The way everyone is talking about it, the NL world as we know it is coming to an end in the not-too-distant future. That is because everyone is speculating the the NL will eventually have to adopt the DH.
No longer will the NL be the last bastion of "pure" baseball.
No longer will managers actually need to think about when to lift their starter for a pinch hitter or pull a double-switch.
In other words, baseball in the NL will eventually become more brawn and less brains.
The rumors started swirling about this possibility last year when it was announced that Houston would move to the AL, which required that 2 teams play an interleague game each day.
The thinking is that, with interleague play becoming more prevalent, eventually the two leagues will have to adopt uniform rules and, since the MLBPA will never vote to eliminate the DH in the AL, the NL will eventually have to acquiesce and adopt it.
But every time I see another article proclaiming that the end is near for the NL or extolling the virtues of the DH, it makes me want to scream WHY!?!
Why are the powers that be doing this to our beloved game?
Why do they keep trying to fix something that is not broken?
I've never been a fan of interleague play. To me its just a distraction from the games that really matter.
Do we really need to see a Cardinals/Royals series every year? Is it really that big of a rivalry? Wouldn't we be better off seeing more games against the hated Reds or even the Cardinals natural rival, the Cubs?
I may be in the minority here and I know that interleague play will not go away. A long time ago baseball became more about money than tradition or history.
So, while the DH in the NL may be inevitable, it doesn't mean I have to like it.
The problem stared when Congress allowed MLB to appoint an owner (Selig) as commissioner. It does not matter that he no longer owns the team. He has owner mentality and philosophy and governs baseball that way with only the bottom line as his concern like it is a bank. Why do people have to relearn the same lesson over and over and over. 1919 Black Sox prove owners will sell their soul for some extra money.
ReplyDeleteNO! No! No! Say it aint so!! Baseball is played with 9 players any 8 year old can tell you that. I also think that interleaque play is overdone.
ReplyDeleteSorry have to disagree -- I'm a lifelong Cards fans and can't wait till I don't have to watch pitchers hit. I know that's sacrelig to most on here but I'm ready to move on. Baseball was suffering an identity crisis when McGwire and Sosa pulled it back into the national spotlight. Give me the offense -- and interleague play!
ReplyDeleteHow can you, as a Cardinals fan, say that you want the DH? You must be a youngster.
DeleteYou cite the criminals McGwire and Sosa as some ideal of baseball to aim for? You are apparently very young and real baseball had already died before you became a fan. By the way when look at baseball post season ratings versus the NFL it is impossible not to conclude that baseball is still on the brink. There was time when everybody watched the league championship series and then world series. Those days are long gone.
DeleteMaybe the pitchers should pay more attention during batting practice. Maybe we should just let every player bat in order wheather they play or not. Maybe all the players should get a participation trophy. Maybe they sould have two line ups fielders and batters. Or should pithers get paid more, then maybe they could get personal coaches to teach them to hit the ball.
ReplyDeleteYou can't do that as a professional pitcher. The dh is good for baseball.
DeleteWell as to the 8 year old. Most summer teams at 8 bat the whole roster. Batting 10 is more common at 9+. NFHS(HS rule body) allows a DH, but doesn't state it must be a pitcher. American Legion plays American League rules. so, it is only pure baseball in the NL. Not that was ever plays "pure" baseball in the last generation.
ReplyDeleteHate the DH its not baseball it will be a sad day when it happens in the National league.
ReplyDeleteI am tired of hearing about how all the lower levels have the DH. Lower levels also have saftey bases, curtosy runners, the ability to reenter the game, madatory slide rules, and all kinds of other stuff that you will not see in the big leagues.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The original charter said that the two leagues would be separate but equal. Separate (won't play each other until World Series) but equal (DH for both or neither). Interleague and DH don't add to the glory of the past: it squats on it. It waters down the importance of the World Series. It takes strategy away from the game. All it does is line the pockets of already rich people, and packages an inferior product and calls it new and improved.
ReplyDeleteThat sums it up nicely. Thanks.
DeleteWhile I agree that change for change sake isn't always good, allowing the DH isn't the ruination of baseball. I'm not tied to the game of 1950 in the good old days, at times sports need to evolve. Criminals or not(who cited them as ideals) if you cannot admit the added excitement brought back to the game by McGwire and Sosa we'll just have to argee to disagree.
ReplyDeleteI say wind the balls tight and let them fly -- it's a heck of a lot more fun than watching a 2-1 soccer game. Can't wait till Jaime Garcia gets to bat again!
ReplyDeleteThe DH rule after a while, turned me into a Cubs fan after following the Twins since I was a kid. If the DH is implemented in the NL, I'm afraid I will just be a fickle baseball fan and never attend or even watch again until post-season play. (I just can't kick the habit entirely.)
ReplyDeleteNot being required to send the pitchers to the plate simply took out too much coaching strategy and made the game more boring than it can be anyway.
Say "NO" to DH baseball!
I am like most of you the DH is wrong.
ReplyDeleteCommissioner Bud Selig has run the MLB into
the ground.The AL & NL should only play
in the playoffs. That is what it is all about
never playing AL or NL till post season.
The Allstar game should be for the fans
not who gets home field