Quote:
Originally posted by djtestudo
How about getting ready for competing next season? Baseball plays 162 games. Yet the regular season is better then both basketball and hockey because the lack of playoff spots forces teams to keep playing all year. If they don't keep winning they end up losing their spot and out of the playoffs (see: 2003 Phillies).
Even the bad ones keep playing because they know if they end up with a decent record they could get some free agents to sign there and instantly improve the team. Plus, if the team quits, the fans quit, and the team goes from "bad" to "screwed".
Basically, it forces everyone to play.
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See I disagree here. 162 games to me means that a few games that you don't play your heart out doesn't matter...you still have a hundred, hundred and 50 or so games to go. The lack of playoff spots means that some teams will be out of contention extremely early and so why continue to play hard? Basically you just play spoiler all season long. And finally, I'd have to say it is money that brings free agents to teams not decent records. Sure players like to play for a team that is going to win, but if a worse team offers you more money to play, I think they'd likely go for the more money...