MLB schedule gets curiouser and curiouser.

See previous post.

NL Central teams play different numbers of games against division rivals and I've been told that this uneven number rotates from year to year.  It turns out this is kind of correct.  Read on.

2010 is different from1998 when NL added Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks, causing NL Central to expand to six teams.

Yesterday I picked the Cincinnati Reds arbitrarily.  Here's the link for 2010 Reds.  You can check the number of games yourself.

Here the link for the Reds in 1998:

Only 11 games against other NL Central teams, 9 against other NL teams except San Diego: 12!

Another big fat: what the heck?  Bud Selig must be dumber than even I thought.

In 1999 the Reds played 12 or 13 games against division rivals; 10 against the Mets; 9 against Atlanta and Colorado; I think 7 against the remaining NL teams.

I wonder what we'll find in 2000?

Similar pattern: 12 or 13 games against NL Central division rivals.

This changed in 2001.  Reds played:
CHC 4-13 (17)
HOU 6-11 (17)
MIL 6-10 (16)
PIT 9-8 (17)
STL 7-10 (17)

Obviously Selig had no idea what he was doing when MLB expanded NL to 16 teams in 1998.  MLB was experimenting year to year.  No wonder MLB is so confused now trying to fix the mess.  Do you think this undermines the integrity of the game, you know, like steroids?

Same pattern in 2002 but drifting toward the 2010 mess:
CHC 17
HOU 17
MIL 19
PIT 18
STL 19

Different again in 2003:
CHC 17
HOU 17
MIL 18
PIT 16
STL 16

2004:
CHC 17
HOU 17
MIL 18
PIT 19
STL 19

Change is nice, isn't it?  Each season from 1998 through 2004 is different.  What next?

2005:
CHC 15
HOU 16
MIL 16
PIT 16
STL 16
Fewer games in division but almost equal.  Oh, Buddy (Selig), this scheduling thing is complicated!  Somebody should help you.  No wonder you didn't know about those silly old steroids.

2006:
CHC 19
HOU 15
MIL 19
PIT 16
STL 15
Buddy is zooming around, fine tuning that NL schedule.  Most of us had no idea it was changing so much each season.

2007:
CHC 18
HOU 15
MIL 15
PIT 16
STL 15
That Buddy.  He keeps us guessing, doesn't he?  No wonder he has all that power.

2008:
CHC 15
HOU 15
MIL 18
PIT 15
STL 15
Back to almost even.

2009:
CHC 15
HOU 16
MIL 15
PIT 18
STL 16

2010:
CHC 16
HOU 15
MIL 14
PIT 16
STL 18

MLB, clean up the mess.  Try my suggestion.  It can only help.