I remember Matt Holliday hitting a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh in Game 3, turning what had recently been a 6-0 deficit into 6-5. I also remember Jamey Carroll nearly tying up Game Four with a warning-track shot off Papelbon in the bottom of the ninth.

I also remember Dustin Pedroia hitting about 17 doubles.

Not that anyone cares, but in my DMB sim league, the Dodgers finished off the Rays in 5. Clayton Kershaw NLCS and WS MVP.

I'm playing an OOTP season now and I've decided to see how much I could piss off the imaginary BBTF posters in OOTP by signing a bunch of guys close to milestones and playing them every day...

My lineup

C Ivan Rodriguez (signed as a FA)
1B Vladimir Guerrero (signed as a FA)
2B Omar Vizquel (waiver claim)
SS Starlin Castro
3B Miguel Tejeda (signed as a FA)
LF Johnny Damon (signed as a FA)
CF Ichiro Suzuki (traded Dempster and spare parts to SEA, getting Ichiro, Marcus Littlewood and Jabari Blash back)
RF Bobby Abreu (traded Soriano and LaHair to LAA getting Abreu, Trevor Bell and Alexi Amarista back)
SP Jamie Moyer (traded spare parts to COL)

I just hit the all-star break...

I-Rod has 2911 hits, Vizquel has 2920, Vlad just recorded his 2700 hit (he's actually having a fine season - 306/348/481 with 12 HRs and 63 RBI and 136 OPS+), Ichiro passed 2500 (he's hitting .347 since coming to Chicago and has an even money shot at 200 hits), Tejeda has a shot, but not a good one, to make it to 2500 hits, was hoping to get Abreu to 300 HRs and 2500 hits - he'll get his 400th SB - but the batting numbers look out of reach. Jamie Moyer is 7-7, actually leading the NL in IP and just twirled an 8 hit shutout to get victory #274.

while the also-rans have interleague play in September

In front of crowds measured in the dozens, if they are lucky.

53. just plain joe Posted: October 29, 2012 at 11:35 PM (#4288021)
while the also-rans have interleague play in September


In front of crowds measured in the dozens, if they are lucky.

- ay-yup
ain't hardly nobody gonna pay ML prices for tix for THAT

Triple Crown [X]
(That one seems like it should have been mentioned earlier.

Nobody would have expected that enough to put it on a checklist!

The 8 divisions with 4 teams format eliminates the "hated" wild card and guarantees that only division winners make the playoffs. But it doesn't guarantee that the 4 best teams make the playoffs. And it introduces a high level of randomness based on geography that the wild card actually mitigates.

i agree. but i think its more important to eliminate the wild card. there will always be a division winner seen as being weaker than an also ran in another division, but no system is perfect. the randomness based on geography doesn't bother me. i don't think the same divisions will always be the strong ones over time.

I want a ladder format for playoffs. Everyone makes it. Two worst teams play, then the winner plays #28. Seven game series apiece. They can start playing double headers if they won't get done before the next season starts. No neutral sites.

The way to do it, if you really want to do it (and I do not, so take it for what that's worth), is have no interdivisional play whatsoever. Have four separate 7 or 8-team 'leagues' -- National, American, Federal, Continental, each playing the other teams in their league, then have the four champions play.