Quick Pre-Playoff Rant

In spite of the fact that this year's Cubs are a team that would probably stand to benefit from it,
I feel the need to point out about how much I hate what they did to the playoff schedule when they redid the TV contracts before last season. Specifically, they added off days to the first two rounds of the playoffs. The LCS round has always been 7 games with a 2-3-2 format, and it used to be that there were only two off days for travel after game 2 and after game 5. Now, the schedule looks like this, with an extra off-day during the middle home stand. The difference this makes is that a team can now pitch their ace in games 1, 4, and 6 with three-days rest in between each start. It doesn't seem right for a team to be able to win a series in 6 games having thrown the same guy out there in half of the games. If you want to pitch a guy in games 1, 4, and 7, then he'll actually get normal rest for game 7. Similarly, all of a team's back-end relievers, who often times will go longer--sometimes much longer--than an inning in the playoffs will have an extra day of rest.

One more off-day in a series wouldn't seem as though it would be a huge deal, but it absolutely does change a team's strategy for managing the pitching staff. The Brewers clinched a playoff spot on Sunday with C. C. Sabathia--who has been far and away their best pitcher (actually he's been the best pitcher in the N.L.) since he was acquired in July--pitching a complete game and allowing only a run. He threw well over 100 pitches and showed no ill effects of doing it on short rest. Think about how much better the Brewers are in a 7 game series knowing that Sabathia could potentially pitch three times in the first six games of the series, especially since Ben Sheets, their ace at the start of the season, is now probably done for the year. I dunno. It's something that bothers me, but possibly only me.

Anyway, Cubs/Dodgers Game 1 tomorrow. Ryan Dempster vs. Derrek Lowe.