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Baseball realignment


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been hearing grumblings of this for a few weeks and ESPN broke it yesterday. two 15 team leagues, no divisions top 5 teams in each league make the playoffs. Balanced schedule with interleague play all year.

This is the best thing next to a salary cap that could happen to MLB

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been hearing grumblings of this for a few weeks and ESPN broke it yesterday. two 15 team leagues, no divisions top 5 teams in each league make the playoffs. Balanced schedule with interleague play all year.

This is the best thing next to a salary cap that could happen to MLB

 

I think this is a great fix to one major problem in MLB, which is the ridiculous division alignment, and the awful schedule setup. Unfortunately, I don't know if the biggest problem, no salary cap, will ever be fixed.

 

Initial talks are to move the Astros to the American League, with the Marlins being another possibility.

Edited by Menudo
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been hearing grumblings of this for a few weeks and ESPN broke it yesterday. two 15 team leagues, no divisions top 5 teams in each league make the playoffs. Balanced schedule with interleague play all year.

This is the best thing next to a salary cap that could happen to MLB

I agree with this but an awful lot of purists won't like the interleague play going on all year. I do - a lot. The benefits potentially include a much better schedule and much better playoffs as well as less dead teams so early in the season.

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seems like the brewers would make the most sense. they were in the AL until 10-15 years ago.

Bud Selig wanted to be in the NL, so it was easy for them to switch. So the influence from him would stop doing that.

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it will never happen, but it would be kinda cool if they could realign yearly by salary/market size. That way, best of the bottom 15 teams would make it to the World Series.

 

It might even give some impetus to reduce the ridiculous spending on salaries: if you were a team that was 10th-15th in salary, you could dump some salary, and jump to the other "league" with the best of what you have left, and hope to win it. Conversely, the teams ranked 16-20 would have to think long and hard about adding salary, knowing a bump in payroll might also mean a bump up to having to play the Yankees/red Sox/Phils on a regular basis. There's only so many big salaries the top-6 teams can sign in a 25-man roster. Wages would decrease substantially for everyone else.

 

The one big downside to this is that teams the draw well are usually the big-ticket teams....no one is going to pay to see the Marline/Pirates on a regular basis.

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seems like the brewers would make the most sense. they were in the AL until 10-15 years ago.

The Twins wouldn't mind. By far our biggest interleague rivalry, it's played every year with hugh crowds heading up and down the freeway to each others stadia for weekend series.

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REALLY don't like it, would have rather them keep the teams and simply make a 7/7 for the AL and 8/8 for the NL.

 

I DO hope though, that with whack ass interleague all year long they do something with this new found freedom to schedule April games more in the south because of weather difficulties with games played in temps below 40.

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did they mention anything about taking away the DH in the AL or adding DH to the NL?....I could care less either way, I just want some consistency...

 

but personally, I prefer the DH and let the pitchers focus on pitching....the game has moved in that direction and so should the rules, but I won't complain whichever way the ruling would be - if there were one since interleague play would happen throughout the year...

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but personally, I prefer the DH and let the pitchers focus on pitching....the game has moved in that direction and so should the rules, but I won't complain whichever way the ruling would be - if there were one since interleague play would happen throughout the year...

 

+1

 

I also think we should let the catchers focus on catching, the shortstops focus on fielding....we should have 9 DHs, IMO :wacko:

 

The DH is for Thighmasters....if you pitch, you should be able to use a bat and help your team. It might be the weakest excuse in all of sports..."I pitch, so I am allowed to be a misfit at the plate". Pretty pathetic.

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+1

 

I also think we should let the catchers focus on catching, the shortstops focus on fielding....we should have 9 DHs, IMO :wacko:

 

The DH is for Thighmasters....if you pitch, you should be able to use a bat and help your team. It might be the weakest excuse in all of sports..."I pitch, so I am allowed to be a misfit at the plate". Pretty pathetic.

 

poor excuse for an argument here because pitching is the most involved of the 9 positions and the game isn't what it was 50 years ago when pitchers could work on their hitting...

 

I am tired of seeing interleague play where the AL team playing home has the advantage because they are already geared towards having an extra hitter while the NL team puts out a player who pinch hits from time to time....

