The 1 seed

Several veteran GMs I have played with have told me the 1 seed rarely takes the title in a 12 team ATG league?

Do you agree?

Do you really think being 1 is cursed by Hal? If that is true...then tanking a couple of games at season end to try and get the 2 seed is the way to go?

If by "rarely," you mean less than half the time, yes. If by "rarely," you mean less than any other team, no.

I think a reasonable guess would be top seed 30%, 2nd seed 25% with the WC and 3rd seed splitting up the remainder. The WC is often the 2nd best team in the league; the chances of the two best teams being put in the same division are 3 of 11 in 12 team leagues and 5 of 23 in 24 team leagues.

Sometimes the best record is not the best team. I had a 100 win team that lost in the finals to a 96 win team, but the 96 win team was in a much stronger division- In the playoffs it is all about match ups.

All the number one seed guarantees you is playing at home each time if the series goes to seven games. If you've designed your team well to take advantage of it, it can make all the difference. But in most leagues "home field advantage" in the playoffs tends to be only a slight edge, but one certainly nice to have.

Trying to get the number 2 seed if you have the #1 seed seems like a very bad idea to me ...

All the number one seed guarantees you is playing at home each time if the series goes to seven games. If you've designed your team well to take advantage of it, it can make all the difference. But in most leagues "home field advantage" in the playoffs tends to be only a slight edge, but one certainly nice to have.

Trying to get the number 2 seed if you have the #1 seed seems like a very bad idea to me ...

Trying to get the number 2 seed if you have the #1 seed seems like a very bad idea to me ...

While I would agree and my goal is always to be #1 seed.

This thread of mine would maybe say I'm wrong ...

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=645989&hilit=make+this+shit+up+file

Matchups in the playoffs are everything. I just played the Druid in the first playoff round in an $80 million league. His team won 91 games, mine 82. His ballpark was League 34, mine was Memorial Stadium 57, a pitcher's park with a small lefty advantage. But my starter schedule was Shantz (L 9L), Candelaria (L, 6L), Sale (L, 4L), Sid Fernandez (L, 2L) and Atley Donald (R) E. I beat him in 5 games. I don't really think this was an upset, my starters feasted on the 6 LH bats in his lineup against lefties, and his 3 RH bats were Bobby Wallace, B. J. Upton, and Ray Hayworth, none priced over $3.75 million.

If I had had to face a good Minute Maid team I would have been blown away.

Bruce,

Care to share with the community what your team did to me last week when I clearly had the pitching advantage?

Out of my last 17 teams that went to the playoffs, the only one that won a championship was a team that finished 82-80 and was visiting team for both rounds.
go figure