Jeff Passan's new column has some details about an extra Wild Card, which has an Astros connection to it...
One positive step in recent weeks, sources said, is the softening of incoming Houston Astros owner Jim Crane on moving his team to the AL West under a realignment plan that would even out the leagues at 15 teams apiece and allow six five-team divisions. Crane’s reticence – playing three division foes in the Pacific time zone – is allayed by the Texas Rangers’ ability to lock in a huge TV deal in spite of their AL West affiliation as well as the possibility of negotiations offering a more balanced schedule.
Maybe because Crane realizes that the longer this goes on, the more people question whether he is in Iraq, selling Coke cans to the government for $1m apiece...
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
