Love it or hate it, interleague play has fans talking
Posted: Monday June 23, 2003 9:19 PM
Barry Bonds went 4-for-10 with a solo homer against the A's. AP
By Dan George, SI.com
By now, of course, you've heard all the arguments for and against interleague play.
Those who favor it love the new marquee matchups (even if they're pretty much limited to "rivalry games" between teams from the same city or region, or any game involving the Yankees, Cubs, Dodgers or Barry Bonds).
They say it gives fans a chance to see star players they don't normally get a chance to see (well, except on ESPN, Fox, Fox Sports Net, YES, WGN and TBS). And, they say, fans obviously like it, since interleague attendance has routinely been about 15 percent higher than other games.
Opponents -- whom pro-interleaguers refer to as "purists" in much the same way that Rush Limbaugh refers to "liberals" -- decry interleague play as a gimmick that plays havoc with the game's tradition, further blurring the identities of the American and National leagues and diluting the impact of both the World Series and the All-Star Game.
They also say it skews competitive balance, since teams within the same division draw different interleague opponents, meaning the A's are matched with the defending National League champion Giants while the Mariners get the last-place Padres.
Commissioner Bud Selig -- the self-described traditionalist who also gave us the wild card and, more recently, an All-Star Game that will decide who gets home field advantage in the World Series (This time it counts!) -- conjured up interleague play in 1997 as a quick fix for lagging fan interest (read ticket sales) in the wake of the '94 players strike.
In that regard, it has been a success. While overall attendance in 2002 averaged 28,114 per game, interleague games drew an average of 31,890.
But there are signs the novelty may be wearing off, if only slightly. USA Today says attendance for the first round of interleague games this season was up only 8 percent over intraleague games, or about half the increase in 2002.
And whatever thrill the players may have gotten from interleague play has gone the way of, well, league pride. "Honestly, to me, it'll be like any other series," Yankees closer Mariano Rivera told the Bergen (N.J.) Record before this past weekend's series with the Mets at Shea Stadium. "It's like facing a team in our division. It's nothing special."
Still, don't expect interleague play to go away as long as Selig is in charge. "It's been great," he recently told the Seattle Times. "Yes, people say some rivalries are not as good as others, but some intraleague rivalries are not as good. We've created interesting rivalries no one thought about, and now we have people mad because they want more of this, more of that."
It also gives fans -- casual and hardcore alike -- something to argue about. You know, when we get tired of talking about that DH thing.
SI.com's Power Rankings
Rank
LW
Team
1
1
Seattle Mariners Injured closer Kazuhiro Sasaki isn't expected back until after the All-Star break. But with a 5 ½-game lead over the A's, GM Pat Gillick says the M's probably won't seek any outside relief help before Sasaki returns.
2
2
Atlanta Braves Is this any way to treat your old pals? So far this season, ex-Braves Tom Glavine (Mets) and Kevin Millwood (Phillies) are a combined 0-3 with an 8.83 ERA against Atlanta.
3
6
Los Angeles Dodgers Closer Eric Gagne has 68 strikeouts in 39 innings -- that's 15.46 per nine innings. The season record for a relief pitcher with at least 35 innings is 14.95 K's per nine by the Astros' Billy Wagner in 1999.
4
3
San Francisco Giants It took five years, but Chad Zerbe finally has a loss. When the A's beat him 6-5 Sunday, it was the 31-year-old lefty's first career defeat in 97 major league appearances dating back to 1999. He's now 5-1 lifetime.
5
5
New York Yankees The smart money was against Roger Clemens when he flirted with a no-hitter last week. Not only has the Rocket not ever tossed a no-no -- at any level -- but he also hasn't had a complete game since May 28, 2000.
6
7
Oakland Athletics Eric Byrnes, All-Star? The A's think so; they're promoting a write-in campaign for the 27-year-old outfielder, who is batting .300 with nine home runs and 37 RBIs.
Toronto Blue Jays In winning 11 consecutive starts -- the longest streak in the major leagues in six years -- Roy Halladay has 67 strikeouts and just eight walks in his last 82 innings.
9
10
Montreal Expos How long was their 25-day, 22-game road trip? Well, they traveled 11,310 miles while going 8-14. And while they were gone, the entire NBA Finals, Stanley Cup final and French Open were completed.
10
12
Houston Astros Billy Wagner's string of 16 straight save conversions ended under strange circumstances last week. He allowed two runs in a 2-1 loss to the Diamondbacks just hours after his wife, Sarah, gave birth to their first daughter.
