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| Monday, October 1 Updated: October 3, 2:34 PM ET Wild card makes baseball better By Jayson Stark ESPN.com |
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Seven years ago, for many of us, the term "wild card" was a dirty word in baseball. Or, to be technical, two dirty words.
We'll admit it here and now. Seven years ago, we hated the wild card. It was going to mean the end of the classic baseball pennant race, we thought. It was going to cheapen our sport, we thought. It was just one more step toward making baseball like all the other sports, instead of maintaining the unique qualities that separated it from those other sports, we thought.
Now, seven years later, it's clear how clueless we really were. And you're all allowed to say in unison here: It wouldn't be the first time.
Somehow, despite the wild card, we've got three great races going in the National League, with all three first-place teams holding leads of two games or less with a week to go in the season. (First time that's ever happened in either league, as a matter of fact.)
And even though the wild-card races themselves aren't particularly close, they've been a source of sensational scoreboard watching for weeks. Which is exactly what its architects had in mind.
What very few people had in mind, though, was how much the wild card has changed the face of baseball in other ways. "It has such a carryover effect on just the way you put teams together," says Oakland general manager Billy Beane. "It causes more teams to make deals at the trade deadline. And even going into the season, say a team is in the same division with the Braves. Without the wild card, there are some years you might just pack it in. But with the wild card, you've got a different mind-set even going into the season." The wild card, however, has affected some teams' fates for more than just a particular season. In the case of the two best teams in baseball this year, in fact, the wild card did much more than change a season. In the case of the Mariners and Athletics, the wild card may have saved their franchises.
Roll the clock back to July of 1995. As the trade deadline approached, the Mariners were 11 games out of first place in the AL West. But they were just one game out in the wild-card race.
So instead of dumping payroll, the Mariners kept plugging. They traded for Andy Benes to stabilize their rotation and Vince Coleman to hit leadoff. They began to get hot, batting .300 as a team in August and September. They surged into the wild-card lead on the last day of August. Next thing they knew, they were ripping off a 16-3 streak in September to catch the first-place Angels.
The once-empty Kingdome was suddenly packed every night. They stole a first-round playoff series from the Yankees. They took the winningest team in either league, Cleveland, to six games before losing in the ALCS.
It was right there, in August and September and October of 1995, that baseball's fuse was finally lit in Seattle. But would any of that have happened without the wild card?
"I know one thing," says Mariners GM Pat Gillick. "We wouldn't have had this new stadium here if it hadn't been for that euphoria. And that stadium is what's driving the success of this club right now."
Meanwhile, we don't have to speculate much to know where the A's would be at the moment if there had been no wild card.
They wouldn't be merely another team, dragging for the finish 15 games out. They wouldn't just be a club driving for 100 wins, knowing all it would earn them in October is a chance to make early tee times.
The fact is, they wouldn't exist -- not in their current form, anyway. Think Johnny Damon would still be there? Think Jason Isringhausen would still be there? Think they would even have thought about trading for Jermaine Dye? The day they traded for Dye in July, they were 18 games out of first place. So with no wild card, they wouldn't have been trading for anybody of note. They would have been simply jettisoning veterans and salaries in whatever way they could.
"This team probably wouldn't have been around," Beane admits. "I'm the kind of person who never likes to throw in the towel. But if we're 20 games out by the end of June, there's no question there would have been a different course of action."
They might even have been forced to trade away the hub around which this entire team turns -- Jason Giambi. And at that point, if they'd dealt away Giambi and Damon and Isringhausen, they wouldn't have been simply giving up on this season. They'd have been, essentially, ripping up the formula that has driven them to three wonderful seasons of low-payroll nirvana -- and just about starting over.
"When you talk about trading Jason, that's blasphemous to me," Beane chuckles. "The only thing more sacred than Jason around here is my child's college fund. But common sense tells you ... (that they'd have had to listen, at least).
"And would that have meant starting over? No question. And that's harder to do these days. You look at our club, we're still very young. But even in a small market, this is the third year in a row we've been able to make a playoff run. So this is a situation where, if we didn't have the wild card, that whole run would have been interrupted in the middle of the season."
