Three cheers to Major League Baseball for long distinguishing itself from other American sports by demanding higher standards for its play-off qualifiers.
Basketball and hockey spend more than half of the year eliminating fewer than half of their teams.
Surely the plan originated with a student who began the school year with a list of all classmates to consider inviting to the prom, then scratching off only a handful during the months leading up to the big dance.
Football admits a dozen of its 32 teams. Its whole post-season lasts only 11 games, affirming the entertainment adage that giving people too little is preferable to too much. Yet, awarding byes is troublesome. Ideally, play-offs should launch with the contestants on equal footing.
Only 18 years ago, the MLB in October was as exclusive as the Frank Sinatra wives' club. Of 28 teams, four were waved through.
Since, baseball has maintained a dignified structure, with three division champions and an extra from each league.
Though the wild-card entrants' success - five World Series titles, five runners-up - has rankled some purists, the cast usually is devoid of undeserving squads.
Now, MLB risks his status by opening the gates a bit wider. It is welcoming a second non-division winner per league, thus creating a landmark on Friday: the first wild-card games.
Its stated intent was to keep fans from tuning out in September by keeping more teams in the play-off chase. Consider it done.
This also being debate season in the US, with the candidates for president facing off from behind podiums, let the back and forth begin on the merits of play-off expansion.
***
For What a tasty start to the post-season, two do-or-die games on opening day. Sort of like your favourite band kicking off a concert with their two coolest songs.
Against You ignore the tilted playing field that disadvantages the wild cards. The two winners, after using up their ace pitcher, enter the next round with their No 2 arm going against the rested opponents' main man.
***
For Cry me a river. Those teams failed to win their divisions, so they pay the price.
Against A high price that you would not pay were it tagged on to a store product. Besides, one day cannot determine the better baseball team.
The entire pitching staff should be tested over the course of several games. That is why the most recognised phrase in American sports - OK, along with "Super Bowl" - is World Series. Which, by the way, was born more than a century ago as a best of nine. Why, tiebreakers used to be best of three, unlike the current single game approach.
Even the All-Star game was once All-Star "games" - two per year. One-game showdowns are a lousy fit for baseball.
***
For Not that you are old-fashioned, but you probably make calls on a rotary phone and listen to music on a phonograph. You must accept that the closing stretch of the season overflowed with excitement. Of the 15 series that commenced Monday, 10 carried playoff implications.
Against You conveniently forget about those unworthy National League teams that hung in the race until near the end. The Brewers barely had a winning record. Shoot, the Phillies were buried so far under .500 that they started trading away their stars, only to awaken one morning in wild card contention.
***
For With only one-third of their teams getting in, MLB remains a long way from the come-one, come-all nature of the post-seasons for guys wearing trainers or skates. Give baseball some credit.
Against Instead, give me a nice, symmetrical eight-team bracket. As Einstein said: "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
Speaking of which, whoever heard of a 2-3 set-up - the wild-card winners opening the next round with two home games, then on the road for three?
***
For Blame it on a calendar quirk. That is changing next year to the standard 2-2-1. As Anonymous said: "Rome was not built in a day."
Against Unlike wild card "champions", who evidently can be determined in a day. You might say the play-offs have become watered down after seeing the Braves' clubhouse celebration when they clinched a wild-card berth. Except it was not water they were spraying out of bottles on each other. Atlanta are a solar system away from the World Series title. This was not worth more than a few extra high-fives.
***
For Who can fault them for being excited over their history-making roles in the inaugural wild card games? Here is a novel idea: see how this works out, then revisit the topic next season.
Against Agreed. But if MLB is weighing another expansion to 12 teams, rather than three cheers, it's three strikes for me - and I am out of here.
sports@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
RACECARD%20
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETHE%20SPECS%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EEngine%3A%203.5-litre%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3ETransmission%3A%209-speed%20automatc%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20279hp%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20350Nm%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh250%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
NEW%20PRICING%20SCHEME%20FOR%20APPLE%20MUSIC%2C%20TV%2B%20AND%20ONE
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994
- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes 58-10 Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers 5-39 Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons 16-56 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
SPECS
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The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The%20specs
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Company%20profile%20
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Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UAE group fixtures
Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran
Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait
Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Company%20profile
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