This upcoming season, 2012, we will see the creation of 10 teams set to play it out for the crown of World Champions in Major League Baseball.

The system will involve the typical wild card plays a division winner while the other two other division winners playing each other.  But for the wild card team, the two teams that happen to be the “wild card” teams will play a one-game playoff.  A Play-in game for the playoffs.

Seems high-schoolish right?  To play an 163rd game to decide who will go on to the playoffs.

What would a manager do?  Do you throw your ace starting pitcher out there?  What will happen if you win?  Then you won’t typically throw him out there for Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs on about two or three days rest.

The argument out there is how about a best two-out-of-three series as a play in?  To create strategy, proper time to prepare for the games and have time to pick and choose your starters like a regular series in the regular- or post-seasons.

But I look at it like this though too.  It creates even more competition, not just to win your division outright and make those playoff races matter even more; but it will show how well you can think on your feet as a player or a coach.  The idea of “how good is my team” because once you get into the playoffs, it’s a winner-takes-all mentality.  Win or go home.  Because now, if you don’t win your division, your fighting for one of two wild card spots.

Look at this too, in most five- or seven-game series, the first game is taken in as more or less a “fluke” game.  To test out the grounds of not just the other team but your own in a different situation, a different mentality.  Creating a three-game series will probably have the same affect to a point as a five- or seven-game series.

Yeah it will give your top ace or two a extra few days of rest before moving on.  But with this one game series it will create the idea of “how good is my team” as I mention earlier and put this idea into full effect.  How bad do you really want it?  How bad do you want that ring and to raise up that trophy come mid- to lat October?  Your playing professional baseball, you are getting paid millions to play in situations and games like these.  People will kill to be in your shoes in those positions.

Sure as heck, if I was a manager or a player, and I knew I was going to be in this one-game win-or-go-home game; I would love to have the best of the best out there for this one-game because I know it will be a dog fight and I want the best shot to win this game so we can go on to the next round.  I don’t care if it’s Tim Lincecum I’m tossing out there on the mound or if I have Derek Jeter batting when were down 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and its a three-to-two full count; because I know they would come through when it matters to move the team on to the next round.  We can worry about the repercussions later after we win.

Regardless though, it is going to be entertaining to watch this unfold in September.  Who knows, it could mean we could have a third place team win the World Series one day.

source:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7638357/mlb-expand-playoffs-two-teams-10