Which is what’s happening in the American League right now. Oakland is in second place in the West, by 4 1/2 games, and yet they have the second best record in the league.
Interestingly, the minor league city with the best attendance is Sacramento, and has been for years. But it’s far too close to Oakland and San Francisco for another team. There has been talk, however, about the A’s moving to Sacramento. That doesn’t help the wild card situation, though.
What about Buffalo?
Psst! Check the standings:
LA Angels 83-55
Baltimore 81-57
Oakland 79-60
The A’s are closer to fourth-place KC than to second place, too.
Until they got Dunn, their post trade offense was in Boston.
I have no issues with this. Placing the emphasis with winning the division is fine by me. It will allow for baseball’s greatest strength - chasing the best record after a season long grind to weed out the small sample size overachievers - while also having a 3 round playoffs, which baseball is loath to give up due to the money it makes.
That’s because it has one of the most beautiful and fan-friendly stadiums in the country.
I think Sacramento-SF-Oakland could support a third team. Very intense baseball country and each team would have part of the others’ to draw on, like the two-team cities.
But then, I lived through two many years of overreaching, greedy, stupid promoter/contractors to think it would ever happen.
Go, Rivercats!
Oops, you’re right. I knew that. :smack:
In the PCL that’s true. But Indianapolis, Columbus, and Lehigh Valley (Allentown PA), all in the International League, have outdrawn the River Cats the last three years at least. Never been to the ballparks in the first two, but Allentown has a lovely one…
Someday I’ll make it to Sacramento. Have heard from several people that the ballpark is truly great.
And, it all plays out in the most difficult way. It’s the Giants are going to the postseason… as that second wild-card team. That’s going to make it very difficult for me to appreciate whatever happens in October. The WC playoff is irrelevant, but every victory after that - division, pennant, Series - will be a muted joy, with an asterisk after it in my book, even as a 3rd-gen fan.
Huh.