 

lean one way or the other....and don't try to be smarmy, it's the reality of todays baseball, if one league has a DH then so should the other...if not then make no DH at all...

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poor excuse for an argument here because pitching is the most involved of the 9 positions and the game isn't what it was 50 years ago when pitchers could work on their hitting...

 

I am tired of seeing interleague play where the AL team playing home has the advantage because they are already geared towards having an extra hitter while the NL team puts out a player who pinch hits from time to time....

 

lean one way or the other....and don't try to be smarmy, it's the reality of todays baseball, if one league has a DH then so should the other...if not then make no DH at all...

 

Your first statement is a bogus excuse...they can't work on their hitting? are you kidding me? Why not? They have two days off after they pitch, and the third day is long toss. They have all day to work on putting the ball in play, moving the runner, bunting....everything the NL pitchers already do.

 

But except for your first statement above, I completely agree with everything else you say...which is why I think the AL made one of the most ridiculous decisions in the history of sports to adopt the DH. It was done strictly to promote more offense, when it already was apples-to-apples. The NL game is so much more strategic with having to deal with pinch hitters/double-switches/etc...the AL loses so much in this regard for the advantage of having a guy in the lineup who gets one extra hit every ten at-bats over the guy he replaces in the batting order.

 

Is there any other sport in the world where one specific player does not participate with the rest of the team in its offense because he is too?

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did they mention anything about taking away the DH in the AL or adding DH to the NL?....I could care less either way, I just want some consistency...

 

but personally, I prefer the DH and let the pitchers focus on pitching....the game has moved in that direction and so should the rules, but I won't complain whichever way the ruling would be - if there were one since interleague play would happen throughout the year...

 

 

+1

 

I also think we should let the catchers focus on catching, the shortstops focus on fielding....we should have 9 DHs, IMO :wacko:

 

The DH is for Thighmasters....if you pitch, you should be able to use a bat and help your team. It might be the weakest excuse in all of sports..."I pitch, so I am allowed to be a misfit at the plate". Pretty pathetic.

 

 

poor excuse for an argument here because pitching is the most involved of the 9 positions and the game isn't what it was 50 years ago when pitchers could work on their hitting...

 

I am tired of seeing interleague play where the AL team playing home has the advantage because they are already geared towards having an extra hitter while the NL team puts out a player who pinch hits from time to time....

 

lean one way or the other....and don't try to be smarmy, it's the reality of todays baseball, if one league has a DH then so should the other...if not then make no DH at all...

 

 

Your first statement is a bogus excuse...they can't work on their hitting? are you kidding me? Why not? They have two days off after they pitch, and the third day is long toss. They have all day to work on putting the ball in play, moving the runner, bunting....everything the NL pitchers already do.

 

But except for your first statement above, I completely agree with everything else you say...which is why I think the AL made one of the most ridiculous decisions in the history of sports to adopt the DH. It was done strictly to promote more offense, when it already was apples-to-apples. The NL game is so much more strategic with having to deal with pinch hitters/double-switches/etc...the AL loses so much in this regard for the advantage of having a guy in the lineup who gets one extra hit every ten at-bats over the guy he replaces in the batting order.

 

Is there any other sport in the world where one specific player does not participate with the rest of the team in its offense because he is too?

 

No need to recreate the argument here. Just read this thread from a few weeks ago. I don't think we will ever get on even ground. At least Avernus is willing to get rid of the DH just to have consistent rules.

 

But Swammi, don't kid yourself...the evolution of baseball has gotten rid of pitchers 'practicing' their hitting a long time ago. Outside of a few exceptions, they all suck. I love strategy as much as anyone but I'd rather watch an athletic event with athletes who have the best chance of succeeding. Let me know when the 'chess' channel gets on DirectTV and I'll tune in for strategy.

 

 

ETA: I also think having the same rules in a major sport is important enough that if the only way to accomplish that is to abolish the DH then I would vote for that. I just think that thinking is dated....strategy or not.

Edited by Puddy
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No need to recreate the argument here. Just read this thread from a few weeks ago. I don't think we will ever get on even ground. At least Avernus is willing to get rid of the DH just to have consistent rules.

