Tag Archives: NBA

Mayor Kevin Johnson Wants To Spend Non-Existent Money on a Bad Team

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

You may have heard by now that the Charlotte Bobcats are thinking about reclaiming their old identity as the Hornets and the Sacramento Kings are on the verge of relocating to Seattle where they’d relaunch the Seattle Supersonics brand. Both make for nostalgic and welcome news in my book, but former NBA player and current Mayor of Sacramento, Kevin Johnson, doesn’t want to see his city’s only professional sports team skip town, an understandable sentiment. After all, where will all the corrupt politicians go to get schmoozed by big donors and lobbyists?

The Sacramento city council voted 7-2 to continue their commitment to finding a public-private partnership in build a new arena. That doesn’t mean much until there is a hard dollar figure behind it, but in theory it indicates that the city will chip in for a new arena. The big problem is that Sacramento County, not to point and laugh, but they’ve put themselves in a ridiculous bind. The county has a $181 million shortfall (not sure about the recency of that number, but whopping regardless). More amazingly, Sacramento isn’t even that big of a city with less than half a million residents. The county has about 1.4 million residents.

California just hiked their sales tax so now residents pay between 7.5%-10% depending on the locality. The state income tax is over 13% for high-income Californians. The revenue side of their equal is maxed out. They’re kaput. How can the NBA expect them to chip in for a new arena? Seattle, while far from a bastion of prudent fiscal policy, has a much more solid budget and a bigger population.

Amazon: Hip to be square

In fact, I recently heard that if the Sacramento Kings moved, it would leave Sacramento as the biggest city without a major professional sports team, but consider this: San Diego, Jacksonville, Seattle, Nashville, Louisville, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, and Fresno all have larger populations and no NBA teams. Some of them don’t have any professional sports teams, but I suppose the pro-Sacramento statistics may have been comparing metro areas.

The Kings are the fourth best NBA team in California. Among those teams they are in the smallest city. After the Warriors jump across the bay into their new PRIVATELY funded arena, the Kings will also have worst arena among those teams. There are bigger cities with better financial situations that will welcome an NBA franchise. The Kings have only been in Sacramento since 1985 when they moved from Kansas City, so it’s not even their original home. At this point it should just be a matter of what the owners want. Sacramento cannot pose a logical argument as to why they deserve the Kings. They blew it when they dried up the city coffers… Go Lakers!

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Just Like That, The Lakers are Back: Dwight Howard is a Laker

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

The NBA, my first sports love, just became fun again. It’s not that I’m a fair weather fan, I love the Lakers through thick and thin, it’s just that… Winning is fun isn’t it? And that’s what the Lakers look poised to do next season.

Despite David Stern’s best efforts, the NBA’s biggest fan base–that of the Los Angeles Lakers—is exuberant (based on a sample of one, me) and their team may suddenly be new favorites to win the NBA Championship. With the Lakers now in the mix with the Thunder and Heat, the 2012-2013 NBA season will be worthwhile after last year’s predictable, 66 game season.

If you’re late to the party, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired the NBA’s top center, Dwight Howard, from Orlando and will send Andrew Bynum to Philadelphia as a part of the huge four-team blockbuster involving Denver, Philadelphia, Orlando and Los Angeles. ESPN LA has tons of coverage. 

I had heard that the Lakers were in discussion with the Magic about acquiring Howard, and that there was interest in Bynum rather than Gasol. I was hopeful that we could keep the uber-talented Gasol and rid ourselves of Andrew Bynum, who lacks the maturity, durability, and desire to be a star Laker, but that seemed like nothing more than wishful thinking. It’s not official yet, I’m sure they all have to pass physicals and of course, you have to get it through the commissioner’s office, which isn’t always as easy as it should be, but what a bargain it would be to keep Gasol, and add Dwight Howard to a starting lineup that already features Kobe Bryant and newcomer Steve Nash.

The NBA continues to be the sports league with the most interesting trades year in and year out (MLB is a close second while the NFL trails miles behind). This one will top the 2012 off-season.

Below are three videos that pretty well explain why I’m thrilled to have a new Center in gold and purple. I need not explain why I’m excited to see Dwight Howard be that new center.

