INTER-Selig PLAY

Hello Fans,

Well, inter-league games are now complete for the 2012 season as the end of June draws near.  It’s now time for teams to focus on a division series or two and league games before the All-Star break.  And then, it’s on to the dog days of summer.  The Texas Rangers won the crown of best inter-league team this year with a 14-4 record.  Yep, that’s good for a .778 winning percentage.  (Arizona was the best NL team at 9-6 as most NL teams only play 15 such games).  That’s gettin’ it done!  However, for as long as some fans and media think the inter-league schedule is, it’s only a total of 18 games, or just eleven percent of the season.  Advantages and disadvantages go both ways for teams playing geographic or ‘natural’ rivals and for DH/pitchers hitting depending on the park.  And with re-alignment becoming reality in 2012 with the Houston Astros going over to the American League, more people than ever are voicing their opinions to ‘re-align’ the two leagues into having the same rules regarding the DH.  MLB Commissioner Bud Selig has meanwhile held his ground on keeping things the same.

And why not?  Fans come to the parks in bigger droves than normal when some team they rarely ever see comes to town and has to play their team’s brand of ball.  Re-alignment means inter-league play will obviously happen EVERY day of the season, all six divisions will have an equal five teams, and we get a more balanced schedule overall both within and between the leagues.  Now onto the proposed rules changes regarding pitchers and DHs.  Casual fans like bombs and offense.  Nobody particularly likes watching a Randy Johnson type guy hit oh-forty-three while he strikes out 14 guys in 7 innings every fifth day.  I get that this type of futility can be ugly.  And the players’ union will obviously never allow the DH to be taken away as it preserves a big money position for power men while creating a spot for older stars that may see rare action on the field otherwise.

OK so that leave us with what?  The Commish could fold under the pressure of inter-league and re-alignment changes and implement the DH all the way around.  I don’t think that will happen and here’s why; One, he started this era of expanded playoffs and inter-league play and it has been nurtured into the success that is now and it didn’t happen all at once so there’s no need to dive in head first now either.  Two, I’m not really sure there are enough David Ortiz or Paul Molitor or Edgar Martinez types to go around for 30 (or more someday) teams to say, hey, look our DH is a MONSTER.  It would water down the position considerably, at least in the near term, and the peak of its success would be behind us.  And most importantly, three, the overall impact on the game of baseball.  If the majors go to all-DHs-all-the-time, pretty soon all minor leagues will change and then colleges and high schools will follow as well.  And before we know it, even little leaguers will need DHs too!

No sport needs to become more one dimensional in any facet of the game.  Specialization of skills in sports is inevitable anyway.  There is no need to enhance it for little Johnny’s 8 year old all-stars.  If you’re a ballplayer, you’re going to need a bat and a mitt.  Plus, look at the difference in the box scores from the AL to the NL on any given night.  AL boxes are neat and borderline boring in comparison to the NL’s, especially if extra innings are involved.  Then, we have pinch hitters, pinch runners, maybe the bullpen gets thin so the starting pitcher two days from now runs and even tosses an inning.  That’s GREAT action!  And that’s why the DH was put into play in the first place when Ron Bloomberg stepped into the batter’s box in 1973 as the first DH.  So ya see, we currently ‘have it made’ with two types of action thanks to two variations of rules.  It’s important to realize what the game offers before we wish it away and possibly impact the Great Pastime in a negative way.  And besides, who ever said pitchers couldn’t take extra BP or hit up the cages in January?  We know they can’t throw every single day, right?  Get to work, slugger!

Later Fans.