Showing posts with label Designated Hitter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Designated Hitter. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

No DH in the NL, please!

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.