As a lifelong NBA and Soccer fan, I "recently" (within the past 7 or so years) also got into NHL and NFL and now follow all sports on a daily basis. Even more recently though, as in the past few weeks, I have gotten into MLB and it's a very different experience. I've pretty much got it handled with regards to regulations and what makes a good game and all that, I can enjoy watching it on a casual fan level.
What I don't really get is what makes a dominant team and how soon can you form expectations with regards to certain teams. In other sports it's extremely straightforward. In soccer and the NBA, you pretty much know year in and year out who's making the Finals, or at least the semi-finals. It's easy to identify the four strongest teams and usually one of those four will win the title.
Same goes for the NFL, but less so for the NHL, where you play these long 7 game series in the playoffs and that puck can literally go into a net randomly and swing a series. I like how unpredictable hockey can be most of the time, but during crunch time, it's the same as basketball or football - players can easily impose their will on the game.
I'm not sure it works the same in baseball, but maybe I'm wrong. Isn't it less so about will and more so about focus? Like if the Celtics or Avalanche find themselves in a must win Game 7 to advance to the next round, you can bet the house they will at least bring it to their opponents in terms of effort. Looking at last year's MLB playoffs, it felt a bit confusing when also comparing regular season stats and record, at least in the early rounds. Is it harder to win a baseball game when it's the decisive game? Harder to impose your will and simply come out and dominate?
Also, last question, are there generally fewer teams with a real chance to win the World Series than there are teams that can win the NBA title or the Super Bowl? How unpredictable is the MLB on average?
Thanks guys! Would love some insight from all you baseball lifers
