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ANSWER GUY: WHY ARE THEY CALLED "PLAYOFFS?"

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Tom Shieber, senior curator, National Baseball Hall of Fame: Originally, the playoffs didn't refer to a championship series but to an extra game or games to decide the pennant if teams were tied at the end of the regular season. The winner advanced to the World Series. Small world. For example, you might remember the Dodgers and Giants played a three-game series to decide the pennant in 1951. That shot was heard around these parts too, pal. Those games were considered part of the regular season, ...

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