According to the above article, the MLB is not only adding two new Wild Card positions into the playoffs, but also requiring an NL team to switch leagues to create a balance of 15 teams in each league. The current rumours are that Houston is the most likely team to be swapped out, which leads to a number of questions: does Houston come directly into the AL West along side the Rangers, or do they shift it into the AL Central and push Kansas City into the AL West?

If not Houston, since the owner is directly opposed to it, who else would be a possible shift over into the AL? One can assume that the old guard NL teams are untouchable - Phillies, Braves, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, etc. So it would likely be the newer teams targeted. The Brewers have already switched from the AL to the NL before, the Nationals, Diamondbacks and the Rockies are still relatively new. Mind you, most of those would require shifting one of the existing NL Central teams either east or west to balance the divisions.

Obviously, for us, the best case outcome would be if they moved the Nationals, pushing Toronto into the AL Central and either Minnisota or Kansas City into the AL West.

I'd like to say that I really like the idea of a one-game playoff between the Wild Cards because it means winning the division is once again a priority. Risking your post season on one start is a huge disadvantage for the WCs, and should be so. What do you all think?

Mariners Latest to Join 'It Gets Better' Campaign

The Seattle Mariners have announced they will be the 4th MLB team to record a video for the 'It Gets Better' Project created by Dan Savage.

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So, how bad has the move of 25 games to Sportsnet1 hurt the team? Down 94% during this series. Only 31,000 people watched the Jays fall to Oakland. That's a respectable crowd in a stadium, but as your national viewership? Additional information here: 

http://www.digitalhome.ca/2010/08/jays-audience-on-sportsnet-one-down-94/

While the talk is that, like TSN2, pressure closer to the hockey season will drive providers to adopt Sportsnet1, tagging it onto the baseball season may have the opposite effect. Many comments have been not only to dump the network but also the team, and plenty of people are linking streaming sites online to bypass the national blackout. Eventually, either the MLB or the CRTC has to get involved into this. You cannot claim a national blackout if you refuse to nationally broadcast, and I expect that to be challenged very soon.