East is Best and West is Least

Matthew Grieco · **Posted:** Sat Jul 30, 2005 2:03 pm

How bizarre is this? Every NL East team has a winning record and every NL West team has a losing record. The Mets are 52-51 and are in last place. The Padres are 51-52 and are in first place.

This is why I think three divisions are too many. I think baseball had the right format in the quarter century or so when there were two divisions. The LCSes are exciting, but the LDSes are too short and arbitrary. Also, with three divisions, you're going to get pretty mediocre teams going to the playoffs on a fairly regular basis. All five teams in the NL East could hold their own in October, and I doubt any team in the West could.

wordygurdy · **Posted:** Sat Jul 30, 2005 3:54 pm

It's Bud Selig's longtime dream of parity coming true.

I seem to recall the Rangers being in first place a decade or so ago (under Johnny Oates, if memory serves) while they were under .500, but I can't remember it happening since.

The three-division format, unfortunately, is going nowhere. But you're right about the LDSes being arbitrary.

Just wait until Selig eventually adds another wild card to both leagues (I wouldn't be surprised if this were a matter under negotiation during talks for the next Basic Agreement after next season). I have seen Bob Costas' arguments in favor of another wild card in each league, and I can't refute them.

But this traditionalist would much prefer to have kept the two-division format and not have any wild cards. A beautiful example of the integrity of the regular season was appropriately the last season without the wild card, 1993. The Giants won 103 games--and went home because the Braves won 104.

Oeditpus Rex · **Posted:** Sat Jul 30, 2005 4:40 pm

Matthew Grieco wrote:

Also, with three divisions, you're going to get pretty mediocre teams going to the playoffs on a fairly regular basis. All five teams in the NL East could hold their own in October, and I doubt any team in the West could.

Probably, Matthew, but I don't think it's as extreme as you imply (or I infer). Two NL West clubs â€” LA and San Diego â€” have been absolutely shredded by injuries this year. (My line about the Dodgers in June and most of July was, "They don't need a clubhouse, they need a triage ward.") I figure all the guys they've had on the DL accounts for a swing of 10 games or more, and you've got to figure about the same for the Bonds-less Giants. It's bizarre, yeah, but it's also an anomaly.

Matthew Grieco · **Posted:** Mon Aug 01, 2005 12:02 am

I thought AP's story about Sunday's Padres game found the right words to describe the tone of the NL West.

The AP wrote:

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres' slump has gotten so bad that a disenchanted fan stood up during the sixth inning Sunday and started yelling, "Let's go Chargers, let's go," a chant that rang out through the quiet ballpark.

The Padres aren't quite ready to make way for the city's NFL franchise, but they haven't exactly been playing like a first-place team for most of the summer.

And on Sunday, they technically weren't a first-place team anymore.

Adam Dunn hit a grand slam in the fifth inning, Cincinnati's third homer of the game, and the Reds beat San Diego 7-1 to drop the Padres percentage points behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sad-sack NL West.

Wabberjocky · **Posted:** Mon Aug 01, 2005 12:10 am

Quote:

But you're right about the LDSes being arbitrary.

That's no way to talk about the Mormons.

The irony of the story Matthew pasted is that the Reds are probably as messed-up an organization as there is in baseball.

From Jayson Stark's ESPN column (not worth quoting except for the quotes):

The Reds, on the other hand, sent mixed signals in all directions -- and aggravated more teams than anyone else in baseball.

"I don't understand what they were doing," said an executive of one contender. "I thought we made real solid offers for a couple of their guys, and we'd never get a response. They'd never give you names of guys they want. They wouldn't tell you what they were trying to do. You were never sure who they wanted. You could never tell whether guys you were talking about were available. And they might not even call back."

Edit2Eat · **Posted:** Thu Aug 04, 2005 1:19 am

According to AP, with the Rockies' win Wednesday in San Francisco, Colorado has the best record (24-32) in the NL West since June 1.

Plans were uncertain about the location for the ticker-tape parade.

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