Friday was a great day for Major League Baseball, as it finalized its postseason expansion agreement with the Players Association. Beginning this season, two additional Wild Card teams will join the postseason festivities; one in each league.

Under the new format, the two Wild Card winners will face off in a one-game playoff round, with the winning team advancing to the Division Series against one of the three division champions in its league.

In the world of sports where fans and media alike often complain that changes are simply unnecessary, it appears nothing is being protested in this scenario.

Increasing the amount of franchises that compete in October will no doubt turn out to be an excellent move by MLB. And there are plenty of reasons why.

Let’s start with the obvious. We love drama in sports. We love buzzerbeaters in basketball, last second scores that determine the outcome of football games, and walkoff home runs in baseball. It’s always been that way and it should remain so.

There are times when that drama is amplified, and that includes when there are postseason implications at stake; playoff positioning, homefield advantage, and most importantly — championships.

A one game do-or-die setting provides more intensity, suspense, and entertainment than any other point during a sports season. We see it every year with the NFL playoffs and its ultimate conclusion, the most watched event annually, the Super Bowl. When Game 7 is necessary in the basketball or baseball postseason — although this would be Game 5 in MLB’s Division Series — more people tune in than at any other point during the year.

This also shows for a month-long span beginning every March, once the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament gets going.

Bottom line is that one game determining the final fate of two great teams is excellent for sports, and that is exactly what baseball is guaranteeing to display at least twice every year beginning in 2012. It will be a heavyweight fight where one side will ultimately have to out-will the other.

Another way that MLB benefits by bringing in two more Wild Card teams is derived through a newfound importance upon a team winning their division.

It used to be ‘Just get in and hope to get hot.’ Teams will no longer be able to fall back on that with the new system in place. Clinching a Wild Card berth will drastically decrease a team’s chances at winning the World Series, since the probability of making it out of the Wild Card round will essentially be 50-50 in a one game situation.

Now no team who believes that they are legitimate championship contenders will be complacent and use the Wild Card spots as a safety net. They will not want to risk their entire season on one game, because as everyone knows, anything can happen and the better team or team with a pitching advantage will not always win.

Finally, the regular season will become a lot more interesting in the long run. Before the Wild Card came into effect in 1995, teams who were not completely terrible but aware that they had no chance at winning their division, folded and became pathetic all the way up to the final days of the regular season. But from 1995 on, these teams have gained new hope, and five Wild Card teams have gone on to win the World Series – the 1997 and 2003 Florida Marlins, the 2002 Anaheim Angels, the 2004 Boston Red Sox, and just recently, the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals.

The level of competition will begin to rise yet again, as there will be one last chance for new teams to make it to the playoffs. Having more teams be relevant towards the end of the season makes for much more exciting baseball than in years past.

MLB actually got this one right, and everyone will see after the All Star break passes. If you thought you’ve seen it all, just sit back and watch.

Image Courtesy of   Bill Florence / Shutterstock.com

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If you’re going to upgrade to a beautiful new home you might as well get some fresh furniture to put in it. That’s the exact philosophy that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has lived by this off season. Last month he moved his newly named Miami Marlins into a brand new stadium and this week he added considerable depth with the big free agent acquisitions of shortstop Jose Reyes, starter Mark Buehrle, and closer Heath Bell.

“Outstanding week,” said Marlins new manager Ozzie Guillen. “I’d never thought we were going to do it so fast, so quick. They [the front office] were very aggressive.”

The Marlins initially received most of their buzz for their strong interest in Albert Pujols, but their most recent signing of Buehrle late on December 7^th, was quickly followed by an end to those rumors. Pujols then agreed to a mega deal with the Angels the next day – ten years, $254 million.

Miami also lost out to the Angels for the top pitcher available, C.J. Wilson. Wilson also signed with them on December 8^th, agreeing to a five year, $77.5 million deal.

Yet although the Angels came out of the fair with the nicest prizes the Marlins still feel that they emerged as the Winter Meetings’ biggest winners. They came to Dallas known as a losing team that was never active when it came to highly sought after free agents – but they left with $191 million worth of prizes.

Loria’s desires to build a contending team that will bring this starving fan base hope began on December 5^th with the official signing of Bell to a three year, $27 million contract.

“It’s going to be totally different,” said Bell. “We’re now the Miami Marlins. People are going to be in the seats. It’s going to be loud and exciting. There’s going to be a buzz.”

When fans think of today’s best closers the list usually includes obvious names like Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon, and Jose Valverde. But Bell has become one of the top closers himself over the last few years. Playing in the small market of San Diego since 2006 has made him somewhat of a hidden gem, as he is the only closer in all of baseball with at least 40 saves each of the last three seasons.

“We know firsthand how tough he is coming out to close in the ninth inning,” said Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest. With the all-important closer role taken care of, the front office then began focusing on acquiring a big-time position player.

