Semi final/final system of Beijing

[rwest]

Originally Posted by Dakota

Second, the loser of the game between #1 and #2 will be higher seeded out of the preliminaries than the winner of the match between #3 and #4 - guaranteed. So the loser of that game gets screwed - they get the bronze and the #3 or #4 team gets to play for the gold.

The winner of #3 vs #4 gets to play for the gold only if they defeat the loser of #1 vs #2. Assuming #2 loses in Semi-Final #1 and that #3 wins in Semi-Final #2. Then #2 will play #3 to see who gets the bronze. The loser gets the bronze and the winner goes on to play for the Gold and is guaranteed nothing less than a silver medal. If #2 wins, they play #1 again for the Gold. Winner of the Gold Medal game gets the gold. The only way for #3 or #4 to play for the gold is if they defeat the loser of Semi-Final #1.

[Dakota]

Well, THAT's simple! Why didn't I see that?

The wiki link posted was exactly clear, and as I said, I edited the message several times and STILL did not get it right!

Oh, well...

Suppose #1 is undefeated, and #2 has one loss to #1 in the round robin. #1 wins the semi, and #2 wins the bronze game AND subsequently the gold game. #2 gets the gold medal with a 1-2 record head-to-head against the silver medalist. No, it's not bizarre at all...

At least make it a 3 game series for the gold, like the colleges do. I'd bet that we generate MORE interest, not less (listening, TV folk?).

Since softball games are rarely the prime-time games anyway, and will be on tape delay except possibly for the terminally sleep-deprived (in NA, anyway), TV should have no problem with a series format.

But, then, since there is no olympic softball after this year anyway, what difference does it make?