I have zero team allegiance. I hate modern baseball. I am obsessed with Deadball era stats and players. Anyone else the same?

Last year I recall a lot of discussion over whether it was better to have a bye or not - seemingly it offered a risk all it's own in the bye-team perceived as having a slow to start vs a wild card winner already in rhythm. At the time, the results seemed to somewhat bear that out as bye teams had gone collectively 6 - 6:

- 2022: 2-2

- 2023: 1-3

- 2024: 3-1

The counterargument is that baseball is highly variable, playing a 3-game elimination series is to be avoided at all costs for any team with World Series aspirations. The more recent results seem to validate that - after a slow start, the bye teams are now a collective 13 - 7:

- 2025: 3-1

- 2026: 4-0

In the last 3 years, the bye teams are collectively 10-2, with just the Phillies (twice) failing to advance. It could be a question of the higher-seeded team (better regular season) simply performing to their expectations, though I'd note that In that same span, the higher seeded wild card team is 10-10. Both can be true here - the higher seeded team performs better, and the wild card round is highly variable.

I think its probably still too early to say, but the general takeaway I have at this point is that the wild card round should be avoided at all costs

Since baseball’s integration, only 67 pitchers have played 19 big-league seasons. You’ve heard of most of them: Roger Clemens, Don Sutton, Tom Seaver, and the list goes on and on. Prominent Hall of Famers abound.

You might not, however, know Jamey Wright, the journeyman whose 9.2 career WAR is the sixth lowest among pitchers with at least 2,000 career innings. If you know him, it’s not because he was an All-Star, or a Cy Young winner or a legend of any kind.

If you’ve heard of him, it’s probably because he played on your team. After all, he played on 10 big-league teams. Improbably, Wright is the only player to wear the uniform of all four teams in this year’s LCS round. He’s played for Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Tampa Bay and Cleveland. He’s a one-man playoff bracket.

“I hadn’t even thought about it, that I am the only player in history to play for these four,” Wright, 51, said. “Like that’s pretty cool. It’s hilarious. I was only on the Indians for a hot second.”

Wright’s career is remarkable for its elongated run of being unremarkable. His time on each of the four teams relevant to these championship series was nothing special. He made 77 starts over two-plus years for the Brewers from 2000 to 2002. He made 18 largely poor relief appearances for the then-Indians. His brief time with the Rays is sandwiched between equally brief stints with the Dodgers.

Jamey Wright played his final MLB season with the Dodgers in 2014.Christian Petersen / Getty Images

The irony is that Wright waited 18 years to play on a team that reached the playoffs. Wright made his lone playoff relief appearances with the Rays in 2013, coughing up four runs in one game, and escaping a bases-loaded, no-out jam in epic fashion to end the other.

In Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox, Wright relieved an erratic Jeremy Hellickson in the second inning.

Read the rest for free here: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7694655/2026/10/17/jamey-wright-mlb-alcs-nlcs/?unlocked_article_code=1.JVE.AIUX.jt_AWaftPV_c&source=emp_shared_article&smid=url-share-ta

https://hochi.news/articles/20261017-OHT1T51294.html?page=1

I made this as a comment in the Guardians subreddit and felt quite proud of the logic, but ended up receiving a few downvotes. Wondering what the outside community thinks, and where are the holes in my idea or areas to be improved on?

Or is it just blatantly bad, and if so, why?

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Original comment follows:

Honestly I feel like anyone who had tickets to either day should be awarded with a voucher allowing them to select their preferred game out of 4 and 5.

Or a full refund if they cannot make it at all.

First come first serve to get the same seats you already had. If they are available, those are the only seats you’re allowed to. If the seats on that day are already taken by the ones who had those seats for the other game, then you’re allocated other available seats in the same section or better.

Run a computer algorithm to filter this down in the most “fair way” possible for everyone. There should be a surplus of available seats as some people will select the refund option. And they don’t allow any new tickets to be sold until all voucher holders have made their selection.

Obviously, at the end of everything, a few people might end up without the option of seats in the same section or better. If the only seats available are a downgrade, then they should be offered a refund of the face value price difference, plus like $50 in food vouchers or whatever.

This would be, by far, the best way to handle the situation that would make everyone (as) happy (as possible).

Some people can only go Saturday, some people can only go Sunday. Some people want Game 4, some people want Game 5. Some people cannot go at all and just want their money back.

This idea is the only way you can try to accomodate what everyone wants.

Yes, yes, I know. Late as hell submission. But fuck it.

Another fascinating factoid coming out of this now-ended NL Championship Series is how Anderson, who’s the main PvP person for the Brewers locally, called the Dodgers sweep over his team on the national broadcast in October. This time, it is how Davis, who’s the main PvP person for the Dodgers locally, called the Brewers sweep over his team on the national broadcast in October.

Time is indeed a 6D trapezoidal shape. 🥸

Game 4: Saturday at 8 p.m.

Game 5: Sunday at 5 p.m.

Game 6*: Monday at 8 p.m.

Game 7*: Tuesday at 8 p.m.

*if necessary

Coldest Games: APR 3-4 @ MIN (38° F / 3.33° C)

APR 29 @ CLE: 49° F / 9.44° C (Lost 3-1)

Last Game In The 50s: May 24 @ NYY (Lost 2-0)

Record In Games Below 60° F / 15.5° C: 2-6

I found some cool coincidences between baseball’s most prominent managers. I’m interested to hear if someone thinks differently, but it seems clear to me that MLB’s most prominent/famous/recognizable managers are Dave Roberts of the Dodgers, Aaron Boone of the Yankees, and Craig Counsell of the Cubs.

All three of these guys had decent, if unremarkable, big league careers as journeyman utility/bench bat type players. They all played for five or more teams over 10+ year careers. More importantly, all three had iconic playoff moments.

Craig Counsell’s moment wasn’t exactly iconic, but he was involved in one of the biggest plays in the 21st century: after the Diamondbacks tied the game in the bottom of ninth of 2001 World Series Game 7, Counsell was hit by pitch, followed by Luis Gonzalez driving in a World Series-winning run. This remains the Dbacks’ only ring.

Aaron Boone’s famous walk-off home run in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS sent the Yankees to the World Series and the Red Sox home once again, until…

Dave Roberts is often credited with reviving the struggling Red Sox, kickstarting their 3-games-to-none comeback against the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS, finally giving the Red Sox their first ring in almost a century.

Three prominent managers, three similar careers, three iconic playoff moments.

One more common thread between these guys.

Craig Counsell’s hit by pitch came from baseball’s best ever closer, and arguably the best ever playoff performer, Mariano Rivera.

Dave Roberts stole second against a Yankee battery consisting of Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera.

And Aaron Boone’s Yankees home run? The winning pitcher, having just posted three scoreless innings, was Mariano Rivera.

It appears as though they're going to try to play Game 4 tonight.

Now, a sensible person would think, “Hang on. It hasn't stopped raining. In fact, it's raining even harder. The tarp's still on the field. The warning track is a giant puddle. How can they possibly play?”

And to that sensible person, I would reply: “Correct.”