The four new playoff spots created in 1995 have been GREAT for baseball.
In my entire life I have only been sure of two things. The first is that Lou Gehrig is the greatest RBI man who ever lived. And that the second is that realignment and the wild card have been good for baseball.
It's been 12 years since Bud Selig doubled the number of playoff teams from four to eight via division realignment and the creation of one wild card playoff spot in each league. And every year the mere hope of gaining one of those four new postseason berths has kept so many more teams and so many more cities interested in baseball for much longer than they otherwise would have been. It's a pretty simple formula. More teams in the playoff hunt equals more meaningful late season games, bigger crowds at the parks, and higher ratings on television.
The 2007 season is a fine example of this. With just two weeks to go, the new playoff spots have kept a lot of teams alive and playing great baseball when they otherwise might have folded up the tents and headed home for the winter.
Take the Yankees, for example. They haven't had a realistic shot of catching the Red Sox since mid-May, but the prospect of winning the wild card has kept them playing hard and kept them playing well. It's also kept the fans coming to the park and watching on TV. The same is true for the Tigers,,the Phillies and the, all of whom may have punched out early were it not for the wild card.
So, baseball fans from New York, Los Angeles and Philly, when you are suffering through all of the agonizing baseball that's inevitably going to be played over the next thirteen days, remember that you have Mr. Bud Selig to thank. And thank him you should.
