In Defense of Interleague Play

Posted on June 18, 2008 by Hef

Baseball is a game of adjustments.  A pitcher knows that a hitter likes a pitch to be inside about belt high, so he throws it low and away.  A hitter responds by either laying off the pitches he can’t handle, or he learns how to hit those pitches.  Soon the pitcher is throwing inside again because the hitter isn’t expecting it and the hitter then has to learn how to read a specific pitchers’ patterns, movement, release point etc.  I guess baseball is like an athletic version of paper-rock-scissor.  Little mind games try to make the other player think and rethink (and then rethink what he just rethought) what he’s going to do in a given situation.  The most famous example that comes to mind is Kirk Gibson’s homerun off of Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 World Series.  He knew that Eck liked to throw the ball low backdoor slider against lefties when the count was full, and Gibbie ripped that meatball over the right field fence.

And all of this is only tangentially related to interleague play.  My point is that I like watching the adjustments.  I like trying to get into a batter’s head as he faces a pitcher.  The only thing I like about Mark Grace providing commentary for Diamondbacks games is that he plays that game too.  He’s always guessing pitches (and he’s right most of the time) in a given scenario.  So with interleague play, I enjoy watching AL rosters play NL ball.  I like watching teams try to manuever a bit and seeing pitchers have to play the role of batter from time to time.  It’s a great part of the game.  Now, I don’t want to see it all the time, but for a month I’m okay with it.

You see, the baseball season is long. Really long.  And sometimes, there’s a little bit of monotony involved in watching a team do the same thing everyday.  I don’t mind watching the routine get broken up by playing a new set of teams every now and again.  Now we can get into issues of scheduling discrepancies and whether it’s fair that the Dodgers have to play the Angels six times while the Padres only have to face the Mariners, but that’s not the issue at hand today.  For me, the only thing I like about interleague is watching players learn to adjust to a given situation.

And another thing, since when did Hank Steinbrenner become the arbiter of fairness?  A man who has had everything handed to him like an 18th century prince is accusing the National League of living in the last century?

“The National League needs to join the 21st century. They need to grow up and join the 21st century.”

I’ve got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He’s going to be out. I don’t like that, and it’s about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s.

Here’s the thing.  Running the bases is the easiest thing a baseball player does.  I can run the bases without injuring myself, why can’t an “athlete” like Chien-Ming Wang do it?  Now, again, I’m not going to get into the DH and whether or not I think that it was a silly invention in this post.  But I will say this, I like it when the managers get together at the beginning of the game and the home manager goes over the park rules.  I like home field advantage.  I like that there are differences between parks and between leagues.  I like that each baseball series provides different challenges or advantages for a team.  Matchups are the key to baseball, and park rules are a big part of that.  So Hank Steinbrenner, who I know is a big fan of this site, can take his ball and go home for all I care.  He can stop blaming the rules for his own pitcher’s inability to perform the simplest task.

Filed under: Divisive Arguments | Tagged: , , ,

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50 Responses to “In Defense of Interleague Play”

  1. spencer096, on June 18th, 2008 at 9:34 am Said:

    good stuff.

    im warming up to Hank, it’s batshit crazy quotes like those that really endears him.

    he’s gonna be a good ‘un.

  2. Hef, on June 18th, 2008 at 9:36 am Said:

    We should probably move past the “this guy’s controversial so I like him” phase of our lives. He’s a grade A douchebug (yes, bug).

  3. romanwarhelmet, on June 18th, 2008 at 9:44 am Said:

    Hef..living in NY all I can say is that Hank the Tank is grade A top notch entertainment…unlike his Dad who was nuts and made everyone that way but had power…Hank is like the guy who spouts off at the end of the bar but at the end of the day wouldn’t really do anything about it…trust me if George Steinbrenner was still alive Johan would never be a Met.

  4. sportsgal116, on June 18th, 2008 at 9:44 am Said:

    I made a very similar comment about Steinbrenner over on MLJ’s sister site.

    Every pitcher in the national league can manage to run the bases without being hurt. It’s really not that difficult.

  5. Hef, on June 18th, 2008 at 9:45 am Said:

    Sportsgal, have you ever considered writing for MLJ? I can guarentee all of the intraoffice emails you get would be grounds for a lawsuit against our very rich company.

  6. stigs, on June 18th, 2008 at 9:47 am Said:

    Hef, shouldn’t writing be in quotation marks? Or replaced with cooking and cleaning?

    /i’ll play nice starting now

  7. sportsgal116, on June 18th, 2008 at 9:52 am Said:

    Wow, Benji… when did you become spence?

    I’ve never been offered a “writing” position with MLJ. I’ve always wanted to sue someone for sexual harrassment, and becoming a writer for MLJ might just fulfill that goal! Are you making me an offer?

  8. thenug, on June 18th, 2008 at 9:54 am Said:

    Holy Shit! A Kirk Gibson reference. That made my day so far. Granted, the only other event of the morning was a shitty cup of joe, but damn…nice start.

  9. romanwarhelmet, on June 18th, 2008 at 9:54 am Said:

    Hef..come on Man…why not just invite everyone…

  10. fetch, on June 18th, 2008 at 9:59 am Said:

    sportsgal, get in line ________

    /trying to decide whether to use sweetie, sweetheart, dear, or some other patronizing word.

  11. brianbridgepro, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:00 am Said:

    Don’t do it sportsgal It’s a trap. About the time someone sues and the lads and the assets have all disappeared to the Antilles, and you’re left holding the summonses.

