I’d “quote of the day” this, but it came from a different day. Last week, in fact, after Bud Selig announced that expanded playoffs are an inevitability. Here’s Tim Lincecum:
“It doesn’t seem very fair, and personally, I don’t know where his head is at. Players like it the way it is. It’s dog-eat-dog. People know they need to win 11 games to win the World Series.”
Just worth throwing out there because, as he often does, when Selig officially announces that the playoffs will be expanded, he will claim the existence of a total consensus on the idea. That claim will be false, and the dissenters won’t be limited to cranky bloggers. Players understand the inherent unfairness of a one-game playoff if that’s the form it takes. They also dislike multiple days off, as division winners will face in the event the expanded format is a multi-game series between the wild cards.
By the way: I came across that quote in a good piece by Jim Litke of the Associated Press contrasting Selig’s handling of the expanded playoffs with his decision to leave Barry Bonds’ records in tact. I think Litke’s explanation of the inherent pragmatism in Selig’s approach to Bonds is the best I’ve seen and I recommend it.
