Friday, November 9, 2007

MLB Restructure Part 2

We have seen SayHey's entry into the Restructuring of Major League Baseball and now I shall give you my thoughts on the matter.

I agree we could use another two teams and push the conferences into four consisting of East, North, Central and West. I also have a total of four teams moving cities along with the creation of two new teams. Now I went against the grain and chose the cities for expansion that differed from SH's. I went with Calgary and Memphis, two cities that love their sports and could easily support those franchises. They also benefit from not having any baseball teams anywhere remotely close to them.

I have four teams relocating and I guarentee two of them are going to shock you. First let us get to the obvious teams, the Marlins and the Rays. SayHey was right, Florida doesn't want baseball, it doesn't deserve baseball. MLB needs to realize this and stop trying so hard to get Florida baseball to succeed. I moved the Marlins to Omaha, Nebraska and Tampa Bay I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. The other major move involved restoring a team to their rightful location, namely I am moving the Dodgers BACK to Brooklyn. With that I am moving the Mets to San Antonio as it has the population to support a team.

So here is how my league now appears

AL East
New York Yankees
Boston Red Sox
Baltimore Orioles
Charlotte Hounds

AL North
Toronto Blue Jays
Chicago White Sox
Detroit Tigers
Cleveland Indians

AL Central
Minnesota Twins
Texas Rangers
Kansas City Royals
Memphis Crocketts

AL West
Oakland A's
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of West Hollywood and Oxnard
Seattle Mariners
Calgary Mustangs

NL East
Brooklyn Dodgers
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals
Atlanta Braves

NL North
Pittsburgh Pirates
Cincinnati Reds
Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee Brewers

NL Central
ST Louis Cardinals
Omaha Godfathers
Houston Astros
Colorado Rockies

NL West
San Francisco Giants
San Antonio Horns
Arizona Diamondbacks
San Diego Padres

I'll explain the mascots as well. Charlotte got the Hounds since the Hound is the North Carolina state animal, Omaha got the Godfathers since it is the birthplace of Brando, San Antonio got the Horns no explanation needed, Memphis got the Crocketts because of Davy, and Calgary is an easy choice for the Mustangs.

There is another trick, there would be no more wild card teams. Whoever wins their respective group goes to the playoffs. If you win a hundred but another team in your group wins 102, tough titty, play better baseball San Francisco.

7 comments:

SayHey Kid said...

I love the idea of a team in Charlotte. But id love to see them go back to the Hornetts. The Hornet reference dates back to NC and the Revolutionary War.

Memphis is another great idea. However, cannot imagine why MLB would waste time in Calgary. Calgary is like Montreal, that being Hockey and nothing else matters.

In reality though, Portland and Charlotte should be on the next expansion list. Its a travesty they dont have a baseball team now.

Id love to see the Mets move, bringing that star power with them to the state with the most stars. I also would love to see the Dodgers back in Brooklyn. It would destroy a 100 year old rivalry, but im done with LA. LA would need a franchise however. They treat their baseball NOT like their football, hence well deserved.

SayHey Kid said...

BTW- nice San Antonio logo

Jack Gonzo, MD said...

LA has the Angels, is that not enough?

Just because the Dodgers move doesn't mean the rivalry would die, on the contrary, it would be even more heated due to less games.

Oregon isn't really a baseball state, that's why I would hesitate moving a team there. Calgary has hockey, and a CFL team, but little else. I think it could have tremendous fans, they aren't frech Canadians after all

SayHey Kid said...

True about the Angels, but i consider them to be like the Whitesox of Chicago. Nobody really cares about the Angels, regardless of their payroll and levels of talent. The Angels win but will always be the red headed step child of LA.

I would disagree about Oregon, they always have solid college ball and a thrives in the minor league arena. Hell, your AA team is located in Portland (or once did). I could see them getting a franchise well before Calgary.

Though what you say of Calgary may be true, i think Montreal ruined it for all Canadian cities. Except Toronto, they do love their baseball!

Jack Gonzo, MD said...

I see your point, but LA is fickle. To be able to make real money there can really only be one team, or at least have the teams farther apart then they are now.

They do, but they only have so much money in Oregon and with a new NFL franchise can't afford a baseball team. Calgary however does not have that problem and it expands the game to a new audience.

SayHey Kid said...

Good point regarding LA....but the Angels may not be big enough for that town. But if they did absorb the Dodger fanbase, you could see them with more money than Steve Jobs with a 1 billion dollar roster

Portland is easily one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. They are the next silicon valley and will soon be a very rich city. For the time being, they should always be a consideration.

John F Jamele said...

You should have relocated a team to Buffalo. Buffalo was considered for a team in the late-80s and 90s and already has a stadium which brings in big crowds for the Minor League team, the Bison, and can be retrofitted to seat 44,000.

If MLB had given Buffalo a franchise instead of foolishly handing two to Florida, it would be in much better shape today.