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Steve Nash And The Genius That Is Mitch Kupchak

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

The NBA was the first sports league I ever followed and the Lakers my first team, but with David Stern ripping Chris Paul away from us and the whole mess of the NBA lockout, I was pretty bitter about this NBA season (hence just the two NBA blog posts all season). This wasn’t helped by my recent acceptance that  Game Six of the 2002 Western Conference Finals was most likely fixed.

Finally, some big news has come that has me somewhat excited about the NBA again.

After the Chris Paul trade fell through in the pre-season, GM Mitch Kupchak was left scrambling to determine the direction that the team would take. Lamar Odom (just from the Mavericks to the Clippers) was so offended by the notion of being involved in the then collapsed Chris Paul trade, that he demanded to be moved. When Kupchak traded him to Dallas for a trade exception, fans were bewildered and bothered. We expected to get more for such a big piece.

A few months later, Kupchak moved fan favorite, Derek Fisher, for a no-name big man (Jordan Hill), and Ramon Sessions was brought in for Luke Walton, which seemed like nothing more than a booby prize after failing to land Chris Paul (although I was admittedly excited).

Things didn’t look spectacular, but now the real bounty from those moves has arrived. Using the money freed up by the Odom trade, Mitch Kupchak was able to complete a sign-and-trade to bring Steve Nash to Los Angeles. Sessions’ contract has expired (and he will not return) avoiding a logjam at the point guard position. Steve Blake will back up Steve Nash to go along with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum. The dust has settled and the strange moves last year, make a lot of sense.

Without Jackson’s triangle offense, a more dynamic point guard became necessary, and Mitch Kupchak was able to bring one to L.A. and get the most out of Kobe final few spectacular seasons. Kobe Bryant knows his window for championships (at least as the center piece) is closing, and he is determined to get another one (or two) before all is set and done. He went so far as to reach out to Steve Nash and explain why he’d be a good fit for the Lakers. Now we’ll get to see Bryant and Nash on the same team, along with two star big men. At the very least, they’ll be extremely competitive and fun to watch.

General Managers in professional sports play a huge role, and sometimes it can be understated. Let Mitch Kupchak’s role with the Lakers not be so, he is potentially the best GM in professional sports, whether the Lakers win a ring with Nash or not.

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Crimes On The Field Are Different?

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

From Pedro throwing Zimmer to the past couple weeks of flare ups, professional sports have their fair share of physical confrontations. Lately, they have me wondering why the actions of professional athletes during a professional sporting event are viewed as being totally and completely different to an identical action occurring in almost any other situation. Let me share some examples.

A hockey player by the name of Matt Carkner attacked a player on the New York Rangers (video here). It was not a “hockey play.” Once the player was down on the ice, Carkner continued punching him. If this were to happen in a high school hockey game (in those crazy places that have high school hockey) the offending player would face serious punishment, potentially legal. In this case, Carkner was kicked out of the game and suspended for just one more. A Rangers player was also booted from the game and suspended, which seems silly, but that’s neither here nor there. The statement made here is that in the National Hockey League you can attack someone and face minor consequences.

In the second to last  regular season game for the Los Angeles Lakers, Ron Artest (legally Metta World Peace, but I refuse to call him by his non-name name) intentionally elbowed James Harden in the back of the head, leaving him with a concussion. Artest was ejected from the game (just shortly before a miraculous Lakers comeback), and received a seven game suspension, which he is still serving. Luckily, Harden was able to return for the Thunder’s first postseason game.

Most considered the seven-game suspension stiff, but in any other situation elbowing someone in the head would draw much steeper consequences. If someone was to do that on the blacktop, they very well could be sued. Obviously, if it was an accidental elbow, even if it was still the offender’s fault that’d be a different story, and there is some aspect of toughness that dictates not litigating over every ridiculous incident, but the option would be viable. What we have here though is a professional athlete intentionally striking another on the head and injuring him. The violent attacker essentially received the equivalent of out-of-school suspension.

Now what really makes this interesting is that if you go back to the “Malice at the Palace” when then Ron Artest infamously went into the stands to start a giant brawl. Before he made that mistake though, there was a fight on the court.

“With less than a minute left in the game, a fight broke out between players on the court. After the fight was broken up, a drink was thrown from the stands at then Pacers player Ron Artest while he was lying on the scorer’s table.” -Wikipedia

This portion of the event basically doesn’t matter because they’re professional athletes so they are seemingly allowed to physically assault each other. What happened next though was worthy of legitimate punishment.

