I may do a fanpost on this in the next day or so. Probably not, but I'm not going to rule it out. I seem to be more interested in this stuff and get more worked up about it than anyone I know. It's interesting to me that the example used to illustrate the radical realignment theories that are being discussed doesn't involve a team opting into a division with lower payrolls in the hopes of sneaking into the playoffs, but instead a team opting into a division where it knows it can't compete in order to cash the checks generated by home games against big market teams. Sort of like when the UW Football team plays East Tupelo State and the "directional school" is promised a 7 figure fee for showing up to take their beating. This is what happens when the logical solution, i.e. trying to find a way limit the on-field advantage generated by the economic power of the large market teams, isn't an option the owners or the union are willing to contemplate. The "logical" gymnastics that follow as they try to do SOMETHING to address the obvious competitive imbalance quite frankly make my head hurt. Rhetorical question time: Is this what you want the MLB to be when you try to get your kids hooked on the game? The sport where half the league in any given year isn't even bothering to pretend they're trying to win?