 

But Swammi, don't kid yourself...the evolution of baseball has gotten rid of pitchers 'practicing' their hitting a long time ago. Outside of a few exceptions, they all suck. I love strategy as much as anyone but I'd rather watch an athletic event with athletes who have the best chance of succeeding. Let me know when the 'chess' channel gets on DirectTV and I'll tune in for strategy.

 

 

ETA: I also think having the same rules in a major sport is important enough that if the only way to accomplish that is to abolish the DH then I would vote for that. I just think that thinking is dated....strategy or not.

 

The NL and AL are two seperate leagues that operate under MLB. They have been since the 1800's and always will be. Think of the old AFL and NFL days. Their own presidents, rules etc. hell until the umpire association stepped in each league had their own umpires.

The NL will never use a DH and the AL will not eliminate it. end of discussion and they could give a damn about what the fans want(about equal rules).

Personally I like the NL way, but an AL die hard.

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The NL and AL are two seperate leagues that operate under MLB. They have been since the 1800's and always will be. Think of the old AFL and NFL days. Their own presidents, rules etc. hell until the umpire association stepped in each league had their own umpires.

The NL will never use a DH and the AL will not eliminate it. end of discussion and they could give a damn about what the fans want(about equal rules).

Personally I like the NL way, but an AL die hard.

they are changing things....old traditions (especially bad ones) are sometimes changed...especially one like the DH or not having one...

 

the AL parks are smaller and they have a DH which obviously promotes higher scoring while the NL parks are larger and have no DH....how can you have a championship decided between two leagues that promotes two completely different styles of offense....there should be a level playing field...but you have two different games played under one roof by design, not by choice...

 

this has to change..

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I'd also like to add that for the record, I've always said to let the pitchers test the plate....but the fan in me wants to see another batter at the bottom of the order instead of a pitcher because it's more exciting....but like I've said, I could settle for either...just make a friggin change

Edited by Avernus
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+1

 

I also think we should let the catchers focus on catching, the shortstops focus on fielding....we should have 9 DHs, IMO :wacko:

 

The DH is for Thighmasters....if you pitch, you should be able to use a bat and help your team. It might be the weakest excuse in all of sports..."I pitch, so I am allowed to be a misfit at the plate". Pretty pathetic.

All safeties should play WR too. Pathetic that they can only go one way. And QBs should be defensive ends, while we're at it.

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they are changing things....old traditions (especially bad ones) are sometimes changed...especially one like the DH or not having one...

 

the AL parks are smaller and they have a DH which obviously promotes higher scoring while the NL parks are larger and have no DH....how can you have a championship decided between two leagues that promotes two completely different styles of offense....there should be a level playing field...but you have two different games played under one roof by design, not by choice...

 

this has to change..

I agree with this, despite not caring much either way which of the two they adopt for both.

 

I see merits in both DH and no DH. What I like about the NL is that managers actually have to manage. Double switches, weighing the option of keeping a pitcher who has been doing well against his liability at the plate in a crucial inning, that sort of thing. Much more interesting than just filling out the line-up card and having the luxury of making pitching changes 100% based on whether you think the pitcher will be effective on the mound.

 

The argument in favor of the DH is, it's boring to watch some guy up there failing at pitches. And if it was as easy as simply working on their hitting during off days, don't you think they'd do it? I mean, this is a high dollar industry, filled with very competitive people. Maybe there's some prima donnas who would say, "I'm not here to hit, I'm here to pitch". But there'd be plenty of guys who wanted to prove themselves an asset at the plate as well as on the bump, because they know full well that would add to their value. Let alone the personal pride issue of not looking like a spazz at the plate. I mean, don't you think a team would love an effective pitcher who was also batting .300? A guy who you could treat like an AL pitcher in the NL? So, I don't think it's as simple as saying that they should just work on their hitting.

 

Further, I find it funny that someone on a Football message board is clowning the idea of specialization. Is there a single major sport with more specialization than football? You've got big fat dudes who do nothing more than push people around. Little tiny Swedes who trot out on to the field a few times a game to kick a ball through the uprights. Hell, sometimes there's another guy entirely in charge of kicking the ball as far as he can off the tee after the other kicker does his thing. There's a guy who gets on to the field only on punts who's job it is to run down the sidelines and get pushed out of bounds, occupying a blocker. And the list goes on.

