Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange
For all the dislike some have for interleague play and expanded playoffs, the interesting thing is these idea were considered many times by MLB in its past but were, for various reasons, never adopted. Some examples:
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These are just some of the 'what ifs' MLB might have done had things gone differently. There are several others.
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Paraphrasing myself from a previous post a few years back:
Most fans may not know that way back in 1905 - just before the World Series became the official & National Commission-sanctioned matchup between the winners of the AL & NL that we now know it to be - one of the ideas floated (by Boston Americans owner John Taylor) was for each team to play its full 154-game scheduled, followed by not just a championship series between the two league winners, but also by series' between the two second-place finishers, the two third-place teams, and all other corresponding finishers. That plan went nowhere as National Commission President Gerry Herrmann opposed it, opining that “This would be a most unprofitable undertaking, because no one would expect [a series] with the tail enders to draw.”
Herrmann's own plan was an idea over 90 years before its time. You guessed it: Interleague play. Herrmann advocated for the two league’s regular seasons to conclude earlier, perhaps after 116 games, after which an interleague postseason would follow with each NL team hosting each AL team for two games, and vice-versa. The plan did have some supporters in the media and elsewhere, but ultimately Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss' sentiments pretty much summed up those of most owners: He didn't think it was practical, citing the time needed for such interleague series’ to take place, and the expense involved for second-division teams to both host games and travel. Dreyfuss did, however, express that he was open to the general idea of games between the leagues. Lo and behold, only 92 years later...
Also, in something that I find very interesting, in the early 1900's (and into the 40's in Chicago) there were often postseason series' that would take place after the regular season - approximately at the same time as the World Series - for the City Championship. Or sometimes it would be the "State Title," and in a few instances (one year it was Pirates vs Indians, another it was Yankees vs Red Sox) a geographically ambiguous matchup that was merely between teams that were somewhat nearby... Without looking I'd guess that St Louis had the 2nd most city clashes (after Chicago), although the other two-team cities - NY, Philly and Boston - held a few of these series'.
But these were - obviously - in a different era, when where you finished in the standings - even if it wasn't in first place - meant something to both players and fans. And therefore it was possible to drum up interest in a City Series.
(Sometimes when I do OOTP historical replays I include a City Series here or there - pretending that in my alternate world fans would care deeply about them - but I usually make house rules to only contest them when two teams have winning regular-season records...)