MLB to alter interleague format?

[FirstTimer]

HOUSTON -- Major League Baseball is working on a scheduling reconfiguration for the 2013 season and beyond that likely will eliminate the Mets and Yankees as well as other "natural rivals" playing home-and-home, six-game series annually, baseball sources told ESPNNewYork.com.

With the Houston Astros moving to the American League West next season and the leagues becoming balanced at 15 teams apiece, natural rivals throughout baseball no longer will be guaranteed six games a season and home-and-home series, the sources said.



That goes for obvious intracity rivals such as Mets-Yankees and Cubs-White Sox, as well as for more-forced natural rivals such as the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners.

The Mets and Yankees will continue to play six games a season -- three apiece at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium -- when the AL East and NL East line up for long-form interleague play every three years.

But in the other seasons, a major league source added, the competition likely will be limited to three games at one ballpark, or two games apiece at each ballpark.

Sources cautioned that the 2013 Major League Baseball schedule, and the precise new configurations, are still being discussed.



The Mets and Yankees annually have played three games apiece in the Bronx and Queens since 1999.

The rivalry typically has been a boon to attendance while also increasing the toughness of the New York teams' schedules relative to their division rivals.

While it increased the difficulty of the Mets' schedule, the Yankees annually playing three games a season at Citi Field has provided a boost to attendance and revenue.

The nine largest crowds at Citi Field during the first three seasons of the stadium's existence were the Yankees' nine visits to Queens -- an average of 41,513 tickets sold per game.

Since interleague play began in 1997, the Mets are 35-49 against the Yankees.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

I disagree with breaking apart those rivalries. Let the other teams not play them, if that is the case. But the Mets/Yankees, Cubs/White Sox and Orioles/Nats are huge for those areas and bring in lots of revenue for each team. Oh, and they are damn good for baseball as well. There is no way that those teams shouldn't have a home/home series each year.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Moving Houston to the AL was a mistake to begin with. The schedule is going to be a disaster next season (interleague every day? Yuk!).

I've always felt interlegaue should be limited to rivals. If you dont have a rival, no interleague for you. Nobody gives a fuck about Pirates vs Mariners. But that ship has sailed.

If the whole point of interleague is for the attendance boost, im not sure how cutting back on rivalry games accomplishes that. I guess they want to move to a more uniform, regimented schedule like the NFL has. If so, they can make exceptions. For example, the Yankees can still play the Mets 6 times, by just eliminating 3 games versus the Marlins or Nats. I mean, again, exactly nobody cares about Yankees vs Marlons anyway.

 

[Slateman]

I disagree with breaking apart those rivalries. Let the other teams not play them, if that is the case. But the Mets/Yankees, Cubs/White Sox and Orioles/Nats are huge for those areas and bring in lots of revenue for each team. Oh, and they are damn good for baseball as well. There is no way that those teams shouldn't have a home/home series each year.

I agree with this. Really look forward to Nats/O's games and the Sox/Cubs series

Between this and the new CBA, baseball has made some pretty poor judgement calls that are going to affect its future.

 

[Rudi]

Agree with what everyone has said. The inter-league rivalries always bring in more fans for the teams. Reds/Indians games always draw good crowds for both teams.

 

[Senser81]

This is yet another stupid Bud Selig "compromise", where the end result is not only retarded, it also doesn't even accomplish the initial goal. If you are doing it to make money (as most of Bud Selig's initiatives are), then limit interleague to actual rivals. Otherwise, do away with interleague play completely (my choice). The way Bud Selig's compromise works, teams are probably LOSING money. Instead of an extra set of Giants-Dodgers games, the Giants have to play a series against the Blue Jays.

 

[Villain]

I think interleague games are fun in their current, limited capacity. It's a nice diversion in June to see NL teams use a DH or watch an AL pitcher look like a total imbecile in the batters' box. All year long? That doesn't sound so fun.

 

[Goober]

Contract the Rays and the A's.

Every team plays every other team six times. 162 game schedule.

Do it, do it now.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Contract the Rays and the A's.

Every team plays every other team six times. 162 game schedule.

Do it, do it now.

This is awful.

 

[Goober]

This is awful.

No it's perfect.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

No it's perfect.

Everything about it is wrong.

Teams would play division opponents the least. They would also play more games against the opposite league than their own league. Awful, awful, awful.

I'm a Reds fan, I like NL baseball, I don't want to play the Blue Jays or Tigers or Rangers ever, let alone six times every year. I want to play the Cardinals and Cubs and Braves and Dodgers. A lot. The Yankees should play the Red Sox and Rays and Orioles a million times. Dodgers and Giants, same thing. This is baseball, tradition matters and is part of the charm and fabric of the game. You think Dodger fans want to play the Mariners instead of the Giants?