“Artest then entered the crowd and sparked a massive brawl between players and fans. The repercussions led to nine players being suspended without pay for a total of 146 games, which led to $11 million in salary being lost by the players. Five players were also charged with assault, and eventually sentenced to a year of probation and community service. Five fans also faced criminal charges and were banned from attending Pistons home games for life.” -Wikipedia

My final point comes from one of the most despicable baseball players in the league, Delmon Young. Evidently he pushed someone over while yelling anti-Semitic slurs. Pretty bad and especially offensive to me because of my Jewish ancestry, but is it worse than elbowing a man in the head and concussing him? Delmon Young is currently on the restricted list while the legal process runs its course. He could go to jail, but he’ll most likely get some sort of community service which is deserving. In addition to real legal consequences, MLB will likely dish a suspension after the remaining details are released. Obviously, he is innocent until proven guilty and there is some murkiness in the situation that evidently involved a homeless man, but the greater point is this: if he had pushed over a baseball player mid-game and yelled racial insults at him then would he face any legal action?

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Lakers Do The Unthinkable, Trade Fisher To Improve

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

This news hit like a punch in the gut. Uber fan favorite, Derek Fisher, is no longer a Laker. Mitch Kupchak, easily one of the most well-respected GMs in professional sports, separated himself from emotion to improve a Lakers team that has earned a deplorable 9-14 road record (18-2 at home).

The new collective bargaining agreement entails stiffer luxury tax rules. This played a role in the pre-season trade that sent Lamar Odom to Dallas. A continued need clear up cap space and the necessity of improving at point guard facilitated a flurry of trade deadline deals by the Los Angeles Lakers.

First, L.A. acquired a more effective point guard to lead the Lakers’ offense, bringing in Ramon Sessions in exchange for Luke Walton and a first round draft pick. Ramon Sessions averaged double-digit points and 5.2 assists per game in a backup role with Cleveland. Fisher was logging weaker numbers in a starting role. Fisher’s field goal percentage was under 40% as he averaged 5.9 points and 3.3 assists per game. Without Phil Jackson’s triangle offense, having a offensively potent point guard grew more essential, making Sessions a great fit. Luke Walton, was a played beautifully in the old triangle offense where his passing skills and basketball savvy were amplified, but he was not receiving any playing time and was stuck on Mike Brown’s bench. The Lakers ability to upgrade at point guard while off-loading Luke Walton’s hideous contract made this trade a big win for L.A.

Rumors held that they’d also complete a three team deal that would net Michael Beasley from Minnesota. Steve Blake was set to go back to Portland and the Timberwolves were to add Jamal Crawford. Unfortunately, the deal collapsed and they ended up moving Derek Fisher to Houston. Yahoo contributor, Steve Silverman, wasn’t impressed.

“Why did the Lakers trade Fisher to the Houston Rockets for 6-foot-10 forward Jordan Hill? Fisher is 37 and he is no longer at the top of his game. He’s a good player, but he’s not as effective as he had been. However, it’s mainly Jim Buss showing he is in control of the team and since he wants to get rid of unnecessary contracts, that’s what he is doing. This is primarily a salary dump.”

While Laker fans may be upset, hurt, and shocked, when the dust clears they’ll see how Kupchak strengthened the Lakers in both the short and long-term. Phil Jackson and the triangle offense are no more. While it is nice to reminisce of the days when Walton and Fisher were key contributors to championship teams, it’s time to move on and continue to work towards championship #18. The Lakers were able to move two ugly contracts (those of Luke Walton and Derek Fisher), upgrade at point guard, and get a little young talent to go with it. While Derek Fisher is my favorite NBA player and his autographed warm up jacket is my prized piece of sport memorabilia, I can’t fault Laker GM Mitch Kupchak for making these deadline moves. For more, check out ESPN’s perspective.

This has been a wild week for me with job interviews, a new car purchase, my favorite basketball player being traded, Andy Pettitte coming out of retirement to rejoin the Yankees, and of course March Madness. More blog posts to come.

As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. You can share your opinions in the comment section below or by tweeting to @Ryan_Kantor. Thanks for reading! 

How Will Clemson Respond To Orange Bowl Shame?

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

Since the ACC began determining their champion with a conference championship game in 2005, Clemson fans have longed for the title. Elusive to the tigers since 1991, winning the conference championship became the overriding goal for the program. Only the Clemson Tigers we know and love could manage to sour a season in which they finally accomplished their main objective. A loss to South Carolina and not just a loss (we could have handled that), but a demolition at the hands of West Virginia in the Orange Bowl took some of the sweetness out of Clemson’s Orange Bowl season. So how does the program react?

