Adding Another MLB Playoff Team Would Be Bad For Baseball

Bud Selig has an amazing product (read: money printer) in Major League Baseball but like a spoiled, rich kid, Selig sees the National Football League and thinks: "hey, we're still not them". So with that in mind--and totally ignoring the fact baseball has a 162-game regular season or the fact that World Series are already played in November--this amazingly idiotic idea of adding yet another playoff team is gaining steam. As a Yankee fan, I should be happy since this basically guarantees the Yankees will make the playoffs every season, but I can't help but feel sad for the sport. Baseball actually made a great move with the first Wild Card back in 1995 but a second Wild Card would be totally counterproductive. To prove why, I would like to show you the "immortal" teams that would have finished as the second Wild Card team in each of the past few years:

The Yankees 2008 Games 3 starter, Sidney Ponson (NYDN)

The 2010 San Diego Padres: Totally collapse and lose the division? Don't worry, you're still in the playoffs! You may have not really been up to snuff, but this is America in 2010 and you get extra credit points for trying. Congrats, kids...you're going to the playoffs!

The 2010 Boston Red Sox: All those injuries weren't really your fault so we're just going to give you a ticket to the big dance. Besides, you had to battle hard to make sure you won the second Wild Card spot over those tough Chicago White Sox and Manny Ramirez!

The 2009 Florida Marlins: Your owner doesn't care enough to spend on the team? It's OK! That's what Uncle Bud is here for! You'll love all that extra revenue from making the playoffs and can spend it on your guys next year--well, if you want to, of course.

The 2009 Detroit Tigers: Sober up Miguel Cabrera, because you're going to the playoffs! Forget that epic collapse down the stretch! Forget that embarassing arrest! You can booze it up when the World Series is over right after Thanksgiving!

The 2008 New York Mets: Don't you worry your little heads about blowing that big lead--again. For a second year in a row, we've got you covered with Wild Card #2! Jerry Manuel is a hero leading you guys to the playoffs. The Wilpons will have to wait before bulldozing Shea.

The 2008 New York Yankees: You really shouldn't close the Old Yankee Stadium without some playoff games so here they are! Imagine a playoff rotation of Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson! The competition will be shaking in their boots!

The immortal list goes on and on, but you get the picture. If great teams were truly missing the playoffs, I could understand this, but they really are not. The best teams truly get in and even though we like to dismiss teams like the 2010 Giants or 2007 Rockies as teams that just got hot at the right time, at least they earned their way there. The six teams listed above had even less of a business being in the playoffs than any other team that came before it. Make the Wild Card round 7 games, shorten the regular season, do whatever else, but, please, Bud, don't ruin the game with this madness.