FOX Sports Needs A Geography Lesson

[HuskyCaucasian]

DeadSpin-

Apparently, the Rangers and Twins have moved halfway across the state, the Mets and Yankees play on Long Island, and the Cubs and Phillies have relocated to Indiana and New Jersey, respectively. Are you smarter than a fifth grader?

 

FOXSports-

As a baseball official says, ask five people for opinions on realignment, and you’ll get six ideas.

 

I’m not going to pretend that change would be easily accomplished. I’ve devised three proposals, and it’s impossible to make everyone happy.

 

No matter.

 

Baseball, to achieve greater competitive balance, needs to blow up its divisions and maybe its leagues.

 

Specifically, it needs to blow up the AL East, which threatens to disintegrate into the Yankees, Red Sox and three baseball versions of the Washington Generals.

 

I know the Rays reached the World Series in 2008; I was one of many who heralded their achievement as proof of the sport’s improved competitive balance.

 

I also know that the Orioles are slowly returning to prominence and possess the resources to spend at a higher level.

 

But let’s not kid ourselves.

 

The Yankees and Red Sox will remain financial super-powers for the foreseeable future. Even scarier, both teams have become so efficient, they eliminated any intellectual edge that certain low-revenue teams had gained.

 

If all clubs possess similar brainpower, then dollars become decisive, dooming the AL East also-rans. A cynic might suggest they would be better off pocketing revenue-sharing money than trying to compete.

 

The current collective-bargaining agreement, which produced nearly $450 million in revenue sharing last season, goes only so far.

 

The next CBA, coming after the 2011 season, will not produce the necessary solutions, either.

 

Forget a salary cap; the players’ union, which remains the strongest in professional sports, will never allow one.

 

Forget increased revenue sharing; the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets and Cubs — who account for approximately 90 percent of the contributions, according to one executive — are tired of funding low-budget competitors that fail to put the money to proper use.

 

The biggest likely change in ’11 — a restructured amateur draft — will do little to slow down the financial super-powers and not enough to boost low-revenue clubs.

 

A more fundamental change is in order.

 

Commissioner Bud Selig is not keen on returning to a balanced schedule, believing teams should not play more games outside of their division than inside.

 

He also opposes an NFL-style schedule that promotes balance by giving the best teams the most difficult opponents.

 

Realignment, though, is on his mind.

 

“Do I have some positive thoughts on realignment? I do,” Selig said in a telephone interview this week. “But there’s nothing on the table right now.”

(much more at the link above)

[knightni]

The Brewers are playing this year in Lake Michigan.

[ChiSox_Sonix]

DeadSpin-

Apparently, the Rangers and Twins have moved halfway across the state, the Mets and Yankees play on Long Island, and the Cubs and Phillies have relocated to Indiana and New Jersey, respectively. Are you smarter than a fifth grader?

 

FOXSports-

 

The Mets DO play on Long Island...

[DukeNukeEm]

+1 to whoever tricked Canada into taking Detroit off our hands.

[ChWRoCk2]

I don't see anything wrong with the current divisions, it seems the majority of the divisions are already grouped geographically.

 

Rangers and Astros are the only two teams that are in a location that is not very convenient to fit in any division.

[Dick Allen]

As long as they are going to keep interleague play, and its been a big success no matter how much some don't like it, they really should make it 6 divisions of 5 teams. There will always be an interleague series being played, but so what? IMO its better than an AL team having to play 9 games in a row without a DH.

 

Another change they could make because the interleague series are always 3 games, play the middle game by the road teams' league rules. For all the AL fans who are purists and like the pitchers to bat, you'd get to see it at your home park a few games a year, and the NL fans will be exposed to DHs a few games a year.

Edited February 26, 2010 by Dick Allen