An Excerpt from a recent edition of the Joe Sheehan Newsletter

This is an economic decision that has nothing at all to do with Cuba, Fidel Castro or Ozzie Guillen's long history of being opinionated. This is public relations, not politics. This is the Marlins, at a critical moment in their history and desperately trying to win over a city they've bent over for years, making damned sure that they don't lose any of the momentum gained by their new ballpark or waste the hundreds of millions of dollars they committed in finding players to romp around in it.

A Second Wild Card Is a Really Bad Idea

Wed, 2/29/12 2:17pm GMT — jsheehan

Maybe the Padres had their run a few years too early. In the wake of the Yankees/Rays non-race in the AL East, in which both teams made it perfectly clear that the division title meant little versus getting ready for the postseason, there's a movement afoot to implement a rule change that would force teams in similar positions to value the division title more than it was valued this year. The most popular of these involves allowing a second wild-card team from each league, and having the two wild-card teams meet in a very short playoff, either one game or a best-of-three, to advance.

I called this idea "unimaginably stupid" on Twitter, and trust me, I was underselling its problems.

State of the Newsletter -- 2012

Thu, 12/01/11 10:49am GMT — jsheehan

Volume IV of The Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter will run from February 1, 2012 through January 31, 2013. The cost of Volume IV, starting December 1, will be $29.95, payable by credit or debit card through PayPal. (NO PayPal account is required, just a credit or debit card!) If you sign up prior to February 1, 2012, you will be added to the mailing list immediately, gaining access to the end of the run of Volume III -- with Winter Meetings and other Hot Stove coverage throughout the offseason.

The Joe Sheehan Newsletter is an e-mail newsletter about all things baseball, a mix of analysis, commentary and opinion, all linked by a deep love of the game. More than a thousand people have subscribed -- get on board today!

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