And they did not waste any time in doing so. An appointment to meet with Reyes and his agent was scheduled the minute the free agent signing period began on November 3^rd – just one past midnight. The two sides agreed to a six year $106 million deal by November 7^th.

If anyone understood how much of a superstar Reyes was, it was the Marlins. Playing in the N.L. East had only made them firsthand victims of Reyes’ antics for the past decade. They knew the Mets could not afford to keep one of the game’s most dynamic players so they swooped in.

“We now have at the top of our lineup a four-time All-Star, a batting champion and one of the fastest men in the game,” said Beinfest. The signing has sparked a lot of controversy, however. The Marlins already have an elite shortstop in Hanley Ramirez. The plan was to move Ramirez to third base if Reyes was signed, but many are unsure whether or not he would be willing to do so.

Rumor now has it that front office may be shopping him if he does not cooperate with the team’s desires. Just hours after Reyes became a Marlin the team bolstered its weak starting pitching by adding Buehrle to the staff. The veteran lefty signed a four year, $58 million contract. No one was happier about this than Ozzie Guillen, who managed him for years during their time with the White Sox. Buehrle is 161-119 with a 3.83 ERA over his career.

“The Marlins know how much I love him,” said Guillen. “I know how much he can help us. If we have Buehrle, it can make my life a little easier.” This organization couldn’t be any happier with the new toys they just bought. “When we drew up our off season plan, and how we wanted our team look, we are in the A box right now,” said team president David Samson.

Matt Trommer / Shutterstock.com

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Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Chase Utley are three big names that came off the Disabled List this week. But the story this week though has been who is going on the DL. Star and Ace of the Florida Marlins, Josh Johnson was placed on the DL, and could be a big loss for the Marlins as they try to keep pace with the reinvigorated lineup of the Phillies. The young slugger for the Braves, Jason Heyward has now also been placed on the DL. The biggest injury story though has been that of Buster Posey, the young catcher for the San Francisco Giants. Last year’s National League Rookie of the Year helped lead the Giants to a world championship but is most likely done for the entire 2011 campaign.

The play that injured Posey took place in the 12^th inning of a game against the Florida Marlins. Scott Cousins was racing home trying to score the go-ahead run as Posey received the ball on a throw from the outfield. Posey was in front of the plate, and Cousins collided with him, trying to dislodge the ball that Posey could never get a handle on. The Marlins scored the run and won the game 7-6. Posey’s legs got caught underneath him and an MRI confirmed Posey had a fractured left fibula and three torn ligaments in his left ankle and is likely done for the season.

Posey’s agent, Jeff Berry was extremely upset after the game, believing the play warranted a change in the rules because it leaves catchers too exposed at the plate.

But this is really a no issue. Berry is upset because Posey is done for the year, and he is a great part of baseball but this is part of the game. Remember when Tom Brady was gone for an entire season? The game played on.

The simplest solution to the problem is for the catcher not to block the plate. No players can block the plate at any of the other bases, so if the catcher just straddles home or stands in front or behind the base, the collision will only take place with the catcher’s glove. Posey was doing what he has been taught to do but he wasn’t protecting himself at all. He could have easily caught the ball in front of the plate and reached back to swipe Cousins before he scored.

Baseball won’t overreact. Berry was just looking out for his own guy like any other agent would do, but there is no systemic problem with plays at the plate and collisions in baseball. Too often emotions get the best of people, and if we were to react in every situation all the sports we love could potentially be ruined.

Berry compared the play to helmet to helmet collisions in the NFL, but this is a rather unfair comparison. Catchers are wearing some protective gear but the runner has nothing but a helmet on. The runner may be the one creating the contact by barreling down on the catcher, but the catcher does not have to be in front of the plate, in fact he can’t be unless he has the ball or is in the process of receiving it. Helmet to helmet hits in the NFL are often instinctual, and they are an attempt to tackle the ball carrier. They happen on every play at the line of scrimmage, but nobody talks about that.

The other issue that has arisen from this situation is whether young stars in baseball should change positions if they are a catcher. Being a catcher wears down players, and it often takes away from the offensive numbers of players. But playing catcher is no more or less dangerous than any other position on the field. Pitchers can have a line drive come right back at them from just 60 feet away. First and third basemen could have the same thing, or even broken bats headed their way. Middle infielders constantly have to deal with players charging at them trying to break up a double play, and in the outfield there is always a chance at a collision with either the wall or another player.

Posey has been great offensively and in taking command of the pitching staff. To have one of your best players behind the dish is just an added extra. Changing his position might help his offensive numbers some, but it isn’t increasing his chances of staying healthy by too much, and it is taking away his leadership role of commanding the Giant’s defensive unit. Posey will heal eventually, and maybe next time a runner bears down on him he’ll put his body in a better position, and put an end to this rule-change discussion.

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