Cashman: Baseball Can Thank Me For New Playoff Format

Via the Sporting News –

Brian Cashman is taking partial credit for Major League Baseball’s new playoff format.

The Yankees’ general manager on Sunday admitted what many people suspected: The Bombers essentially conceded the American League East to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010 once it became clear that both teams were postseason-bound. New York finished a game behind in the division race and claimed the wild card.

“I’m not taking away from Tampa Bay, but we didn’t try to win the division,” Cashman told reporters at the Yankees’ spring facility in Tampa, Fla. “We tried to line ourselves up for the playoffs and that worked.

“The division title was rendered meaningless the way the set-up was. It really meant nothing more than a T-shirt and a hat.”

That, Cashman said, led to commissioner Bud Selig’s push for a second wild-card team in each league and a one-game wild-card playoff, which should motivate teams to win their division. The new format could begin as early as the 2012 season.

“Baseball took notice and made, I think, a very smart change. Bud Selig did a remarkable thing adding the wild card and I think he’s now doing another remarkable thing by enhancing the playoff push,” Cashman said. “It certainly brings back the importance of being a division winner again.”

No response from MLB was reported.

I wonder if he was kidding when he said this... The Yankees were not the first team to line up their pitchers and forget about the division. Hell we kind of did it in 2011 too when we skipped CC for his last start, it just did not work out as well. Anyway either way the change is coming so let us just embrace it.