Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire ” brought to you by Auto Logic, the Logical Choice. “
The Baseball Playoffs begin tonight in New York with the American League Wild Card game between the Houston Astros and the Yankees.
The winner tonight advances to face the Kansas City Royals in the American League semifinals.
The other American League semifinal will commence on Thursday in Toronto where the Blue Jays host Texas in Toronto’s first post season matchup since 1993.
I’ve told you before, I like the ” old ” baseball playoff format of 4 division winners and a World Series that climaxes around Thanksgiving…Canadian Thanksgiving not the American version.
But expansion and TV revenues and other factors dictate those days are gone forever.
And in fairness, the Wild Card games can be as exciting as the World Series- remember that Detroit-Minnesota game a few years ago.
Plus, on 6 occasions, a Wild Card team has run the post season table and captured the World Series.
Yankees-Houston tonight.
Pirates-Cubs tomorrow.
Then the Blue Jays long awaited return to the post season on Thursday.
I’m Fred Wallace