Postseason Field of Dreams
With the Baseball world still reeling from the Mookie Betts to the Dodgers whirlwind, you’d think we’d be done with exasperating breaking news. The Baseball Gods decided against that.
Recently the universally bemoaned commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred-aka Bobby-came out with a plan for a postseason reshuffle that has many of you out there confused and in some cases quite upset. Bobby’s proposal is simple and yet complex so allow me to try and break it down without getting to technical. I will disclose right now that I like this proposal from Bobby and will pump it up until it’s dead or instituted-sorry Bauer.
The proposal is simple; the playoff go from 5 teams to 7, best record in each league gets a first round bye, the second best team gets to pick its opponents.. and you know what.. I hate this. Look I was trying to enjoy this, I was trying to get enthusiastic about this. I just can’t though. The more I type and the more I go into this the more and more I think to myself “well this is dumb”.
I’m not a traditionalist, a lot of the changes bothering fans and players right now I’m ok with. 3 batter minimum? Cool beans. Pitch clock? You betcha. Automated strike-zone? Do I even have to say it? Change doesn’t scare me. What does scare me is a stupid proposal that seems more like a ratings grab than a genuine attempt to improve postseason baseball. What scares me is this ever widening gap between the commissioners office and fan interests. I fancy myself a pretty good wordsmith but even I can’t find the words to make this postseason realignment sound palatable.
Manfred is by far the worst commissioner in sports and its not even close. Adam Silver is well liked by the players and owners in the NBA. Roger Goodell isn’t necessarily loved by the players of the NFL but he presides over the most profitable league in the country and rules with an iron fist. Bobby is both despised by the fans and players but he’s also losing his touch with the owners as well and this doesn’t bode well for the future.
From his disastrous handling of the Astros* cheating scandal, his despotic way of instituting rule changes, and his vampire like appearance. There isn’t very much to like. When you’re as out of touch with your fan-base as Bobby has been these last few years it leaves me wondering. How much longer is his contract? Will the owners every consider firing him? How does he avoid a work stoppage in 2021? So many questions and none of them give me a warm fuzzy feeling.
Some of you might be wondering “Well I don’t like this but what are can I do about this?”
My suggestion is simple, just be loud. Be vocal. And if enough of us make noise then they’ll have to hear us.
This goes out to all baseball fans, we must stand united in the upcoming battle against the horde of Manfred sympathizers. Regardless of our past rivalries, we must stand as one in the name of baseball. We must be to the players what Rohan was to Gondor, a support system with a devastating Calvary.
Follow me on twitter @unicornking138 for more lukewarm takes.
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