October 19, 2004
Wild Card World Series? Bah, Humbug!
A Traditionalist’s Take
By Brian Walton
I have been doing this so long now that I can just reinvent columns from the past and repackage them. I first wrote this one year ago and only had to change the names of the teams for it to be just as relevant today. I chose today to run this, before the fate of the Cardinals – Astros series is decided, as I don’t want this to appear to be sour grapes. Full story
I just can't win this postseason. Of course, I don’t want Houston to come out on top because, like you, I am a Cardinal fan. I am rooting against the Yankees on the principle of the matter just because they are the Yankees. I don't want the Red Sox to prevail simply because they are the Wild Card winner.
With the Astros in the lead and the Red Sox coming back, the reality is that two Wild Card teams may again appear in the Fall Classic. After the Florida Marlins’ championship in 2003, this would be three Wild Card champs in a row. Both teams back in 2002 were Wild Cards, the San Francisco Giants and the winning Anaheim Angels.
That just isn’t right. Aren't there better choices other than two second-place teams squaring off for the world championship?
I am not naive enough that I expect the Wild Card will ever go away. No sense wasting time arguing about that. The Wild Card is here to stay. However, I strongly feel that those teams who win their division should receive a greater advantage for coming out of top of a 162-game marathon than one more measly home game. How about an automatic five games to two game home field advantage for division winners when playing Wild Cards in any round? The playoffs should be for winners, in my book.
Yes, I know the Wild Card added to the pennant excitement and kept more teams in the hunt. So, what? With it, winning a division has been devalued to the point it is almost irrelevant.
And while they're at it, can they also get rid of the designated hitter, please?
