Sports Correspondence

I was messaged by a close friend recently about sports, and my answer, while long winded, probably showed how I feel about the topic at hand in the most nuanced way I could:

"Just wanted to get your take on the added wildcard game for the MLB playoffs. Personally, I think it is pretty stupid to do just one game. If you are going to add a team, make it a 3 game series at least..."

My response:

"Part of me agrees, but another part of me thinks play-in games are essentially Game 7s, which are the craziest and most a-typical thing in baseball, but exciting. Scary if you're team's is in it (I remember watching the BoSox crush the Yanks at McCarthy's in 2004 against the pinstriped-turd Kevin Brown) but are otherwise objectively awesome. A 3 game series might be what it evolves into, but maybe not. It helps that something like last year happened, with both the AL and NL playoffs decided in the last 20 minutes of the season, and everybody came to grips with how exciting it could be. Another factor that keeps this going is again how the AL is shaping up. If the A's, with their new Cubano slugger, unearth some crazy pitching talent, they might be involved. Otherwise, if we concede the Central to the Tigers (is anyone else good enough there? Indians, maybe?), that leaves the Rangers, Angels, Yanks, Rays and Red Sox as all pretty damn good teams, and one won't even make the play-in game. The play-in game is, obviously, against the normal procedure for deciding baseball talent, but not totally unheard of. Changing the structure of a sport's post-season just for publicity and creating buzz and excitement is artificial and a bit hollow, and will undoubtedly wreak havoc at some point. Still...I guess I'm becoming less of a purist/cynic. I mean, I recognize the obvious stupidity and hollowness, the overall affront to the game, but I'm leaning to caring less and just trying to enjoy the excitement. Also, if it takes some steam away from the NFL, I'm down."

See, I'm just trying to enjoy the game...stupid blood pressure...