On Sunday night, the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets ran off in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in front of a crowd full of Little League baseball players
Called The Little League Classic, the game is compatible with the annual Little League World Series this month. The Mets beat the Mariners with a 7-3 score. But that wasn’t the big news that emanated from the event.
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Commissioner Rob Manfred was in attendance at the game. Live on the game’s broadcast, Manfred revealed some interesting information nuggets. In particular, it included the possibility of expansion and reorganization from a geographical perspective.
“I think this gives us an opportunity to reorganize geographically,” Manfred told the broadcast. “I think it saves a lot of wear on the travel side for players. I think the postseason format is even more appealing for entities like ESPN.”
Manfred continued to talk about the possibility that the game time could connect to team positions. For example, the 7pm contest features two teams from the Eastern Time Zone. Additionally, for games starting at 10pm, teams in this range are welcomed from the West Coast where the area can enjoy the game in a post-work environment.
There is also talk of expansion right now. Two teams can be added late, as they are rumored to include Portland, Charlotte, Nashville and more.
If the league reaches 32 teams, is there a situation where we can see the Eastern and Western leagues, each with two groups of eight teams? Essentially, in a sense, it mimics the NBA model.
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Assuming this happens, there is a world where the compete against groups featuring the Extended Portland Ball Club, the Seattle Mariners, the San Francisco Giants, the San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles Angels, the Las Vegas Athletics and Arizona Diamondback.
The second “West” group can feature the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and more.
In the east, Milwaukee brewers may stand up to the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Guardians, Toronto Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves and potentially Nashville expansion forces.
Finally, the final group will feature a considerable amount of firepower, along with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals.
Although this is not set on stone, some of these possible rivalries can be very marketable and attractive for baseball fans.
Photo credit: Brad Penner-Immagn Image
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