When Even the Division Leader Sucks

The Arizona Diamondbacks finally clawed their way back to .500 last night with a victory over the Chicago Cubs. At the hundred game mark, the Diamondbacks are 50-50, while the Cubs are 58-42. What do these two teams have in common? They're both in first-place, with scant one-game leads over their division rivals. The difference? The Cubs have the best record in the National League, while the D-Backs are the very definition of average. What's more, the two teams chasing the Cubs in the NL Central, the Brewers and Cardinals, have the second and third best records in the National League, respectively. Yet because whoever wins the lackluster NL West is guaranteed a playoff spot, there's going to be an odd team out amongst the Cubs, Brewers, and Cardinals, which is a travesty.

It's not just baseball; every other year or so it seems that there's some division in some sport where a playoff-guaranteed division leader makes the playoffs despite having a record that's nowhere near worthy of such a distinction (see: the NBA's Atlantic Division, save for this past year). So how about a modest proposal: If, in any sport, there's a division winner who does not finish at least a game above .500, that division winner loses its automatic playoff berth. If said division winner's record is still good enough to squeak in the playoffs, so be it. But mediocrity should not be rewarded with a guaranteed prize, especially at the expense of a far more deserving squad.