At 09:54 AM 3/14/97 -0500, Larry D. Sander wrote:
>I agree that giving a bye to each league's champion (regular season or
>tournament, let each league decide) would take some of the irrationality out
>of the selection process.  The way it is done now, 2 east and 2 west teams
>get byes, based on the supposedly rational, but fatally flawed, PWR ratings.
> Maybe we should eliminate the extra 4 teams also, since the bye gives such
>an advantage.
>
 
I don't think I can agree with this. Sure, the PWR ratings are flawed
and, to be honest, we will never come up with a perfect system since
there are 4 separate leagues and most of the teams never play one another.
 
But when you compare the current system to the old selection process,
we're far better off now than before. At least everyone knows in advance
what the criteria will be for getting selected. To me, that's a whole
lot better than sitting around on selection Sunday and wondering whether
the backroom politicians are going to select your team for the trip
to Oz.   I think the time would be better spent improving on the current
system rather than saying we should scrap the whole thing because its
not perfect.
 
I, also, have a problem with byes in the first round. I think the extra
game puts the lower ranking team at too much of a competitive disadvantage.
But I also have problems with a single game elimination. You need to give
the teams some incentive for doing well during the regular season and
the league tournaments. Maybe going back to the best of 3 format would be
better. That way, you could eliminate the bye but presumably give
the higher ranking team an advantage since, presumably, the higher
ranking team stands a better chance of winning in a 3 game series rather
than a single game format.
 
 
But enough of this, let the show begin! This is a recurring thread that better
belongs in the off season where we can argue it out through the spring
and summer.
 
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