Now, instead of interrupting that run, the A's are as likely as anybody to win the World Series. And that's what the wild card was meant to provide -- a second chance for a team this good to get its act together. And now that this club has had that chance, it may also generate enough revenue and good will to re-sign Giambi. Had the A's dealt him to the Yankees or Braves, there would have been next to no shot at that.
So we've seen now what power the wild card can have. What we hope we never see is too much of this good thing.
We know some people in baseball have talked informally of adding a second wild-card team in each league. We would hope they see they've got a perfect formula right now.
"Two wild cards would probably generate more revenue," says Gene Orza, associate general counsel of the Players Association. "But I'm not convinced it would generate that much more excitement."
There used to be an expression in our household growing up. It went: "Quit while you're ahead." Whenever that talk of new wild cards comes up, those ought to be the first four words out of Bud Selig's mouth.
September 11: A day to remember
"No games should ever be played on Sept. 11 again," Shopoff said, "for the same reason that No. 42 was retired. Years from now, children will ask their parents why, and the memory of these things will be passed down from generation to generation. Some things should never be forgotten -- whether the bravery of one man to play a game through others' hatred, or the bravery of thousands who attempted to save lives."
Another reader, Kevin Siracusa, takes this idea one step farther, proposing that MLB could use this day without games to sponsor "a nationally televised MLB rememberance ceremony at a different park each season. This ceremony could include the families of the victims and be hosted by MLB and attended by MLB players, who would offer their tribute to the heroes of that day." Very nice.
But we acknowledge that New York suffered the greatest loss that day and that, because of the World Trade Center, it is the symbol of the events of Sept. 11. So a New York-New York day of baseball creates the potential for a very moving memorial. "MLB should make September 11 like Thanksgiving is for the NFL," says Brian Byrnes, of Springfield, Pa. "There should be only two games played that day, at Shea and Yankee stadiums. Or, if they could work it out with the schedule, they could have the Mets play the Yankees on that day each year." Another reader, David J. Lane, echoed that idea, and also proposed that "all firefighters, police, and friends and families of those who died in the attacks (be admitted for) free."
Loyal reader David Hallstrom proposes that families of victims receive lifetime passes, which baseball provided to the Iran hostages 20 years ago. And many readers had ideas for raising money to help those families.
Hallstrom suggests selling NYPD and FDNY caps, like the ones the Mets have worn, at games and on the MLB Web site. He also proposes using the Web site's auction page to auction off items such as the actual hats the Mets have worn in games, with all proceeds going to victims' families.
Another reader, Chris Strohsahl, would like to see all players donate their Sept. 11 salaries to charities such as Rusty Staub's Police and Fire Widows Fund.
And SABR's David Vincent proposes that items from this year's World Series -- "bats, balls, bases, caps, helmets, bunting, pitching rubbers, home plates, etc." -- be auctioned off to benefit those families.
Chris Smith, of New Orleans, wants to see a police, fire or military service person throw out the ceremonial first pitch every Sept. 11, "and a public-address anouncement should be made with identical language in every park explaining what the pitch commemorates."
Smith also suggests that each team should set up a clearinghouse to distribute tickets that would go unused "to families of firemen, police or military people killed on duty on any day -- not just Sept. 11, 2001, and not only in New York or D.C." Season-ticket holders then would be given information on how they could donate tickets to that clearinghouse. Tremendous idea.
"Retire the number 9-11 in every ballpark around the country with a ceremony next year on (Sept. 11)," says Joe Valenzalo. "The 'ball' symbol would then be on the wall at every ballpark in the country, a constant reminder to all of us of what happened that day, and how baseball and American society are linked through all times, good and bad."
Lance Mecham, of Arizona, suggests that next to the Jackie Robinson plaque, each wall should display a "picture of a waving flag and perhaps a big black circle on the Stripes with an '11' in white inside the black circle. . . . This would serve as a reminder and a tribute at the same time to all of those whose lives were taken, and to us of the need for unity and rallying around the flag. Make it a permanent addition to each ballpark, and you have a permanent tribute and reminder to all who enter those stadiums."
"Every other sport that I can think of, from youth levels to the major leagues, finishes each game by acknowledging the hard work of their competitors," McCollam says. "I wish baseball would do this after every game, but each September 11 would be a good start to remember that winning a baseball game is hardly what life is all about."
