Editors note: This is the debut of the Stat Geek’s weekly
online pro-sports column.
Bud Selig has a good idea. Yeah, I can’t believe it
either. Over the weekend, the MLB commissioner proposed that the
All-Star game be used to determine home-field advantage in the
World Series. Selig’s idea, if incorporated, ensures that
last July’s debacle will never happen again. The All-Star
game, as it shouldn’t, will never, ever end in a tie again.
In fact, the more you think about this idea, the more reasons you
have for liking it. A problem with the All-Star game the last few
years has been the lack of quality. The players don’t seem to
care about winning, the managers don’t care about winning,
and the leagues themselves don’t care either. This will all
change. How important is home-field advantage in the World Series?
Since 1980, the road team in Game 7 has never won in eight tries.
All-time, the home team in Game 7, has won 64 percent of the time.
And Giant fans, don’t complain to me about the Giants being
on the road in Game 7 as the reason you lost the World Series. Not
only did the Angels have the better regular season, but the Giants
had their chance in Game 6, up by five runs in the seventh inning.
Not only will the All-Star game become meaningful, but most of the
players in the game will be on competitive teams that hope to be in
the World Series. Also, the two managers are the ones who went to
the World Series the year before, meaning their teams are probably
competitors, trying to get back to the Fall Classic. Gone are the
days of the American and National Leagues hating each other and
hyping up the All-Star game as the determining factor to see which
league is superior. Interleague play can now determine which league
is superior. There will never be a Warren Giles, former NL
president and hall-of-famer, who gives fiery speeches to the NL
team before the game and insults the AL because, for all practical
(and marketing) purposes, the two leagues are now united. Selig
also proposed the idea of changing the date of Game 1 of the World
Series from a Saturday to a Tuesday to save ratings. In itself,
this isn’t a bad idea. However, this would probably mean more
time between series games, which is a bad thing. Fans expect to see
games every night in October. I have a solution. With three extra
days available, why not make the best-of-five first round Division
Series a best-of-seven series? The best-of-five series is basically
a crapshoot. If a team has just one dominant pitcher, he can win
two games in a five game series on four days’ rest, meaning
his team would only need to win one out of the three other games to
win the series. In a best-of-seven series, the same starter can
only start two games on a full four days rest, and his team would
have to win two other games to win the series. Turning the Division
Series into a best-of-seven series would be a good idea. But what
are the odds of the much maligned Selig having two good ideas at
once? Did anyone actually read this print newspaper-challenged
column? If so, e-mail the Stat Geek at
gquinonez@media.ucla.edu.