Selig says no change in Playoff Format

AP

Commissioner
Bud Selig yesterday said baseball was not considering an expansion of the first
round from best-of-five to best-of-seven.

“We’re
pressing now to Nov. 1. The clubs are not interested in shortening the season,
and I understand it,” he said. “And therefore, you can’t have
everything. There are a lot of people who believe a five-game series really has
more tension, more pressure, every game means more.”

At times,
Selig has said baseball would consider changing the first-round schedule to
make it more difficult for wild-card teams, who currently are home for Games 3
and 4. “We continue to talk about that,” he said.

Also,
owners approved baseball’s new seven-year “Extra Innings”
out-of-market television contracts with DirecTV and In Demand, deals that
guarantee the clubs an average of $80 million annually. Owners also approved
the launch of the MLB Network, which Selig said will be available to at least
47 million homes when it starts broadcasting on Jan. 1, 2009.

The MLB
Network will broadcast baseball programming 24 hours a day, including a weekly
Saturday night live game during the regular season.