I think that all professional leagues should follow the EPL model of demoting and promoting clubs based on performance. In the EPL, the three worst teams in the league are relegated to the "minors" and the three best teams in the "minors" make the EPL. Imagine if the same were true for the MLB, NBA, and NHL. (Does the NFL have minor leagues? Does Canada count?) Imagine the possibility of the Lansing Lugnuts being a major league team, or the New York Yankees NOT being a major league team. I know there is no way it will ever happen, the current major leaguers have nothing to gain and everything to lose, but it would be awesome.
I don't care about the Crosby/Ovechkin matchup as much as I thought I would. I tuned in for game 1, but kept channel surfing during the commercials, and eventually missed the entire 2nd period and most of the 3rd. They are two of the best players in the game and they EACH scored a hatrick in game 2. I should be excited for game 3, but I'm oddly ambivalent. (and for the record, The Oddly Ambivalent WBAGFARB)
I think I like the Houston Rockets and Yao Ming. Weird.
I think I don't hate Fernando Rodney. Even weirder.
Chivas USA is currently leading the MLS standings. That's just crazy. I'm still not used to Chivas being good. And speaking of the MLS, the Seattle Sounders are in 2nd place. Toronto FC is tied for 3rd. I would say that the MLS is expanding too fast, except that the expansion teams are better than the veterans! But the team-formerly-known-as-the-NY MetroStars is in last place, so I can't complain too much...
The Wings/Ducks game starts at 10:30pm tonight. On Versus. Fuck that.
10 comments:
The Wings game is wayyy past my bedtime, so even though I have Versus, I'm going to miss it...booo...I am watching a little of the Vancouver/Chicago game though. Love the Vancouver jerseys.
D.C. is pumped for this series! Since I've been down here, I'm surprised how much love hockey gets, and not just playoff love. Ovechkin has this whole area in love with the Capitals.
That said, I, like you, don't care too much about the series. I care what's going on in the Western Conference with the Wings.
In theory the EPL model sounds good, but I would never want it. I don't like change, so having teams constantly in and out of the league would be bothersome to me. Losing a villain like the Yankees would be fun at first, but I'd miss rooting against them. And what if you had a player, like Miguel Cabrera, get demoted with his team when they did poorly? You'd have a major talent wasting away in the minors...I don't know, I see the pros, but I just don't like the cons.
My favorite teams left in the NBA playoffs:
1. Nuggets
2. Hawks
3. Magic
4. Rockets
5. Cavaliers
6. Lakers
7. Mavericks
8. Celtics
Me gusta Rodney...Tigers/Cardinals in the World Series...
If a team is in the bottom three, they obviously don't have a lot of great talent, or it isn't performing up to standards. Relegation would provide an opportunity to let that talent develop, or motivation to perform better.
And you could still root against the Yankees in relegation. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't stay in the minors for long (if they ever got there), so you could be rooting for them not to make the top three in AAA, or it would make a good story line when they come back to the MLB. "The Return of the Evil Empire" sort of thing.
An EPL model would give you more teams to love and hate, plus it would make the season more dramatic because there are consequences for being the crappiest team (relegation), instead of a rewards (#1 draft pick)
My NBA playoff team fan list:
Rockets
Magic
Nuggets
Mavericks
Hawks
Celtics
Cavaliers
Lakers
Perhaps overall they don't have great talent, but they could have a star player on their team that is performing at an all-star caliber, and he would be considered minor league? Could you imagine Babe Ruth in the minors, and having a year or more of his home runs not count? Or Ripken's streak being broken because the rest of his team blew?
It's fun rooting against the Yankees and that would be a great storyline with the "Return". But most baseball fans would rather watch Tigers-Yankees than Tigers-Iowa Hicksticks. I don't care the Hicksticks "earned" the right...they aren't the Yankees.
Also, you'd have to make each minor league club independent from its parent club. The major league clubs depend on their minor league club for players. Without that feeder system, you have a lot of baseball teams out on their own trying to make it. I mean, how is a team in Bumfuck, Utah supposed to attract top talent? They relied on their parent club's draft for that. And how is Bumfuck, Utah, on the off chance they become big-league, supposed to support the arrival of major league teams?
I like it theory, and it's fun to think about...I just don't see it working...in baseball at least.
Haha, I want to watch the Iowa Hicksticks, just for the name alone...that's hilarious. (and not too far removed from "cornhuskers." I'm just saying...)
I have no problem with a lone superstar on a crappy team moving to the minors with his team. That doesn't diminish his individual talent at all, all it does is affirm that his team is minor league caliber as a whole. As for the stats, the record books would definitely have to note that MLB players can now be relegated, but that would make the new stats that much more impressive. Whoever hits the most career home runs in after relegation is more impressive because it means those home runs were more meaningful.
The feeder system and draft would definitely have to be drastically altered. It would take a lot of planning and time, but it is theoretically possible.
How does bumfuck Utah attract talent? The same way any professional team in a cold weather/boring place does, with a lot of fucking money.
How do they support the arrival of major league teams? I don't know, the same way they support the arrival of the minor league teams they are currently playing? Maybe I'm misunderstanding this question.
Of course none of this would ever happen. Even disregarding that the current major league teams have nothing to gain from this system, and the nightmarish logistics, baseball is too traditional to ever change things so drastically.
...but it would be awesome...
My coworker proposed that to me a few months ago as a way to be fair to the smaller conferences. His example would make "sister conferences" - the champion of the MAC would swap spots with the worst team in the Big 10 the next season.
The Pitt/Washington series is NOT as good as others I've seen, and I have watched part of almost every series. However, I would much rather watch that than ANY NBA playoff game. So my favorite teams list includes the 2004 Pistons and that's it.
Fernando Rodney isn't my Tiger, but I'm ok with him.
With the Utah Bumfucks, if they are playing in minor league facilities, how do they all of a sudden support a major league franchise? They play in rinky-dink stadiums in front of a miniscule amount of fans (okay, so do the Pirates, but the market is there...I think) that makes it tough to generate enough significant revenue to attract top-dollar free agents. Yes, throw boat loads of money out there...but where's it coming from? Advertising, radio, and television? Do people in Bumfuck have televisions???
And I don't want stats to be "after relegation"!!! I don't want to think back, "Man, Miguel Cabrerra could have been the all-time homerun king...if he hadn't been in the minors for three years". I don't like what-ifs in baseball.
And I especially don't like CHANGE!
Haha, I'm so old school when it comes to baseball...
I'm not sure I could handle it if Michigan State was booted out of the Big 10. I would much rather see the Tigers in the minors than MSU in the MAC.
Would that apply only to football, or would each sport be in or out of the conference individually? Because that could get confusing.
Ok then, forget the Bumfuks. How about this? All of the minor league teams in relatively larger markets that could potentially support a major league team get together to form the new AAA league, and the top 3 from THAT league are added to the MLB.
Sounds like change...grrrr...
It still would never work! The AAA teams would have to operate independently from the parent clubs, thus in essence forming their own league. In order to attract top-talent, they'd have to break out the wallets and spend big to get quality players...something that would be difficult to do. If I were to guess, I'd say most major league AAA teams would beat these independent teams, just based on the fact that MLB has the draft and scoops up the best players.
I have an idea! Let's just leave well enough alone!!! Or pick on another sport =).
haha, ok, how about the NBA, NFL, and NHL then?
I could see it working in the NHL or NFL possibly...
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