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This is an extremely silly rule to play a 163rd game to break a tie. Why can't the MLB be like the NFL and use a series of tiebreakers to see which team makes it into the playoff and which doesn't? Of course, I'm referring to the Twins and White Sox. What's worse is that the Twins beat the White Sox head-to-head this year, 10-8, yet they have to travel to Chicago to play that extra game. What a load of crap. Bud Selig, if you're reading this (I know he's not), do the right thing and get rid of tiebreaker games!!
This deserves only a one-word response: precedent. Look it up: National League, 1951. Dodgers vs. Giants. They finished the season in a tie, and a best-of-three playoff decided who would go to the Series that year. (It ended with the famous--or, depending on who you rooted for, infamous--"Shot Heard Round the World.")
Last year the Rockies and Padres played a 163rd game since they were in a tie for the NL wild card. The Rockies won in the 13th inning and to date that has been the longest one game tiebreaker in MLB history.
As for today's game, I'd like to see the Twins beat the White Sox and silence Ozzie Guillen for the rest of 2008.
I don't have a problem with them playing 1 game but home field should be decided by head to head record and if tied then either another tie breaker like run differential.
Location: Moose Jaw, in between the Moose's butt and nose.
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Yea, the Twins lost and home field for these tie breaker games is based on a.......coin flip.
This is why I wish Selig and the old farts running his show would just go. If they are so concerned about starting the actual playoffs too late, well, simple solution.....for determining home field advantage:
Tie breaker 1...head to head match up, would have favored, in this years case, the Twins.
Tie breaker 2...better record against the rest of the league.....
Tie breaker 3...better record against the rest of the division.....
Then however gets the home field advantage would have to play the 1st game at the other teams park, then game 2 (and 3 if needed) would be played in a day, night doubleheader.
For the Twins, or any other team, to have an important decision like that, come down to a coin flip, is just wrong.
If a manager is concerned about pitchers, well, that's is what the 40 man roster is for.
The White Sox unfairly got home field advantage and it's a sham that it's the reason why they'er in the playoffs and the Twins are out. Granted, I'm not saying that the Twins would've been in if they played Game #163 in Minnesota. But it's a fact that both of these teams played way better at home than on the road.
I'm still strongly in favor of just having a 162-game season. Yes, I understand there have been some memorable Game #163s. But, by definition, they will be memorable since it's like Game 7 of the playoffs: winner moves on, loser starts vacation.
I'm feeling more strongly about this the more I think about it (just like my pro stance on inter-league play and instant replay - two things that traditionalists/purists are against).
Mike and Mike on ESPN Radio discussed this on Tues. morning. Golic was for it based on how the NFL successfully does it and "Greeny" (Greenberg) was against it for what he admitted were not logical reasons but for reasons Fred314X mentioned.
Let me throw one more question at you, esp. to the folks in favor of a 163rd game. What if a regular season record was broken in the 163rd game, such as most # of wins by a pitcher, most home runs in a season, etc.? Wouldn't it be unfair that the player got the chance to break the record b/c he played a 163rd game? Remember, the 163rd game counts as a regular season game, not a playoff game.
I love the 163rd game, you can't get much more excitement than we saw earlier..
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