Those of us who recall the days before the advent of divisional play are quite comfortable whenever a baseball discussion uses terms like “first division” or “second division.” It’s simple, really: if you finished in the top half of your league, you were in the first division; otherwise you were a second division club. If you follow European soccer, you know what I’m talking about.
Through 1961, baseball consisted of 16 teams, eight in each league. The AL added two new teams in 1961, the NL added two the following year. When each league expanded by two again in 1969, divisional play was born.
The results were immediate. Not only was an extra tier of postseason play (and revenue) added, but cosmetically speaking, bad teams could point to a higher finish. The 1968 Chicago White Sox, for instance, finished tied for eighth with the Angels at 67-95. They won one more game in 1969 and finished fifth in the AL West, though without divisions, they were actually tenth.
In eight of the last nine seasons the Orioles have finished fourth in the AL East. Their actual finishes in a 14-team league in that span have been as high as eighth (1998-99) and as low as 13th (2001). Last year they were 12th, and currently are 11th. If we consider the first division-second division nomenclature, even when they finished third in the AL East in 2004, they were still a second division ballclub, in ninth place overall.
If all that doesn’t convince you that divisional play is a good thing, nothing should. In fact, let’s take it a step further. The New York Yankees, over those same nine seasons, finished first out of 14 teams six times, and won world championships three times, but none since 2000, a year in which they finished fifth in a 14-team league. The Boston Red Sox never finished with the highest win total, but won the 2004 World Series. There are several National League examples that demonstrate the same thing.
The ultimate prize is a world championship, but for a club like the Orioles, a first division finish – no lower than seventh out of 14 teams overall – may be a more realistic goal, at least at this point. Last year Toronto was seventh overall with 87 wins. On the average, over the past nine seasons the seventh place finisher in the AL won about 82 1/2 games.
Pro scouts use an expression when describing certain position players: second division regular. Essentially it describes a player of some skills, but not enough to play everyday with a contender. Without getting into specific names, the Orioles have more than enough second division regulars. The tide rarely turns that quickly, but it’s markedly slower in the AL East. The money available for player personnel flows like water in New York and Boston, thanks largely to team-owned regional broadcast networks. The Orioles have their own, at long last, though with some foresight, could’ve had one years ago when the old HTS was available, prior to Comcast buying it. Still, the windfall that MASN will likely produce won’t arrive in time to provide much help this year or next.
I have every confidence that the Orioles will breathe the rarefied air of the first division again, and well before another nine years passes, but to expect it overnight is simply not realistic.
Contact Phil Wood at [email protected]
