils down to about three teams in each league by mid-August - very late in the season - that’s another two teams from each league, at minimum, who have a chance. Now you’re up to 12 teams - 40 percent - that either will get into the playoffs or at least have a chance.

Most baseball seasons see teams by late June start making mid-season trades in hopes of getting into playoff position or at least take a shot at the wild card. At this time, the wild card race averages about five teams from each league who have a shot. Taking out the team that actually wins it, that means four teams from each league (8), plus all the division winners (6) and the two wild-card winners (2) means 16 teams out of 30 - 53.3 percent - have a chance to make the playoffs.

Then again, that’s just me. I’ve only actually watched baseball for the last several years.

Posted by: Jim at April 4, 2005 1:12 PM

Take yer’ fancy math back to your dorm room, college boy. 80%! I say it’s 80%!!

Posted by: Bryan Buchs at April 4, 2005 3:26 PM