ALL the rules are arbitrary. Four bases is arbitrary. Three outs in an inning is arbitrary. So No, I don't agree, and in fact I think it is crazy. Why have a post season at all? It's just arbitrary, having a World series. Just play until the end of September and then whoever has the most wins is the World Champion. Why should a team get an additional reward for winning games in October?
Because THAT'S THE RULE. If you play in the SEC, you play Alabama. That's the rule.
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Trying to clarify. Any sport, but BASEBALL MORE THAN ANY OTHER SPORT, is composed of arbitrary rules and abitrary choke points. The funciton of those arbitrary choke points is to create form, and to create drama within the form. The "Game" is an abitrary choke point. Why count the runs separately by each game? If team A scores 750 runs and allows 650, why does it matter if they only "won" 88 "games", while some team with fewer runs scored and more runs allowed has "won" 90 "games". Why should that matter?
Within the game, the inning is an arbitrary choke point. Why should a team be able to win a game 5-4 when they are out-hit 11-6 and outhomered 2-1. Why don't the things you did last inning count for you in this inning?
Within the inning, the strikes and balls are arbitrary choke points. Why doesn't it matter that THAT team had 12 balls and 16 strikes in the inning, while the other team had 15 balls and only 11 strikes. Shouldn't ALL the balls and strikes be counted, rather than counting one batter as "out" because he individually got 3 strikes?
But the choke points matter, because what the choke points say is "Right now, Goddamnit." It's too late to do this tommorrow; it is too late go get that runner home next inning. There are two men out; you've got to deliver RIGHT NOW.
And the same for the pennant race. It is far better to say to the teams "you have got to do this RIGHT NOW", rather than just pouring all 162 games and all 30 teams into one big, bland stew, as if one game was no different than the others.