Series Wins

A 162-game schedule can be quite daunting when you really sit down and think about it.  As a fan, I love it because for eight months, with the exception of a day here or there, I have a baseball game to watch that I have a vested interest in.  Being a fan of two teams, even those rare off days are usually avoided as I can count on at least the Marlins and Rays are playing while the other is not.  However, for the actual team, I cannot even fathom how grueling such a long season can be.  It makes one wonder how do teams quantify and evaluate whether they are being successful over such a long stretch of time.  Does a 1-8 start really matter when you follow it up with an 8-1 run, or vica versa?  How much does a 5+ game losing streak really hurt a team?  How much does a 5+ game winning streak help a team?  Why is the reaction different to a sub-.500 month in April than one in July?  That's the conundrum of such an extended season.  It is so difficult for not only the fans, but for the players to know how much a particular feat or disappointment matters in the whole scheme of things. 

My solution is not unique, or something that no one has ever said before in the least.  In fact, my solution is something that all 30 big league managers preach to their teams non-stop during the season.  I want to make it clear that I am not in any way, shape, or form attempting to pass this off as a brilliant idea on my part.  With that said, it really is the secret to a successful season.  That is, as a team, the goal is to win every series- break down the monster 162-game season into 54 smaller seasons.  Not only are concrete, attainable goals established, but momentum can be built up and used as motivation in a more realistic time frame.  What I mean is, the accomplishments are given more meaning if the focus is placed on the short run, rather than the long run.  When you're winning, the tag line isn't wining 9 out of 15 but rather being winners of five straight series.  When you're losing, instead of the team dropping nine in a row, they just have to rebound after three series losses.  I'll agree that this is all just semantics, but when you're dealing with one of the most superstitious and fragile sports with respect to the athletes, any positivity or 'putting a spin on it' will help.  Further, it's not all qualitative in nature.  The facts are that if you win every series (assuming for the ease of calculation that each series is three games- a plausible assumption because any four game series is balanced out by the presence of a two game series) a team finishes 108-54, and when you remove teams like the 2001 Mariners, that win total is a guaranteed lock for the playoffs.

Now, I'll be the first to point out that this is easier said than done, but I'm advocating more for the mindset than the actual result.  It's a lot easier to take the season as a collection of sprints, rather than the marathon that it is.  This 'short-run' mindset even allows teams to make noticeable gains in shorter periods of time.  Take the Rays for example.  After losing their first three series (to the tune of a 1-8 record), the Rays proceeded to win the next four series, and now sit at a respectable 11-11.  By focusing on the series at hand, instead of the season record, a team can go from on the verge of a fire sale to legitamite contender in two weeks.  The 'series outlook' does not only work for teams looking to get back on the right track, but also for those teams looking to get off to a fast start.  After dropping the first series to the Mets, the Marlins have proceeded to win or tie every series since.  That is a 5-1-1 series record.  What does that equate to in terms of early season progress?  A 13-7 record, best in franchise history, and a #5 power ranking on ESPN.

Basically, if you win the strong majority of the series you play, then you make the playoffs.  Here's hoping that both my squads continue their winning series ways!