As we head into the final month of the MLB season, I stumbled across this article from Boston.com and I can’t say that I disagree with its content.  As I read the article all I could think about was that I barely blinked when the Yankees overtook the Red Sox.  Wildcard or division winner is all that mattered.  Just get to October. 

The writer of that article is a professed Orioles fan and while I feel for him, I feel more for Tampa Bay and Toronto.  In a previous blog post I commented on the AL East.  Tampa Bay still has a +80 run differential.  The Red Sox and Yankees have over +100 run differentials.  In any other division in baseball, Tampa Bay is easily contending yet despite taking 7 of 11 from the Red Sox this season, they are 12.5 games behind the Yankees and 6.5 games behind the Red Sox.  In the NL, Tampa Bay would be 1.5 games back of Colorado for the wild card.  In the AL Central they would lead the division.

This is where MLB fails in my opinion and it’s also where the NFL fails.  Last year, my Patriots sat out of the playoffs with an 11-5 record.  This year, Tampa Bay is going to sit out of the playoffs with a better record than one of the division leaders.  I’m now leaning in favor of dissolving the divisions like the NBA has done so that the best six teams make it to October.  It’s better for everyone.