Major League Baseball, trying to avoid having long underwear as part of its players' postseason apparel, is planning to start the 2011 season in earnest on Friday, April 1 - three days earlier than the traditional Monday opener.

 

It would be the first time a majority of teams start the season on a Friday since 1905, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

 

The regular season would end Wednesday, Sept. 28 with playoffs opening on Sept. 30 or Oct. 1. The World Series is scheduled to start Wednesday, Oct. 19, a week earlier than the last two years. It would virtually assure the World Series would not be played in November.

 

"Anything we could do to finish in October,'' commissioner Bud Selig told USA TODAY, "is what I wanted to do. It shows how serious we are in doing this. I feel very good about it, and am pleased at everybody's reaction.''

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I still prefer a 150 game season with more teams in the post season.

I still prefer a 150 game season with more teams in the post season.

 

More teams? No way. Baseball is the one sport where making the playoffs is an actual accomplishment. I'm just fine with 4 teams from each league qualifying. I'm down with the 150 game regular season. I actually liked the 144 games that was played in '95.

More teams? No way. Baseball is the one sport where making the playoffs is an actual accomplishment. I'm just fine with 4 teams from each league qualifying. I'm down with the 150 game regular season. I actually liked the 144 games that was played in '95.

 

150 games would be fine but in that case Id expand the first round to a 7 game series as well.

150 games would be fine but in that case Id expand the first round to a 7 game series as well.

 

I could live with that.

There's no long underwear on April 1 ?

There is no argument that will convince me that less baseball = better.

kind of got used to that opening day monday being an orgy of drinking and sports. go to opening day at the cell then watch the ncaa championship game at night. oh well

Opening day on Friday is just not the same as on a Monday. If you don't want to end in November don't have 46 thousand offdays during the postseason.

Edited July 28, 201015 yr by kev211

I like it...makes that ever frustrating off day after the 1st game of the season more tolerable if it's on a saturday. Nothing worse than a tuesday sittting at work while your team has a day off...

More teams? No way. Baseball is the one sport where making the playoffs is an actual accomplishment. I'm just fine with 4 teams from each league qualifying. I'm down with the 150 game regular season. I actually liked the 144 games that was played in '95.

 

Agreed. Do not let more teams into the playoffs. I'm fine with a 150 game season and three rounds of 7 in the playoffs.

150 games would be fine but in that case Id expand the first round to a 7 game series as well.

 

The first round should be a 7 game series even with a 162 game season.

Start the season on March 28 in warm weather cities or in domes.

Start the season on March 28 in warm weather cities or in domes.

 

Honestly, why don't they try to play the first two weeks in WW/Domes?

I wish that they would expand the rosters by one or two players and bring back the Sunday doubleheader.

I'm a proponent of a 156-game schedule, but starting the season on a Friday is a step in the right direction. Whatever it takes to get the World Series done in October.

The players' union would never go for a shorter schedule or prescheduled doubleheaders.

The players' union would never go for a shorter schedule or prescheduled doubleheaders.

They would if it meant 26 or 27 man rosters.

Starting seasons on Friday's makes it so much easier for college kids to skip their classes on Opening Day, or simply not having any classes at all.

I would love to see some scheduled double headers on sundays. Something like each team has to have at least 5 per year, I think it would be a ton of fun.

 

But as mentioned, the players union would never go for that unfortunately.

More teams? No way. Baseball is the one sport where making the playoffs is an actual accomplishment.

 

Agreed. As fun as hockey is to watch, The NHL has a total of "30" teams, and yet "36" of them still make the playoffs!

Can't wait to see entire weeks of baseball snowed out in MSP, DET, CLE, etc.

 

150 games would be fine but in that case Id expand the first round to a 7 game series as well.

 

The one thing I WOULD like about 154 games, is that we would see how MUCH MORE difficult it would be to break some long standing records. Just to name one. Hack Wilsons 192 RBI's, Heck, no one can even get that close with 162 games!

On the other hand, another reason we'd never see the 154 game scenario is because of so much revenue that would be lost by having less games. Sponsorship with commercials, concessions, ticket sales etc etc. I heard somewhere where the average ball club loses 1 milion dollars per game when there is a rainout. In days like now of the free agent market, when salaries are so high, the chances of less games taking place is about as likely as Prince Fielder going to Old Country Buffet, and only having a salad.

I would love to see some scheduled double headers on sundays. Something like each team has to have at least 5 per year, I think it would be a ton of fun.

 

But as mentioned, the players union would never go for that unfortunately.

 

Why not? If you sweeten the pot enough I'm sure that they would go for about anything. You could expand the rosters, or even increase the schedule to 170 games or so.

 

I watched Sox baseball since the early 70's and one of the "romances" of the game for me (and I'm sure many others on this site) was the Sunday doubleheader, watching guys like Wilbur Wood & Stan Bahmsen pitch with the suds flowing. "Ah, ya can't beat fun at the old ballpark friends". Something like this could help spawn a new generation of baseball fans that will fill theses boards 20 - 30 years from now.

The players' union would never go for a shorter schedule or prescheduled doubleheaders.

 

 

They would if it meant 26 or 27 man rosters.

Yeah, I'm sure that MLB owners would be "Thrilled" with that! Pay out more major league money to players, and less money coming in to do so.