With the program’s first 10-win season since 1990 and first championship since 1991, Clemson is regarded as a program on the rise. Similarly, rival South Carolina, who just completed what was their greatest season of all time, winning 11 games for the first time and winning their most prestigious bowl game ever (the Capital One Bowl–their previous best was the Outback Bowl), is emerging from decades of mediocrity to become a quality national program. So how will Clemson’s late season ups and downs effect the program? Where do they go after the high of an ACC Championship and the lows of a third straight loss to their bitter in-state rival and a 37-point defeat in the Orange Bowl?

While it’s often erroneous to compare professional sports to college sports because professional leagues tend to foster parity while exposure, recruiting, and cash flows create the opposite effect in college athletics, I think I can draw a logical comparison here.

In 2008 the Lakers where itching for a title as the five seasons since their 2002 championship against the New Jersey Nets made it feel like a distant memory. For Laker fans, that five-year wait felt like Clemson’s two decade winding path to a Championship, as they had grown spoiled after a three-peat. The Lakers earned their way into the 2008 NBA Championship which pit them against their historic rival, the Boston Celtics. The Lakers played that series with less desire and pride than their opponent though. The feeling I experienced after that NBA championship series was much the same as the feeling after the Orange Bowl.

“The 2008 Celtics brought an end to their storied franchise’s 21-year championship drought with the most lopsided closeout win in NBA Finals history on Tuesday night, blowing out the Lakers, 131-92.”

As the Celtics celebrated, sometimes rather ridiculously, Phil Jackson made the Lakers watch. He ensured that the Lakers would “remember how this feels.” The Lakers’ bus was physically rocked side-to-side by rowdy (classless) Boston fans as the shamed Lakers were trying to leave a town ready to celebrate a championship. The pain and shame felt after the loss was horrible for players and fans at the time, but NBA fans remember how the next two seasons would unfold.

The Lakers found a new motivation, a new inspiration that led them to handle the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Championship, and then in the following season earn a rematch with their Boston rivals. In an epic series that went to seven games, Ron Artest and Pau Gasol starred in what turned out to be an emotional comeback win in game seven of the NBA finals.

The drubbing in 2008 gave the Lakers what they needed to grow as a team. Clemson’s season feels bittersweet at the moment, but they did accomplish the program’s number one goal and I’ll wear my ACC Championship gear proudly this offseason. Now, with that accomplishment under out belt we can recalibrate the program up a notch with the new goal of winning a BCS bowl game. While it seemed that the tigers were content with their ACC crown this season, the memory of this loss should propel Clemson to even bigger and better things in the years to come. It may not be next year, as I foresee the offensive line being a big problem, but if Dabo is the hero we’ve tabbed him to be, we’ll see some significant growth bud out of our Orange Bowl defeat.

How do you see Clemson’s Orange Bowl appearance impacting the program? How bad will it affect recruiting? Will there be a new motivation and toughness in years to come?

As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. You can share your opinions in the comment section below or by tweeting to @Ryan_Kantor. Thanks for reading! 

Kevin Garnett Chokes Twice In One Game: Exemplifies A Big NBA Problem

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

After Kevin Garnett missed a big, game tying shot in a Christmas Day showdown with the New York Knicks, he really showed his character and exemplified the big perception problem the NBA faces by physically choking an opposing player.

The NBA has long had a PR problem and it’s awfully hard to fix perception when that perception is consistent with reality. When Latrell Sprewell choked his coach back in 1997 the problem began to surface. The Detroit/Ron Artest (Metta World Peace) brawl brought the issue to the forefront in 2004. The following year David Stern instituted a player dress code so that the league would take on a more professional look. The dress code was abhorred by players but lauded by commentators like Charles Barkley and Spike Lee.

When Gilbert Arenas and former GT Yellow Jacket, Javaris Crittenton, whipped out guns in the Washington Wizards (would be more fitting if they were still the Washington Bullets) locker room, we were reminded that the dress code was merely a facade for a league that still had its problems.

This conundrum is not unique to the NBA. Roger Goodell faced this problem in the NFL and has handled it by delivering stiff penalties for on and off-field incidents. He was also aided by the nature of the league, as a team-driven league rather than a star-driven league like the NBA. (Isn’t a star-driven league counter to the American values that make us love sports anyway?)