11
13
Philadelphia Phillies Despite adding Kevin Millwood, Jim Thome and David Bell in the offseason, they appear to be fading from playoff contention. Still, GM Ed Wade insists manager Larry Bowa's job is safe.
12
14
St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa says Albert Pujols is the best player he's ever managed. And with the 23-year-old outfielder leading the NL in batting (.384), RBIs (66) and runs (67), among other things, who's to argue?
13
8
Minnesota Twins Free agents at the end of the year, closer Eddie Guardado and setup man LaTroy Hawkins say they'll bolt because Twins management won't negotiate during the season.
14
11
Chicago Cubs Sammy Sosa drew a few boos in Cincinnati last week upon returning from his bat-corking suspension -- but that was just a warmup for the reception he'll get when the Cubs head across town next weekend to face the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.
15
16
Kansas City Royals Krispy Kreme has given away about 300,000 doughnuts so far through a promotion in which fans can redeem ticket stubs for a dozen free doughnuts whenever the Royals get 12 or more hits at Kauffman Stadium. K.C. has done it 10 times this season.
16
19
Arizona Diamondbacks Just six games out of first, they may be a factor yet. Six injured players -- including Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling -- could be back by mid-July, and they still have 24 games left with the Dodgers and Giants.
17
18
Colorado Rockies In the first six years of interleague play, the Rockies got four homers from their DH. They matched that in six road games this year, with Greg Vaughn belting two and Mark Sweeney and Larry Walker each hitting one.
18
17
Cincinnati Reds After they win late in games -- they've come from behind 18 times and are 8-2 in extra innings -- they jump up and down at the plate in a team huddle called "The Bounce." Which may explain all those fights with other teams.
19
22
Florida Marlins They're not wasting any time capitalizing on the popularity of phenom pitcher Dontrelle Willis. One day before he pitched against the Devil Rays, the club had him signing autographs at a local Hooters.
20
15
Anaheim Angels Symptomatic of the defending World Series champs' struggles, sparkplug shortstop David Eckstein is hitting just .231. He was benched Sunday in the middle of 1-for-24 slump and .156 June.
21
23
Chicago White Sox Tom Gordon, who was consistently at 94-95 mph last week, needs one save to reach 100 for his career. The former closer's name could pop up in trade talks as the July 31 deadline approaches.
22
20
New York Mets Could Rey Sanchez be the Mets' Wally Pipp? Twenty-year-old shortstop Jose Reyes has 11 RBIs in 35 at-bats since being called up on June 10 and may stick around even after Sanchez, the regular shortstop, comes off the DL.
23
21
Baltimore Orioles Sidney Ponson, at 9-4 with a 3.93 ERA, is coming into his own as a starter -- just in time to become a free agent after this season. Which means the 26-year-old right-hander is a prime candidate to be traded in the next six weeks.
24
24
Pittsburgh Pirates Kris Benson, scheduled to make $6.1 million in 2004, is another starter on the block. The Braves, Red Sox and Reds are reportedly interested, but that 12.86 ERA in his last three starts doesn't help Benson's curb appeal.
25
25
Milwaukee Brewers Ben Sheets has given up 22 homers in 117 2/3 innings this season -- one more than he allowed in 216 2/3 innings in 2002 and on pace to finish with 48. That's two shy of the record set by Bert Blyleven in 1986.
26
27
Cleveland Indians Struggling Matt Lawton wasn't too happy that the Indians had players greet fans entering Jacobs Field before a recent game. Especially when an elderly woman walked up and said, "I hope you start hitting so they get rid of you."
27
26
Texas Rangers Is the losing finally rubbing off on A-Rod, too? The star shortstop went 52 consecutive at-bats without an RBI before whacking a two-run homer Wednesday night. And he's averaging a mere .214 with runners in scoring position.
28
28
Tampa Bay Devil Rays Manager Lou Piniella wasted no time shooting down rumors that he might return to the Bronx to replace Yankees skipper Joe Torre. "I signed a contract here for four years to get a job done, and I plan on being here," he said.
29
29
San Diego Padres Ryan Klesko says he loves San Diego but will consider waiving his no-trade clause if the team doesn't improve. "I'm tired of getting my [butt] whipped," said the first baseman, who's also balking at being moved back to the outfield.
30
30
Detroit Tigers With a 6-29 record at Comerica Park, they're on pace to break the record for home losses in a season -- 59, by the 1939 St. Louis Browns. The Browns won 18 at Sportsman's Park that year. At their current rate, the Tigers would finish 14-67 at Comerica.
