10:58 AM ET  06.22 | The 2011 MLB playoffs were among the most exciting and memorable in history. The St. Louis Cardinals fought their way from hopelessly out of contention in early August to Wild Card World Series champs. The Tampa Bay Rays captured the American League Wildcard berth in a stirring twelve inning victory over the Yankees in the last game of the regular season. One-game playoffs were possible in both scenarios; however the long-slumping Red Sox and Braves both created their own sudden deaths by losing in nail-biting heartbreakers to the Orioles and Phillies, respectively. Had they won, they would have deserved a shot at getting in the tournament via a one-game, winner-take-all opportunity. The rules were in place, and the cream rose to the top.


This year, MLB has decided to give teams like the 2011 Red Sox and Braves a shot at the playoffs whether they've earned it or not. Rather than let the existing rules determine who is the best of the best, the powers that be have found questionable wisdom in granting a playoff spot to the best of the rest. Yes, it will generate the predicted excitement and attendant dollars. But that was already in play. How many of us can count ourselves among the Red Sox and Braves fans, glued to our television sets or standing in our stadium seats, chewing off our fingernails and hiding our eyes during those final games in 2011? Well those folks can rest easy this year. No sedatives necessary; you weren't that great, but you're in already.


And what then? A team whose pitching has tired out and faltered in the home stretch, whose defense and bats lost their focus when it really counted gets a chance to oust a better team that performed over 162 games if they can get their act together for nine innings? The table is now set for the voices of disgruntled fans and players alike who gave their hearts and souls from April to September, only to be sent home because the Commissioner decided to be charitable in the name of profit.


And yes, there is a school of thought that says this new format puts focus on winning the division rather than the Wildcard. But wasn't that always the case? Now, such efforts are no longer given the same credit, and teams without such focus are rewarded. Last year's late-season heroics and heartbreakers showed how exciting baseball can be, and the one-game playoffs that were necessary in recent years to determine the final playoff participants were just as scintillating. This year's format tarnishes that legacy, and will leave in its wake hollow victories and wasted efforts. Here's hoping this is just an experiment that gets exposed for its glaring shortcomings before baseball history is forever tarnished for love of the dollar.