The NBA needs some class-act superstars that fans can celebrate. Chris Paul and Kevin Durant both fit the bill, but are not on teams with big fan bases. Durant plays in one of the smaller markets in the NBA (Oklahoma City), while Paul is now on the Clippers who play in LA, but are not LA’s team. The league had a chance to see Chris Paul on a major team with the biggest fan base in the league (The Lakers), but David Stern destroyed that dream.

Now, Stern must convince America that a star-driven league (that phrase makes me cringe), bogged down with excessive trash talking, a recent labor dispute, a major trade veto, and on and off-court incidents is worth watching. David Stern would be wise to take a lesson from Roger Goodell. I’d advise a stiff penalty for Kevin Garnett and all players who physically assault others in the future. I’d advise getting a hold on the trash talking and the showboating, and I’d remind David Stern that we watch sports in part to see a team gel together, work together, and win together.

Basketball is a beautiful game, hopefully he can make the league as worthwhile as the sport they play. Check the video below to see Kevin Garnett choke on the game winning shot and then give a little choke move to his trash talkin’ opponent. I grew up watching late 90′s NBA. It was my favorite sports league for years, but I’m left nostalgic for the classic Hakeem Olajuwon v. Shaquille O’Neal matchups. The LeBron drama just doesn’t do it for me. Do you think the NBA has become an inferior product, or am I just subconsciously bitter about the Lakers poor offseason?

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NBA Commissioner Spurns Lakers, Crushes Hornets

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

The 27 teams uninvolved in the now infamous Chris Paul trade, vetoed by the commissioner, should have zero say so in the fate of the trade. Chris Paul was sent to the Lakers who had to part with beloved big man Pau Gasol and the versatile Lamar Odom. Gasol was routed to Houston, and the Hornets netted Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic and draft picks from Houston to go with Lamar Odom coming from LA. The Hornets expect to lose Chris Paul after this offseason via free agency so receiving as much as they did was very impressive.

Small market owners are complaining that they can’t retain their star players, that they always bolt for the big market teams. The problem with that gripe is that there is a salary cap in the NBA. If you can’t keep your star player then it’s because you haven’t managed your salary cap as well as GM’s of the top teams like Mitch Kupchak from the Lakers. The size of the market is not related to their payroll. The complaint really has nothing to do with them being in big markets–there is a salary cap. Rather it has to do with punishing the well runs teams.

Three teams are hurt by this decision, and thus by rule the other 27 teams are lifted up, so of course they’re happy about it. The Hornets will find it very difficult to trade Chris Paul to another team. If the trade to LA was blocked and another was allowed, everyone would complain of conspiracy (and rightfully so). So now you have Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom in the precarious position of going back to the team that just traded them away. Everyone in New Orleans now knows that Chris Paul wants to be a Laker, since he has threatened to sue the league and isn’t reporting to camp. All three teams involved in this trade are losers, unless of course you think the Lakers overpaid for Chris Paul and can just sign him after this season anyway.

All three teams involved are appealing, and I think there’s a great chance it will go through. This decision by Stern (urged by the same small market owners who prolonged the holdout) punishes well run teams, and is bad for the league.

I love Gasol, and as a Laker fan hate to see him leave, but on principle this trade should be allowed. The bright side for the Lakers is that if it goes through, they’ll have freed up enough cap to make a move for Dwight Howard, however the problem is that if they don’t get a big man and move both Gasol and Odom then they’ll quickly go from one of the longest teams in the NBA to one of the most shrimpy.

David Stern, do the right thing. Just as I often have to allow honest but lopsided trades to go through in my fantasy leagues, you’re going to have to let this one go.

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NHL’s Time to Shine?

Posted on by Tommy D

Great post about Kevin Gregg and David Ortiz. Ortiz is such a hypocritical punk. And Gregg might now be my favorite non-Yankee reliever (the fact that he’s on my fantasy team also makes it easier to root for him).

Anyway, continuing in the sports realm, how interesting is it that there exists the possibility of not only no NFL season, but also no NBA season? I would imagine that losing one — let alone both — of these seasons would be a huge bummer for a large chunk of America. However, as much as I like sports, I’m not sure I’d be too sad.