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I agree with this, despite not caring much either way which of the two they adopt for both.

 

I see merits in both DH and no DH. What I like about the NL is that managers actually have to manage. Double switches, weighing the option of keeping a pitcher who has been doing well against his liability at the plate in a crucial inning, that sort of thing. Much more interesting than just filling out the line-up card and having the luxury of making pitching changes 100% based on whether you think the pitcher will be effective on the mound.

 

The argument in favor of the DH is, it's boring to watch some guy up there failing at pitches. And if it was as easy as simply working on their hitting during off days, don't you think they'd do it? I mean, this is a high dollar industry, filled with very competitive people. Maybe there's some prima donnas who would say, "I'm not here to hit, I'm here to pitch". But there'd be plenty of guys who wanted to prove themselves an asset at the plate as well as on the bump, because they know full well that would add to their value. Let alone the personal pride issue of not looking like a spazz at the plate. I mean, don't you think a team would love an effective pitcher who was also batting .300? A guy who you could treat like an AL pitcher in the NL? So, I don't think it's as simple as saying that they should just work on their hitting.

 

Further, I find it funny that someone on a Football message board is clowning the idea of specialization. Is there a single major sport with more specialization than football? You've got big fat dudes who do nothing more than push people around. Little tiny Swedes who trot out on to the field a few times a game to kick a ball through the uprights. Hell, sometimes there's another guy entirely in charge of kicking the ball as far as he can off the tee after the other kicker does his thing. There's a guy who gets on to the field only on punts who's job it is to run down the sidelines and get pushed out of bounds, occupying a blocker. And the list goes on.

 

exactly and I think it has more to do with how much focus pitchers have to put towards pitching in this era than they did 40 or 50 years ago because the players are bigger, stronger, faster and also smarter....I don't think anyone goes out on the field drunk anymore :wacko:....Mickey mantle would have to sober up to play in todays game...

 

a pitcher has to focus on every batter and how he wants to pitch each individual because there is far more strategy in todays game...and I by no means slight the golden era of baseball, it's just the way it has evolved for the better and for the worse in some opinion...especially with HGH and other supplements that are unknown at this time....

 

a great pitcher is the Quarterback...and the Kicker...and if a pitcher was treated as such, I wouldn't care as long as both the AL and NL did it because it just doesn't make sense in todays game...

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All safeties should play WR too. Pathetic that they can only go one way. And QBs should be defensive ends, while we're at it.

 

Um....in baseball every player except the pitcher plays both offense and defense in the NL...the way the game was designed.

 

So you sarcasm about the NFL comparison is moot, since offense and defense are two separate units of players.

 

Thanks for trying, tho :wacko:

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Um....in baseball every player except the pitcher plays both offense and defense in the NL...the way the game was designed.

 

So you sarcasm about the NFL comparison is moot, since offense and defense are two separate units of players.

 

Thanks for trying, tho :wacko:

 

did you mean AL?....I'm assuming you mean AL....

 

the point was that there are all sorts of exceptions in sports like the Goalie in Hockey or the Kicker in Football.....the pitcher in baseball is like that....and like I said, the pitcher can hit - I really don't care which way it is ruled but it is 2011 and we should have some consistency if interleague play will happen throughout the season and not just for a couple of weeks...

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Um....in baseball every player except the pitcher plays both offense and defense in the NL...the way the game was designed.

 

So you sarcasm about the NFL comparison is moot, since offense and defense are two separate units of players.

 

Thanks for trying, tho :wacko:

Actually football had players play both offense and defense with one of those also doing the kicking, and still can regularly occur in high school and younger. But football rules had evolved into specialists for each position, especially with a rule change that allowed unlimited substitutions.

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Um....in baseball every player except the pitcher plays both offense and defense in the NL...the way the game was designed.

 

So you sarcasm about the NFL comparison is moot, since offense and defense are two separate units of players.

 

Thanks for trying, tho :wacko:

As Big John points out above, that specialization came after years of two-way playing. It's an evolution. And does anyone really not think that hitters and pitchers are two separate groups of players? Or should all 25 on the roster bat every game?

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