Off-Topic Forum

Anybody following this series?   Any thoughts?  Who do you want to win?

I like the match up in that both teams lost major pieces:  Franco & DeGrom.  So they, sort of, balance out.   I'd like the Rangers to win.  I'm a fan of Bochy and Semien.  

I am disappointed that the Rays line is going with all of their experienced players and not the random people I couldn't recognize all year.

Game 1 saw the lowest playoff attendance since 1919. Is this due to the interest in the team, or the current playoff format?

As exciting as MLB attempts to sell the game, how much is too much? Wild Card action began October 3 this year (2023). The 1963 World Series ended on October 6.

Is it time to shorten the regular season, or the playoffs?

It is mostly due to the fact that Tampa has never supported Major League Baseball and the pitiful stadium and location of the stadium.  It is way out of the way in St. Pete and the Rays and MLB's solution is to build a new stadium in the same place.  The only hope(and it's a slim hope at that) would be to put the stadium in Tampa.(like somewhere near the football stadium.)  

I would like to see the Rays move on, but it's more than likely that the Rangers will.  Rays are too battered to make any meaningful impact in the playoffs.  If they do move on, I find it very unlikely they'll make it far at all.

Go Rangers!

Yes, it isn't a good sign.  In 1963 there were only 20 teams, now 30.  May be too many.  Instead of all the talk about moving some teams, maybe we should let a few go defunct.   Play is getting sloppy at times too.  Baseball is not as popular in US.  There is more international interest but other leagues around the world are challenging MLB more and more for that attention.  It would be cool to have playoffs where MLB teams go to play champions of other world leagues and make the term "world series" more accurate.  

ComposerMike wrote:

Game 1 saw the lowest playoff attendance since 1919. Is this due to the interest in the team, or the current playoff format?

As exciting as MLB attempts to sell the game, how much is too much? Wild Card action began October 3 this year (2023). The 1963 World Series ended on October 6.

Is it time to shorten the regular season, or the playoffs?

Anyone who follows baseball knows that the Rays have never had a good attendance record. Other than their first year, they never get above 2,000,000 and usually rank 13-15th in the AL for attendance. In case you don't know, there are only 15 teams in the AL.

It has nothing to do with the team's play, length of the baseball season, or playoff format; it is the location of the team and stadium. They have a strong support for Grapefruit league baseball due to the tourist influx every late winter but poor support for the MLB product.

Past commissioners have done enough to mess up the game with changes that were not necessary; don't encourage them.

Not really followng but prefer Texas to win.

They did. All 4 series ended yesterday - Minnesota, Texas, Arizona and Philadelphia moved on.