Is winning a division really winning "the pennant?"

[pokerfan]

I'm an old school, pre division, pre 1969 sort.

Win the league, get a pennant. Won a division, earn a chance to win a pennant.

Or is there a pennant for winning the Wild Card?

[sir_captain]

1. I think at this point

winning the LCS is winning the pennant. Or at least that's how I look at it.

[pokerfan]

2. That's the way I see it as well

Win an LCS, claim a pennant. Win a division or the WC, not so much.

[sir_captain]

3. Agreed

Which is why I thought the Cubs and Sox celebration today was a bit over the top. Now if the Rockies or the Phillies make the postseason, I'd make more of an allowance. I'll even give the Yankees a little more leeway since they came back from pretty far.

But in the end, as you say, it's pretty much World Series or bust.

[ikojo]

4. I'm a lifetime Cubs fan....we pretty

much take what we can get. Not too often the CUBS are playing baseball in October. Those who have been fans of teams for whom this is not unusual will find it hard to understand the exuberance felt in Cubs nation this morning.

[pokerfan]

8. I think it's great the Cubbies are heading to the postseason

I'm just not calling it pennant.

Before 1969 only two teams claimed pennants each year. Now eight teams go to the post season.

Which isn't a bad thing. Eight out of 30 isn't as ridiculous as the NHL or the NBA. But I would like to see MLB cut back on the regular season so baseball doesn't have to both begin and end in snowstorms.

[JVS]

6. yup

[JVS]

5. no

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. It's been 'dumbed down' to that

You hear "National League West pennant" and stuff a lot. But I'm old-school, too, and I hold to the original notion that winning The Pennant means winning your league, not just your division.

I see it as a by-product of the Little League think-of-the-children "You're all winners" mentality.

[Phillycat]

9. Of course not.

But people don't know what they're talking about, and then they post anyway. People enjoy talking out of their asses.

[Redbear]

10. "The pennant" no longer exists

It died with the advent of divisional play in 1969.

[MissMillie]

11. no

to win the pennant you have to win in either the ALCS or the NLCS.

[KitchenWitch]

12. Winning the division is just winning the division - the pennant means winning the league.

[Kelly Rupert]

13. No. "The pennant" would be the NLCS/ALCS reward.

[IndianaJones]

14. I'm with you. nt.