So the World Series ended up being a couple of #3 seeds. Yeah, it's a crapshoot, but I find it interesting that given all the complaining about the schedule significantly favoring the #3 seeds this year actually seems warranted.

Yeah, the Giants lost both of the home games then won all three away games, then had to go 7 games to win the NLCS, but still, they're the #3 seed. Yeah the Yankees couldn't hit anyone but Valverde and may have lost to anyone in the ALCS, but still, the Tigers were the #3 seed.

Should be an interesting matchup...

No.

You should know by now that the playoffs don't care how many games you won in the regular season. All they care about is how your best players match up against the other teams' best players. Detroit and SF have the pitching and timely hitting to win championships. I'm not surprised either one of them is there and no, it has nothing to do with Bud Selig.

I thought the extra WC spot added a lot to the stretch run. It's a good addition.

Yes he did. Not because the 5th or 6th best team from the AL made it and the 3rd or 4th best team from the NL made it. He screwed it up because he spent time forcing something in that there wasn't a good way to work it in this year. The play in game isn't terrible, other then diluting the playoff pool issues, but this year's version of it was because of potential logistical nightmares that it could have raised.

He did by making the all-star game relevant to the rest of the season, and jamming the extra WC game into a schedule that was made last year. The fact that the 2 teams that made it weren't #1 overall doesn't bother me. Last year, the WS was the 2nd place team in the AL and the NL wild card. I don't see how you can fault Selig for this, unless you're talking about having more than 2 divisions (which happened like, what, 15 years ago?) So, yes to your original question, but not for the reason you imply in your post.

I think this year we got to see both the bad and the good of the new extra wild card spot. In the American league, it was good, because both of the teams involved had the same record. Each "deserved" to go, so it worked out well. In the National league, however, I think the bad element about the 2nd wild card spot showed its face. One team had a significantly better record than the other, yet ended up losing out on the real playoffs. In a situation like that, I don't like a one game wildcard because a single game is so much of a coin flip. So, as I said, I think we saw the good and the bad of the new system.

How do yal like it after seeing it play out.

He screwed it up because he spent time forcing something in that there wasn't a good way to work it in this year.

Again, no. IIRC, Selig had this plan in place for quite a while but it was the owners and players who drug their feet during the collective bargaining agreement and by the time both sides had approved it the schedule was set for 2012.

Andy, please don't remind me about the stupid AS game.

Yeah, it was a pretty assy game.

Also, I still think it can be improved upon in another aspect. I, for one, do not like that the Tigers made the playoffs while two teams with better records did not. So maybe I am just not a fan of divisions, but I think it is not particularly fair. Teams shouldn't be punished/rewarded for being in certain divisions imo. Not sure there is a way around this aside from switching to an NBA format with no divisions, but I don't like it.

It worked out the way it was intended, by putting the Wild Card teams at a disadvantage so maybe their starting pitching match-ups won't be ideal. Instead of saying only the #3 seeds are left, I see it as two division winners are the last ones standing and I don't have a problem with that at all.

I guess the Tigers can thank Verlander and his casual approach to the All-Star game for being the visiting team. Interesting how this worked out.