What's in Store for the MLB Playoffs?

Patrick: Welcome to this week’s edition of SportsWise! I'm here this week with fellow sports junkies Russ Adams, John Hagan, and Donald Morris. So, let’s give it to them, fellas: What’s up with baseball? What do you think about the playoffs? Who do you have?

Russ: Well, I’m not yet sure what I feel about the number of teams that make it, but I do, first, want to say “Congratulations” to them. Also, I like the format, what with the best-of-three rounds, with all three games being played in one stadium.

John: Yeah, the stadium aspect of this is helping me be okay with this: Each round is played in one stadium—a stadium that is in a warmer climate, e.g., in Arlington, TX, a suburb of Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, as opposed to a cold city such as Chicago, Detroit, New York City, Cleveland, etc. This is good because playing in snow or cold weather doesn’t make sense to me. And as for the general format of the playoffs, due to COVID-19, the powers-that-be decided to have a reduced 60-game regular season, followed by an expanded 16- team MLB Playoff tournament, which, in my eyes, doesn’t make sense.

Don: Well, I’m with you, it doesn’t make sense. You could be the top team in terms of record and lose out to the 8th-ranked team. Mind you, the 1st seed should annihilate the 8th seed, but we all know anything’s possible, which means to me there needs to be a reward beyond playing a lower seed for those who worked hard to make the playoffs. A 16th seed should not even be allowed to be in the MLB playoffs—just doesn’t feel right to me. Plus, it feels too watered down. All these teams make the playoffs field, which, to me, devalues the honor.

John: From what I understand, one of the main reasons for the expanded playoff format is to recoup some of the money that the teams have lost due to the COVID-19 outbreak. I can see this; however, is it okay for the team members to be put at a higher risk of contracting the virus? No, it’s not okay.

Patrick: John, I agree with you on this. It’s not okay, in my opinion, to put the players in harm’s way just so more money can be made. Even worse, it’s not as if a ton of money is being recouped, what with the lack of fans. No nachos being bought, no gallons of beer being purchased, no peanuts being sold and bought in and outside the stadiums—nothing. But maybe there is a source of revenue being brought in by this format and I just don’t know what it is.

Russ: Well, if nothing else, MLB’s TV presence must be bringing in big dollars, right?

Patrick: Good point.

Russ: Before we get out of here, I would have loved to see an all-Chicago World Series, so I’ll stick with my favorites: in the NL, the Dodgers; the AL, the Yankees—Dodgers in 7.

Don: This year, I almost don’t even care, although one of our Chicago teams in the series would have made a different story.

John: I’m not sure who I’m going for because I’m so focused on the format and COVID-19, and the economy not being reopened—especially in states such as Illinois and California.

Patrick: Like Russ, I wanted to see an all-Chicago party.

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