Qualifications for Playoffs

Dear Captains,

We have to agree on the new rules for qualifying for the playoffs.

As discussed at the beginning of the season, we shall have 10 slots for the playoffs. We also should note that each team’s regular season schedule has a different level of difficulty – Hammer A has the most competitive games and Sickle B has the least competitive games. Therefore, we should incorporate some means for accounting for this schedule skill level discrepancy. The following proposal offers a way of maximizing the competition and accounting for different difficulty in each division.

The top two teams from the each of the two A divisions shall clinch spots in the playoffs and the top team (one only) from each of the two B divisions shall clinch spots in the playoffs. This clinches 6 spots and leaves 4 spots open for wildcards, which shall be chosen on the basis of overall ranking during the regular season, without regard to division. Rankings of these 10 teams for the playoffs shall be determined solely by regular season rankings, head-to-head games, scores of head-to-head games and, ultimately, coin toss.

If there are any additional thoughts about this system, please discuss in this forum. Comments will be considered until Wednesday, August 3rd.

Regards,
Commish.

Commish,

I think that the idea to take 6 teams from 4 divisions as first picks and other 4 teams using wild card as you proposed is fair.

Technically such rule will allow the same top 10 teams with best ratings to qualify for playoffs.

However I think we still need to recognise the winners of the respective divisions rather than mix them all together with other best 6 teams. Otherwise there is no point to become a division winner - team needs to maintain a passable ratio of wins and losses and can be second or third in the division and still qualifes for playoffs.

I suggest to rank division winners among first 4 slots accoring to their PCT. Other 6 slots will be take by two second teams from A divisions and four wild card teams according to their PCT.

Regards,
VasILee

What goes next with the 10 teams?

The 4 wildcards play some games to have only 2 of them left,
in order to have at the end "normal" playoff brackets of 8 teams?

What kind of games that would be - just 2 games, and the winners go
farther?
Or a mini "round" tournament (4 teams - 6 games. could be held in one day),
3 games against other remaining wildcards.
And two top teams go to the playoffs?


What if for the dertermining of the 4 wildcards,
the would be no head to head games between them and if the number of wins is equal (there are some examples when some teams from one division, never played some other teams of another division this year) ?
I think in this case the number of runs, and their difference should be counted.

Sasha,
GASTARBITERS

I suggest this 10 team single elimination tournament structure.

Seeding determined by summer W/L record.

-b

PLAYOFFS QUALIFYING AND RANKING SYSTEM

We shall have a 10-team playoffs, as agreed to in the beginning of the season. This forum is only for determining the final qualifying and ranking system for those 10 teams. Most comments have supported the 6 team winner system and 4 wildcard system. Also, I see most comments suggest using the regular PCT value for rankings. Therefore, the final system shall be as follows:

1) Teams to qualify for the playoffs shall be as follows:
a) Top 2 teams in Hammer A and Sickle A clinch positions in the playoffs (4 teams total)
b) Top 1 team in each Hammer B and Sickle B clinch positions in the playoffs (2 teams total)
c) The remaining 4 teams with the highest game win percentage (on 27 August) shall clinch positions in the playoffs

2) The 10 teams shall be ranked for the playoffs purely on the basis of their regular season game average. If there is a tie between two (or more teams), the ranking shall be further determined by:
a) Head-to-head games results;
b) Runs scored in head-to-head games; and ultimately,
c) Coin toss.

3) The playoffs shall take place on a single day (3 September) in a single-elimination tournament.
a) Teams ranked 7 & 10 and 8 & 9 shall play an extra game in the playoffs.
b) Top-ranked teams shall play low-ranked teams (as per playoff diagram above suggested by Barry2003)
c) Team 1 shall play the winner of game 8 vs. 9 and team 2 shall play the winner of 7 vs. 10, 3 vs. 6 and 4 vs. 5, so on and so forth.

4) The playoffs are scheduled to be at Tuchkovo stadium (this is still to be confirmed).
a) 5-run home run limit rule (per game) will be applied to the Tuchkovo small field.