Fraters Libertas

Act Like You've Been There Before?

Major League Baseball adopted their current eight team playoff system in 1995. That means that we've been living with the best of five divisional series to best of seven league championship series to best of seven World Series format for nearly ten years. Isn't it about time to put an end to these ridiculous post game celebrations after teams win the divisional series?

You win your division title after 162 games? Celebrate. Pop the champagne, pour beer over each other's head, dance around a bit. You earned it. You win your league championship series? Party. You have won something. The right to go to the World Series and your league's title.

But winning a best of five series that puts you in your league championship series? Sorry boys but it ain't all that.

There was a time when every playoff series in baseball was monumental and winning one was an achievement to celebrate. Those days are gone.

Consider that baseball's current playoff format is just one series less than the sixteen team, four round NHL and NBA playoffs. If the Minnesota Wild had behaved the same way as baseball teams do now, they would have been popping the bubbly and carrying on following their second round playoff series triumph over Vancouver that sent them to the conference finals. They did not. Why? Because they knew that they still hadn't won anything yet.

Note to the Red Sox and A's. It's great to celebrate your achievements. Just make sure that they are worth celebrating.