  12. Gonzo, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:02 am Said:

    I swear that Kirk’s homer was on a 2-2 pitch. But nonetheless, great post. I cant believe the Yankees are acting like pussies.

  13. clown, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:06 am Said:

    Interleague play is fine. Injuries happen. Don’t listen to Hank.

  14. spencer096, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:08 am Said:

    sportsgal…when do i say shit like that? all i talk about is weed, golf and THE Ohio State University.

  15. romanwarhelmet, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:12 am Said:

    Gonzo, what does it matter..He was faking like Tiger and Paul Pierce…sportsgal…honey pants…spencer is very respectful to girls…he has to be…he is always nicer to the less fortunate

  16. spencer096, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:18 am Said:

    i feel bad for people who can’t pee standing up.

  17. sportsgal116, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:20 am Said:

    spencer, go look at yesterday’s post where you called me a dirty, diseased whore. Then go fuck yourself.

  18. spencer096, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:22 am Said:

    did i say that? if only i wasn’t raised by pirates.

    i will now commence self-fucking.

  19. romanwarhelmet, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:22 am Said:

    sportsgal…that post is getting more embellished with time…It is becoming Babe Ruth’s called shot

  20. sportsgal116, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:25 am Said:

    Spence, because of your footsie pj comment on TBL and the comment above, all is forgiven.

  21. spencer096, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:27 am Said:

    sweet.

  22. mizerle06, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:31 am Said:

    is sportsgal a footsie pj elitist?

  23. sportsgal116, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:38 am Said:

    Unless the person wearing them is under the age of 5, I tend to steer clear of people who sleep in footsie pj’s. Does that make me an elitist?

  24. fetch, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:44 am Said:

    who over the age of 8 sleeps in PJ’s anyways?

  25. romanwarhelmet, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:44 am Said:

    fetch..people that are 9

  26. sportsgal116, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:47 am Said:

    If you sleep in a “big girl” or “big boy” bed, you’re too old for footsie pj’s.

  27. fetch, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:50 am Said:

    roman is just busting my balls up and down the internet today. good job sir.

  28. RexKramerDangerSeeker, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:50 am Said:

    being a home office dweller, i’m pretty much all-nude, all the time. the fedex dude is still not used to me.

  29. spencer096, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:50 am Said:

    i sleep naked, ensconced in the pelt of a bear (head included) i killed and skinned with a swiss army knife.

  30. clown, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:54 am Said:

    Anti-footie peeps = hat3rZ!

    just look how comfortable they are!

  31. spencer096, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:55 am Said:

    those are the coolest pajamas ever.

  32. Hef, on June 18th, 2008 at 10:55 am Said:

    Now I can’t sleep. Thank you clown.

  33. spencer096, on June 18th, 2008 at 11:00 am Said:

    i thought the jews never slept.

    /nick P

  34. sportsgal116, on June 18th, 2008 at 11:03 am Said:

    Clown, I seriously hate your face.

  35. romanwarhelmet, on June 18th, 2008 at 11:04 am Said:

    sportsgal..Clown hears that form his wife everyday..why say such nasty things

  36. RexKramerDangerSeeker, on June 18th, 2008 at 11:09 am Said:

    that looks just like the stuffed clown i have sitting over on my chair. wait… where’d it go?

    ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

  37. fetch, on June 18th, 2008 at 11:16 am Said:

    rex i did a little cougarin at the library today, you would have been proud.

  38. sportsgal116, on June 18th, 2008 at 11:27 am Said:

    fetch, explain yourself. How much of a cougar are we talking here? It doesn’t count if you didn’t F her at the library.

  39. clown, on June 18th, 2008 at 11:28 am Said:

    fetch, even though she’s 15 years older than you, a 28 year old is not a cougar

  40. Gonzo, on June 18th, 2008 at 11:30 am Said:

    Mister Marbles?

  41. fetch, on June 18th, 2008 at 11:32 am Said:

    SG, how does it not count if we didn’t do it at the library?

  42. sportsgal116, on June 18th, 2008 at 11:49 am Said:

    sorry, fetch, you’re right. it doesn’t count if you didn’t do it. doesn’t matter the location.

  43. fetch, on June 18th, 2008 at 11:52 am Said:

    well i’ll call her up and fix that then. Doing it at the library just isn’t my thing.

  44. RexKramerDangerSeeker, on June 18th, 2008 at 11:54 am Said:

    I wish it was only Mr. Marbles. My mom thought it would be a great idea to get me the same clown doll that was in Poltergeist. Who does that?

    http://www.dvdrama.com/imagescrit2/p/o/l/poltergeist_clown.jpg

  45. sportsgal116, on June 18th, 2008 at 11:55 am Said:

    Cougarin = an older woman gets nailed by a younger guy

    Is this right? Or are we using “cougarin” for non-sex situations?

  46. RexKramerDangerSeeker, on June 18th, 2008 at 11:55 am Said:

    Fetch, you really have alot to learn. Doing it at the library is a great idea. Just ask this guy.

  47. RexKramerDangerSeeker, on June 18th, 2008 at 11:57 am Said:

    SGal, “Cougarin” is the act of hunting a Cougar. “Holy shit, I actually pulled it off!” is what you are referring to.

  48. sportsgal116, on June 18th, 2008 at 12:01 pm Said:

    Thanks for the clarification, Rex!

  49. fetch, on June 18th, 2008 at 12:01 pm Said:

    holy shit i actually pulled it off is step 2.

  50. romanwarhelmet, on June 18th, 2008 at 12:06 pm Said:

    Step one is Put your Dick in a Box

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