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Interleague play in need of fixing
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WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Interleague play — save for a Pirates-Yankees makeup game — has concluded for the 2008 season. You’ll pardon my lack of grief over this situation.
Maybe it’s me, but I just can’t get too jazzed up about American League and National League teams meeting during the regular season. I didn’t care much for it when it began in 1997. I considered it pure pandering on the part of the game’s executives, trying to come up with something “for the fans” that would help assuage some of the lingering unpleasantness from the work stoppage that ended the 1994 season prematurely. Sure, the idea of the regional rivalries playing out during the regular season had a certain novelty flavor, but that’s less than two-thirds of the current teams. Other matchups offered little of a compelling nature.
The Brewers played an interleague schedule as an AL team in 1997, but were switched to the NL in ’98 when MLB added Arizona and Tampa Bay, creating a 16-team National League and a 14-team American League. From my perspective, this is where baseball screwed it up.
The way it is scheduled now, there’s always one lone NL series going on when everyone else is playing interleague. Since interleague play was already a reality prior to the 1998 expansion, it would have made more sense to keep the Brewers in the AL. Then you’d have two 15-team leagues and play a sole interleague series every day.
It’s very simple: a single interleague series complementing a regular schedule of games will always be more “special” than the other way around.
Moving the Brewers to the NL was done for one reason: Bud Selig wanted a NL team in his town because he’d been a Braves fan in the 1950’s. Kowtowing to his wishes created a situation that, while not completely untenable, left a lot of room for improvement. Interleague play is likely here to stay, and as long as Bud’s in charge, change is not on the agenda.
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11:55 AM MST on Wed., Jul. 16, 2008 re: "Will Guzman get a chance to twinkle?"
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Gary (Olney) said:
Phil, are you gone from WTEM? Dan Snyder buys the station and the way he finds to improve it is to get rid of you? Is he nuts? You were the best thing that happened to that station. I loved taking my dog for a nice two hour walk on Saturday mornings when I would invariably hear stories about my favorite Senators (Bennie Daniels, Tom Cheney, Ken Hunt) or about my favorite local bands (Nils Lofgren). You will be missed a lot.
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Cal said:
Now we can add Matt Chico also. And yet no one wants to listen to Dr. Mike Marshall.
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Cal said:
Phil, I go back with you when you did the updates at :15 and :45 way back when. Is there any concern with all the pitcher's arms the Nationals are blowing out? First Patterson, now Cordero and probably Hill also? What is the purpose of having surgery when they come back with the same motion that caused the problem in the first place? Isn't that the definition of insanity?
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Examiner Reader said:
You're right on Phil. The biggest problem I see is one you brought up, the prices are ridiculous. I for one will not go to the new stadium until they drop their ridiculous prices. Dee Shannon
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