As the Sox (Red & White) have proven over the last two years, completely dominating a team in the World Series earns you a big fat celebration in some random stadium nowhere near your hometown. 
Boston celebrated in the bowels of the lowly Busch Stadium, and last night, the White Sox got their party on underneath Minute Maid Park.
Not only is that not fun for the players, but there’s no excited home crowd to win in front of, their families are not with them, and even the street riots are bland and uninspired.
What’s my solution?
Play a 2-3-1-1 format, and give the team with home-field advantage the middle three games and Game 7.
1) They’d get the opportunity to clinch at home 3 of 4 possible times (Games 4, 5, and 7)
2) They could “steal” a game on the road in Games 1 or 2, much like the underdogs do now, giving them a massive advantage coming back home. The team with home-field deserves this, not the other way around.
3) Travel/scheduling isn’t really affected.
I just think the 2-3-2 and 2-2-1-1-1 systems don’t allow for as much excitement, strategy, and advantage as they should. More champions should get to win at home. Invoke the 2-3-1-1 system now, pro sports! Slovakia, stand up!
Related: History of the best-of-seven
“…and 2-3-1-1-1 systems…”
You do realize that it’s been some time since MLB played an eight game world series, right?
If you’re going to give the home team this kind of advantage (home for the middle three) then you should probably give home field advantage to the team with the better record, not the winner of the all-star game. This whole all-star thing is a bit absurd.
Comment by Mr. Plummer — October 27, 2005 @ 7:25 pm
i was seeing if anyone was paying attention.
happy now? now i’m 100% right again.
Comment by chris — October 27, 2005 @ 7:47 pm
But if the home team wins Game 1 & 2, then the “favorites” are at a huge disadvantage. Down 0-2 is never easy to recover from, even when going home.
Comment by Dashiell — October 27, 2005 @ 9:05 pm
but they get 4 of the last 5 games at their home park. i wouldn’t be so bothered by losing the first two on the road.
Comment by chris — October 27, 2005 @ 10:16 pm
I think the only solution is to play every game in a hyper-commercialized neutral setting that bleeds the game of any real sense of being watchable. If we could somehow involve extremely shitty entertainment that illustrates the depths to which our pop-culture has plunged, then I’m all for it.
Comment by Mr. Plummer — October 27, 2005 @ 11:12 pm
yeah. true.
Comment by chris — October 27, 2005 @ 11:56 pm