The Lineup Card

We've known the playoff schedule will be different this year for awhile. It'll feature a few more off days so that the World Series will start on a Saturday. What we didn't know, until the New York Post reported it on Tuesday, is that the team with the best record in each league will be able to decide its schedule for the division series.

But what does it all mean Basil?

There are two schedules, Series A and Series B. Peep the difference below:

Game	Series A	Series B
1	Oct. 4	Oct. 4
2	Oct. 5	Oct. 6
3	Oct. 7	Oct. 8
4	Oct. 8	Oct. 9
5	Oct. 10	Oct. 11

So what do you do if you win home-field advantage, and the right to choose your schedule in the first round? Obviously, you've got to go with what's best for your team in the first round and what puts your opponent at the biggest disadvantage. At least that's what you'd think unless you were the New York Post, and as a result convinced that a Red Sox-Yankees ALCS is destiny and Boston is obsessed with avoiding New York.

But is it such a stretch to think that the Red Sox, who went into last night leading the Angels by 2½ and the Indians by 3½ for the league's best record, wouldn't jump at the chance to play the eight-day series if for no other reason than to require the Yankees to play the seven-day series so Joba Chamberlain would only be available for three games, instead of the four in which he'd be allowed to pitch in the extended version?

I will concede that Larry Brooks raises an interesting point about trying to shelve Joba Chamberlain in the ALCS as much as possible, but that really assumes a lot. Namely that: A) Your team will make the ALCS. B) The Yankees will get by the Angels and into the ALCS. C.) The Yankees will abide by the "Joba Rules" in the postseason.

But it really is a stretch. Winningthe American League is going to be really tough. Frankly I'd give each team an equal chance of winning its series, which means there's only a 25 percent chance that the Red Sox would meet the Yankees. Needless to say, Boston will have to take care of business against Cleveland and selecting the eight-day series just to duck Chamberlain is utterly preposterous. The Red Sox have a deeper rotation than the Indians, who happen to be extremely top-heavy. If they chose Series A, they'll likely only have to face C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona three times. In Series B, they might have to face Sabathia and Carmona in four out of five games. It behooves Boston to choose Series A, regardless of a hypothetical eighth-inning meeting with Joba down the line. Would it kill a New York writer to show a little levity and common sense?

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