Miscellaneous rumblings Braves GM John Schuerholz concedes there are no guarantees Smoltz will choose to return to Atlanta, no matter how many good things have happened to him there. "I don't assume anything," Schuerholz says. "He's had a lot of success here. He's contributed a lot. But I don't assume anything." Maybe for good reason. Smoltz has sounded pessimistic at times himself. He has made it clear that "I want to stay here." But he also has been sending signals that he won't take a low-budget, one-year contract for the sake of staying, and he suggests that given the new AOL-Time Warner budget restrictions on the Braves, he's concerned that "it's not going to work out." Still, it's hard to imagine the Braves without him. But given his brilliance in relief (10 for 11 in saves, 1.45 ERA, 18 hits and 34 strikeouts in 31 innings), they may want him to remain in the bullpen. And Smoltz hasn't made a decision yet on what he wants to do down the road. "It's easy to talk about now," he said. "I've done well, and I enjoy the role. But I also know in my mind I can still start, that I can still do that role, too. So there's a lot yet to be determined in the offseason." "We'll see how he feels," Schuerholz says, "and what he wants to do. He's a free agent. So I'm sure a lot of conversations will be had about that this winter."
There appears to be considerable sentiment on both sides for putting off these talks for a year at a time when public tolerance for a sports labor battle is at an all-time low. But there has been no indication from Bud Selig that his braintrust believes that's the way to go.
"If he's gone, it would leave a huge gap," says one NL scout. "It would affect everything about that team -- and maybe especially their pitching. No matter who they bring in to play third, you're not going to see him play it as well as Rolen. I've never seen a better third baseman. And I saw Brooks Robinson. "This guy does everything. He can charge the ball. He makes the plays over the bag. He makes the plays in the hole. He's got a great arm. He plays third base with a shortstop's range. Never seen anyone like him."
"They'd have to play Mark McLemore at short, most likely, and he's played well there," says one AL scout. "But he's not Guillen. And the other thing is, if McLemore plays every day at short, it takes away from the versatility of their club. If he can't play left field in certain situations, it hurts them at short and in left."
Williams had a 4.97 ERA -- and eight wins in 23 starts -- when he was traded by the Padres. He's 7-1, 2.51, in 10 starts with the Cardinals.
"We talked about him a lot," says one NL executive. "But he'd battled a lot of injuries. He showed a little sign of coming out of it before the deadline. But his fastball was 84 to 87 most of the year. Now he's at 88-90-91, with four pitches he's throwing for strikes."
Best team records behind other starters traded around the deadline (through Sunday):
Worst records:
Triviality
Useless information dept.
Babe Ruth, 1921
Mark McGwire, 1998
Barry Bonds, 2001
The complete list of outfields with fewer trots than Bonds: AL -- Anaheim, Baltimore, Detroit, Kansas City, Minnesota, New York, Oakland, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Texas. NL -- Colorado, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego.
Well, it makes them the first members of this particular 20-20 Club since 1923, when Walter Johnson (20 HBPs) and Howard Ehmke (23) became the last pitching duo to hit 20 in the same season. It has happened in no other season since 1909. In the 78 years since 1923, a total of two pitchers drilled 20 in a season -- Tom Murphy (21) for the '69 Angels, and Don Drysdale (20) for the '61 Dodgers. So to have two men do it in the same year is impressive stuff.
The other was the legendary 1886 Louisville Colonels of the American Association (considered a major league then). They were as many as 20 games over (60-40) on August 22, 1886. They went 6-30 the rest of the way to finish at 66-70.
Two teams in that span lost 97 and finished first: Only one team before 1900 lost more than 97 and finished first the next season -- the 1889 Louisville Colonels, who -- in a clear attempt to get another mention in a notes column in the 21st century -- miraculously went from 27-111 to 88-44.
Last time a team held a lead of eight or more that early in a game and watched it disappear by the third inning, according to Elias' Ken Hirdt: June 2, 1987, when the Red Sox took a 9-0 lead over the Yankees behind Roger Clemens in New York -- and then gave up 11 runs in the third inning.
Monday
Tuesday
Just for comparison's sake, the Mariners -- whose plus-271 through Sunday was second only to the '98 Yanks since 1948 -- are only plus 224 since May 1.
