I want to be clear; the issue of whether the Baltimore Orioles had too long a layoff in the postseason is actually a non-issue. At least in my mind. With how the teams such as Texas who advanced out of the Wild Card round are playing in the division series’ we’re seeing a lot of questions. My point would be that you always have to be ready to play.
Furthermore, I like the current playoff format. The original Wild Card setup offered no real difference between winning the division or getting the Wild Card. There should be an incentive for winning the division. When they went to a Wild Card game, that incentive was restored – but that was tough in that it was one game. So I like the current way they’re doing it.
Obviously the issue is whether or not teams such as the Orioles suffer from too much rest. Do they get rusty? Again, I scoff at that point. Because look at the O’s; they were a tired team at the end of the regular season. They needed that time off. But we’re to believe that they had “too much” rest? I don’t buy that.
However what I will say is that Wild Card winners are already in emotionally-charged situations, that being the regular season. Then they play in emotionally-charged Wild Card series’, and continue onto the LDS. They remain in that mindset. The division winners do not.
Texas has seemingly been ready for anything thus far this series. They’ve put the ball in play, and most of those balls found daylight. They’ve played loose, while the O’s seemingly had the weight of the world on their shoulders. Maybe that would have happened anyways. Maybe it wouldn’t have – we’ll never know.
But perhaps that additional experience in playing in emotionally-charged situations allowed them to play with that looseness. End of the day, I don’t think the layoff has anything to do with anything. At this level, every team you’re playing is going to be good. You’re ultimately taxed with beating them.
And ultimately if you’re in the camp of the long lay-off is detrimental to teams, ask yourself what sort of system would be better? Again, you have to give some sort of separation between winning the division and being a Wild Card team. And the Wild Card games (automatic game sevens) did seem a little tilted in the sense that they were one-and-done.
That’s why I think the current format is the best option out there. You might be able to condense it slightly by having the Wild Card series’ run Monday-Wednesday, and the LDS’ begin on Thursday. But there would be issues no matter how you spin it. You just have to be ready to play no matter what.
Birdland Crush 