I have never been a fan of the one-game wild card playoff in baseball.
I’ve always been a proponent of the best-of-three series for the wild card. People in baseball don’t like it because it means the other teams are sitting around waiting for the wild card series to end before the divisional series begins. I say you could do it in two days. Reward the team with the better record the advantage of having the whole series at their place. Also, play it in two days. Any reason why you can’t have a day-night doubleheader on the second day if you need a third game? The owners get an extra gate, and the teams don’t have any travel like you would in a five or seven-game series. One extra day isn’t, or shouldn’t be, a big deal.
I heard another interesting take on the wild card. One ESPN commentator suggested that if the team with the better record wins, the series would be over. He suggested that the visiting team would have to win a second game to advance.
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Weighing in on Danny Trevathan’s late hit.
I think Trevathan got off light. I know it was his first offense, but that was a vicious hit. Davante Adams was stood up. In essence, he was defenseless and unable top protect himself yet Trevathan launched himself like a heat seeking missile, helmet first, into the fray. I still cringe when I see the mouthpiece flying out of Adams’ mouth.
There is a lot of blame to go around in this one. I think it starts with Trevathan. Should the game officials be blamed, too? Absolutely. Isn’t the NFL preaching safety these days? If the officials see a runner stood up, why can’t they blow their whistles and kill the play? Might a runner break loose? Maybe. Isn’t safety more important these days? Definitely.
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And, while we’re on the subject of the NFL, I feel sorry for the San Diego Chargers players. To be booed all the time can’t be fun. It isn’t their fault that the city and team ownership couldn’t reach agreement on a new or improved stadium. Again, there is fault on both sides. Spanos has money, and too often rich guys want others to pay so they don’t have to spend their own money. I also think city officials dig in their heels and won’t do anything. I haven’t seen Qualcomm for many years. The last game I covered there is when the Raiders beat the Chargers in a playoff game back when the late Todd Christensen, the team’s great receiving tight end, did his own little victory dance through the San Diego airport. Los Angeles, despite the TV market, can’t afford two NFL teams. Any NFL team will always play second fiddle to USC. The Trojans rule the LA market plain and simple.
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As a season-ticket holder for the Raiders, I’m not looking forward to the team without quarterback Derek Carr. With Carr in the lineup, I think the Raiders win both of their upcoming home games against the Ravens and Chargers. Now, I’d be happy with a split the next two weeks. E.J. Manuel, Carr’s back-up, hasn’t won a game since 2014. The QB position is so vital to a team’s success, and there are just not enough of them to go around. I would have rather seen the Raiders take a flyer on Colin Kaepernick rather than stay with Manuel and/or Connor Cook.
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While we are talking about the Raiders, I wonder where they will play in 2019. The Raiders and Oakland Coliseum have an agreement through the 2018 season. The 2019 season is up in the air. The Coliseum has already indicated that the Raiders are not welcome there. Could Cal be a possibility? Levi Stadium? Stanford? The NFL said that since it gave the 49ers money for their stadium that it was a possibility that they would have to share it with the Raiders at some point. Has that changed since Oakland is leaving the area for Las Vegas? What about Sam Boyd in Las Vegas? It is a lousy stadium, but maybe it would help the Raiders to endure that for a year in order to build their Las Vegas fan base before the stadium is ready in 2020. I’d hate to see the Raiders leave the area for that 2019 season.
