Opting to avoid the death zone that is Friday night television, Major League Baseball decided to revamp its postseason schedule, starting the World Series on a Wednesday, running it through November 1, if it goes the full seven games, and scheduling additional off-days during the course of the Divisional and League Championship Series.
Like most everything else that comes out of MLB's central office, it's a bad idea. Baseball needs to be played daily (or at least almost daily) since maintaining a rhythm is such an important part of long-term success in the game. The postseason already has teams playing no more than two or three games in a row without a day off. Additional rest days will spoil teams' routines even further.
Instead of granting additional off-days, MLB should use the extra time to extend the Divisional Series to seven games, up from the present five. In baseball, more so than in any other sport, it's no huge surprise when an underdog upsets a favorite in a single game. Postseason series must last a while to eliminate the possibility of such flukes. Five games are clearly not enough -- you play a 162 game season and can see it all go to waste if you lay an egg in just three more. People get excited about baseball, not off days. MLB should change the postseason accordingly.
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