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Rob Neyer Tackles Baseball Realignment

Every year around this time, when interleague play begins, someone complains about it and the unbalanced leagues and unbalanced schedules. ESPN.com’s Rob Neyer tackles this annual topic with this thought:

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Essentially, there’s just one way to ensure (almost) complete fairness:

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1. 14 (or 16) teams in each league,
↵2. No divisions,
↵3. No interleague play, and
↵4. Every team in a league plays the same schedule.

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Do you think any of those things are going to happen?

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No, of course not. Neyer seems to think having two 15-team leagues is a fine idea, with the top four (or five, having a play-in game or short series) making the playoffs.

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Sure, if you don’t mind being a fan of a team that finishes 14th or 15th every year. Who would want that?

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And for those who complain that the Cardinals get to play the Royals every year while the Cubs play the White Sox, KC has one of the best interleague records of any team since 2005 — 47-32, including last night’s win over the Rockies.

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Keep it the way it is — and enhance it by giving the league that wins interleague play home field in the World Series. That’d make a lot more sense than the current scheme.