 

[DeviousMrMatt]

Everything about it is wrong.
I'm a Reds fan, I like NL baseball, I don't want to play the Blue Jays or Tigers or Rangers ever, let alone six times every year. I want to play the Cardinals and Cubs and Braves and Dodgers. A lot.

THIS!

 

[FUSE]

They are not going to contract the A's or the Rays. Besides, you don't contract a team that is 3rd all time in World Series titles.

As for Selig's idea, its completely retarded. The A's/Giants games are huge draws every season

 

[Villain]

You think Dodger fans want to play the Mariners instead of the Giants?

No, I want the Giants to die in a fire fueled by the burning hate I have towards their franchise. A fire that might not burn so hot if we only played them 6 six times. I want to talk shit to my girlfriend (a casual Giants fan who only watches baseball when she's stuck with me) every time the Kung Food Panda gets whiffed by the sunk-eye'd oaf we call Harangutang.

 

[Goober]

They are not going to contract the A's or the Rays. Besides, you don't contract a team that is 3rd all time in World Series titles.

As for Selig's idea, its completely retarded. The A's/Giants games are huge draws every season

I don't care about shit that happened in the seventies, and apparently the city of Oakland doesn't either.

 

[FUSE]

I don't care about shit that happened in the seventies, and apparently the city of Oakland doesn't either.

That still isnt a reason to contract a team. Besides, if Bud would get off his fucking ass and make a decision on the San Jose stadium issue, the A's, Oakland, & San Jose can move on.

 

[Goober]

That still isnt a reason to contract a team. Besides, if Bud would get off his fucking ass and make a decision on the San Jose stadium issue, the A's, Oakland, & San Jose can move on.

How much of the revenue sharing money is used to prop up the Athletics and Rays? Serious question. How much money is wasted in order to prop up these two teams who can't turn a profit on their own, who spend pennies compared to other owners, who rank dead last in franchise value, who play in terrible stadiums?

Seriously, wouldn't MLB be better off giving that money to teams that fans care about? Obviously zero fucks are given in Tampa or Oakland.

 

[MVPete]

How much of the revenue sharing money is used to prop up the Athletics and Rays? Serious question. How much money is wasted in order to prop up these two teams who can't turn a profit on their own, who spend pennies compared to other owners, who rank dead last in franchise value, who play in terrible stadiums?

Seriously, wouldn't MLB be better off giving that money to teams that fans care about? Obviously zero fucks are given in Tampa or Oakland.

Why are you so dead set on contracting when that isn't the issue brought up here. The only thing that changed was Houston to the AL West. You seriously are talking about franchise value for a team that is 15 years old? Then on top of that you're bringing up the stadium that they play in, the one that they built to draw a team in and ended up helping those teams get stadium deals done? Were you saying the same thing when the Brewers were shitty from 93-03?

You're an annoying cunt that is a future accountant so of course you are looking at attendance and franchise values so I should of expected this shit from you, it's not the first time either you've brought this same stale argument up. Rays are have been in serious talks about a new stadium for the last year and we should have a deal in place in the next few years. Their lease with Tropicana is through 2020 or something like that so there is a lot of caveats that they have to take care of before they put the final stamp on it.

The A's aren't going anywhere other than San Jose, they will be fine. If you want to do anything with the A's figure out wtf Beane is doing.

 

[Goober]

Why are you so dead set on contracting when that isn't the issue brought up here. The only thing that changed was Houston to the AL West. You seriously are talking about franchise value for a team that is 15 years old? Then on top of that you're bringing up the stadium that they play in, the one that they built to draw a team in and ended up helping those teams get stadium deals done? Were you saying the same thing when the Brewers were shitty from 93-03?

You're an annoying cunt that is a future accountant so of course you are looking at attendance and franchise values so I should of expected this shit from you, it's not the first time either you've brought this same stale argument up. Rays are have been in serious talks about a new stadium for the last year and we should have a deal in place in the next few years. Their lease with Tropicana is through 2020 or something like that so there is a lot of caveats that they have to take care of before they put the final stamp on it.

The A's aren't going anywhere other than San Jose, they will be fine. If you want to do anything with the A's figure out wtf Beane is doing.

Contracting two teams keeps the leagues at even numbers, so that interleague play is not required all season. Beyond fixing that problem, it would improve the quality of play across MLB, and eliminate the embarrassment of these attendance figures and stadium situations.

For what it's worth, I think the Rays need to get out of Tampa, a new stadium won't fix your problems, not in Florida (see Marlins, Miami). Move to a town where fans give a shit, and want a team to cheer for.