The Standings Are Wild

[billroper]

The one thing that I will say about the new wild-card system is that there are a *lot* more games that are hypothetically meaningful happening this week than there would be otherwise. The kicker to the whole system is that home field advantage in the World Series goes to the team with the best record. This makes trying to pile up wins more important than it used to be for teams that have clinched their playoff berths. The Brewers would have nothing in particular to play for by the time the Cubs show up there this weekend, but in the new system, piling up wins is useful in case one of the teams with a lower win total emerges as the American League champ -- assuming, of course, that the Brewers can do the same.

On the other hand, you *do* want to get your pitchers lined up for the Wild Card Series...