There is doubles. (Cobb's 793 are 190 more than the active leader, Cal Ripken, and over 300 more than anyone besides Ripken, Tony Gwynn, Henderson or Harold Baines.) And there is triples. (Sam Crawford's 312 are 199 more than the active leader, Tim Raines, and 218 more than the active runner-up, Steve Finley.)
Homers by all the AL Central shortstops -- 44.
Clemens is 20-2 (.909) -- the best winning percentage at any age. Moyer is 19-6 (.760) -- a winning percentage bettered by one 38-year-old since 1940 (Bert Blyleven, 17-5, .773, in 1989).
Rube Waddell 1907-08 -- Athletics 232, Browns 232 * Brown did it with three teams over a 3-year span; Johnson also had 116 SO with the Astros in 1998.
The complete rundown:
Mike Moore, 1987 -- made two starts, went 2-0 (The other five 19-game losers since Kingman all were dropped from their rotations before they could reach Kingman Kountry.) Kingman personally attended the three starts by Daal and Lopez, brought a "reverse-jinx" voodoo doll, and is convinced it works. "When I get it mastered," he said of the old voodoo-doll trick, "watch out. There will be no telling what insignificant things I will be able to influence."
The Sultan's Corner
First, Barry Bonds did it, Sept. 9 in Colorado, bopping Nos. 61, 62 and 63. Then, two weeks later, Sammy Sosa did it in Houston, thumping Nos. 56, 57 and 58.
Here, courtesy of the Sultan of Swat Stats, SABR'S David Vincent, are all the other men who hit three homers in a game on the way to a 50-homer season (not counting Bonds or Sosa this year):
Albert Belle, Sept. 19, 1995 -- HR# 42, 43, 44 * previous high total
The complete list of 400-home run teammates, with their career totals entering that season.
1964 Giants: Willie Mays (406), Duke Snider (403)
These are the teammates who have homered the most times in the same game this year -- and none of them even have three-homer games in the same season:
Rafael Palmeiro/A-Rod -- 13 times homering in the same game, no three-homer games for either.
Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, 1961 (115) -- neither hit three. By the way, Bonds and Aurilia (105 HRs) are now third on this list and Rodriguez and Palmeiro (97) are about to crack the top five.
1970 Braves
1986 Braves
1986 Orioles
1950 Dodgers
1950 Cubs
1998 Cubs
1955 Reds
1987 Indians
1979 Brewers
1927 Yankees
1930 Yankees
1950 Yankees
1995 Yankees
1932 A's
1996 A's
1936 Phillies
Homer to Tie Game or Put Team Ahead Barry Bonds Year Ahead Total Pct 1986 8 16 50.0 1987 14 25 56.0 1988 12 24 50.0 1989 6 19 31.6 1990 11 33 33.3 1991 13 25 52.0 1992 12 34 35.3 1993 20 46 43.5 1994 17 37 45.9 1995 17 33 51.5 1996 19 42 45.2 1997 20 40 50.0 1998 17 37 45.9 1999 13 34 38.2 2000 27 49 55.1 2001 31 69 44.9 Total 257 563 45.6 Mark McGwire Year Ahead Total Pct 1986 0 3 0.0 1987 19 49 38.8 1988 17 32 53.1 1989 15 33 45.5 1990 15 39 38.5 1991 8 22 36.4 1992 20 42 47.6 1993 3 9 33.3 1994 1 9 11.1 1995 21 39 53.8 1996 24 52 46.2 1997 23 58 39.7 1998 35 70 50.0 1999 33 65 50.8 2000 20 32 62.5 2001 11 28 39.3 Total 265 582 45.5 All batters since 1990 Year Ahead Total Pct 1990 1,405 3,317 42.4 1991 1,407 3,383 41.6 1992 1,335 3,038 43.9 1993 1,702 4,030 42.2 1994 1,318 3,306 39.9 1995 1,644 4,081 40.3 1996 1,939 4,962 39.1 1997 1,879 4,640 40.5 1998 2,064 5,064 40.8 1999 2,132 5,528 38.6 2000 2,245 5,693 39.4 2001 1,167 2,839 41.1 Tot 36,928 89,212 41.4 (2001 through Friday)
Trivia answer
Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN.com. |
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