First of all, the NBA doesn’t do much for me anymore. It’s become such an egotistical game, where players’ images seem to take precedence over the fact that basketball really can be a great team game. College basketball absolutely destroys the NBA in this regard. When you add the fact that my Lakers might be on a downward trend, I realize how minute my interest is at this point.

I would be a little more disappointed if there was no NFL season, but the main loss for me would be the lack of fantasy football. My autumn Sundays would be less interesting, but it wouldn’t be hard for me to survive. And my Packers would be defending champs for another year.

The main reason, however, that I wouldn’t be too bummed about losing these seasons, has to do with the fact that I am an absurdly passionate hockey fan. With the potential absence of the NBA and NFL, maybe hockey will finally get to take center-stage. It’s a hugely under-appreciated sport that combines speed, skill, precision, toughness, and teamwork. Oh, and it’s all on ice.

I wonder what ESPN will do without NBA games to show and without Monday Night Football. What will become of the 68% chunk of SportsCenter that is devoted to the NFL? We can only hope hockey gets more coverage. Of course, it would help if ESPN televised NHL games, but nevertheless, more analysis would be nice. Maybe all those American sports fans without Versus will become subscribers to different TV packages when they see how empty their fall and winter days are.

Is it wrong to wish for no NBA or NFL seasons? Maybe a little, but it is only borne out of a positive emotion — love for hockey. Plus, I am not truly hoping for cancellations of the NBA and NFL seasons; I am just pointing out that this will not be all that bad, and that the best sport in the world — which already suffered through a lockout not long ago — will still be happening.

Bud Selig and MLB Hope to Join Other Sports in Relaxing Playoff Passion

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

The NBA expanded their playoff bracket to 16 teams in the 80′s, so the majority of NBA teams already make the post season. In 2002 they changed the first round from five to seven games, making upsets even more rare and the first round even more worthless (the only eight seed vs. one seed upset since the change was in 2007 when the Warriors beat the Mavericks. The Knicks beat the top seeded Miami Heat in 1999 and the Nuggets beat the top seeded Sonics in 1994, but that’s it). Last night the Lakers’ playoff game didn’t even start until 10:50pm EST, much too late for most people to tune in for the whole contest. The Spurs vs. Grizzlies games wasn’t even on mainstream cable (NBA TV). How’s that for a watered-down playoff game?

College Basketball finally expanded its field, although nowhere near as disastrously as what could have been done. Early talk was that the field could move all the way up to from 65 to 96 teams. Instead it only moved to 68 teams, which isn’t so bad, but the point remains the same; making the post season, the NCAA tournament, a bowl game, whatever…it’s meant to be an honor, not a second season.

As long as I’m on college basketball, what was the point of adding 3 more teams if you’re still going to cheat Virginia Tech? But I digress…

Last night during the NHL playoffs, a commentator remarked that it’s amazing how the players play these physical playoff games for over a month. Yeah! It is pretty darn amazing! Everyone who isn’t bad is in there, even Tommy’s New York Rangers (God bless ‘em).

Now this comes out! Maybe the only league that still has a truly special postseason, where almost everyone involved is deserving and has a shot to win, Major League Baseball, plans to water down its postseason. It would be enough if the league simply adjusted the first round from five games to seven like the NBA did. To be fair, baseball can be a screwy sport and having two hot pitchers can get you through the short best of five series. I wouldn’t even complain if they did that!

But no…that’s not the plan. Unfortunately it sounds like they’ll be diminishing the value of a regular season win even more by allowing an extra wild card team per league, expanding the total postseason bracket to 10 teams. Did the 162-game season not diminish it enough? Not that I want it shortened, but c’mon!

Sounds like we’ll have a best-of-three wild card round, followed by a five-game Divisional Series, then a seven-game Championship Series, then finally, when you’re no longer interested in baseball after watching your team for as many as 177 games, you may be treated to seven more games in the World Series. Take a week off and you have spring training!

When this happens (likely 2012) we’ll start seeing a lot more teams that didn’t truly earn their way into the postseason get hot and win the World Series. It’s the nature of the game, and it’s bad for the sport. Boo you Bud Selig. You’ve done a lot of great things (starting interleague play and making the All-Star Game worthwhile), but now you’re threatening to turn us into the NBA.

Please leave your thoughts in the comments section. If you missed the link in the text, here it is again: Y! Sports. Of course, if you’re not already, you can follow me on Twitter here.