 |
| |
|
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Two for one C'mon, now, admit it ... interleague play's not all that badPosted: Monday June 02, 2003 12:15 PMUpdated: Monday June 02, 2003 7:21 PM
It is time, you crotchety old baseball purist, to embrace interleague play. It's time to shelve your outdated notions of what's wrong with this idea of the National and American leagues playing each other during the regular season. It's time to just get over it already. Really, for everything wrong with interleague play -- and, yeah, we'll grant you that it isn't perfect -- there's lots to be said for it. Most importantly: People like it. They really do. And isn't making fans happy what baseball should all be about? Interleague play begins again Tuesday amid all the usual catcalls and hooting. It's now in its seventh season. It's a rousing success. And, of course, it isn't going anywhere. You should know that by now, you old coot.
In fact, all of that's kind of like the rest of the regular-season schedule anyway, when you get right down to it. Did you see the attendance figures on Montreal at Florida last week? You want to talk dogs. And what about the AL West being so darn good, and the AL Central so darn bad? Is that fair? C'mon, now. What's the big deal? Now, you so-called "purists" will note how interleague attendance was a tad down last season, compared to the year before. And, true, it was. Some 8.4 million fans went to interleague games in 2001. Just more than 8 million went last year. The average dropped from 33,703 a game to 31,890 for the 252 games. But baseball attendance was down on the whole last year, as everyone knows. And interleague games actually drew 15.1 percent better than just those run-of-the-mill regular-season games. So, you stubborn old bears, you can't pin this one on people tiring of interleague play. Interleague play always will draw. Take this year. You can't get a ticket, at least not without giving up the family jewels, for this weekend's series between the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs at old Wrigley Field. It's been 65 years since those two teams have played. Both teams are leading their divisions. The Yankees' Roger Clemens, gunning for win No. 300, is scheduled to go against Cubs' fireballer Kerry Wood on Saturday. That's good stuff. Next weekend, the two best teams in baseball play when the Atlanta Braves head up to Seattle to play the Mariners. Also good stuff. Right out of the box, starting Tuesday, the Boston Red Sox travel to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates. It is the first time in 100 years that the two teams have met. You know the attendance-challenged Bucs are loving that series. For basically one month, 252 games worth, interleague play offers fans a respite from the unbalanced schedule, relief from more White Sox-Tigers showdowns. Instead, the White Sox will get their crosstown rivals, the Cubs. And the San Francisco Giants. And the Los Angeles Dodgers. When else are you going to see any of that? If you poll players and managers and those in baseball about interleague play, they're torn between "The fans seem to like it" and "I think it detracts from the World Series." They decry the blurring of the lines between the leagues. They say interleague play lessens the uniqueness of the playoffs and World Series. But, you know, the playoffs always will be magic. (As long as they don't bring any more teams into it. We're with you on that one, you old knuckleheads.) And the World Series always will be the World Series. No one in the Bay Area will object to a Giants-A's World Series just because the teams played a few games back in June. Yes, baseball has mixed things up with interleague play. The grand old game is not the same as it once was. Neither is anything else, Elmer. Live with it, you old mule.
• The surging Seattle Mariners are 15-0 during day games this season. Old guys are simply fresher in the morning. • It's early June. Do you know where your Expos are? They're back in Puerto Rico to take on Anaheim and Texas in interleague play this week, then they take off from San Juan to Seattle (think of the frequent flier mileage!). They won't be back "home" in Montreal until June 20. So far on this extended road trip, the Expos are 1-6. This isn't looking good. • The Arizona Diamondbacks jettisoned the last of the original D'backs when they designated veteran Matt Williams for assignment over the weekend. But Williams will not be forgotten. The D'backs still have to pay him $10 million this season. • Since opening the season 11-0 at home, the Kansas City Royals have gone 3-12 at Kauffman Stadium. Since starting 16-3 overall, the Royals are 11-24. K.C. has fallen to .500 for the first time this season. Unfortunately, the fall isn't over.
This week, more about the best outfields in the game, Roger Clemens, the Dodgers and other stuff ... What the hell are you writing about? The Dodgers have gone from baseball mystique to bumbling mediocrity. They haven't accomplished squat since their last World Series run in '88. Their usual 3/4 season run, followed by the usual "choke" down the stretch, is so predictable now. Screw their pitching! They need someone on that team with the HEART to lead the team down the stretch when it really matters! Right now they are all a bunch of overpaid Hollywood pretty boys who don't have the guts to be champions! Why don't you have the guts to write the truth? Isn't that what journalistic integrity is all about? -- Adrian Loweree The Dodgers have done more with what they've had over the past couple of years than most in baseball. It's hard to "choke" when you're as beat up as the Dodgers have been. Sure, it's been a long dry spell. Maybe too long for some. But the Dodgers are trying to get back the right way. One more bat could put them over the top. Well, it's great that the Dodgers believe they have enough pitching and defense to win, but I think they are deluding themselves if they believe they are serious contenders for the World Series. Note that their winning streak has been against the slop of the league. If I can play GM for a moment, I'd like to see them try and pry Mike Lowell away from the Fish for, say, Mota and Beltre. Another stick to protect Green and Jordan might allow these guys to see better pitches. I am reluctant to trade Beltre, but I would do it for a guy like Lowell. Unless they address their offensive imbalance, they may win a division, but that's about as far as they will go. -- David M. Jacobs Don't be surprised if the Dodgers make a move for another hitter. In fact, be surprised if they don't do it. They have plenty of arms in the bullpen to trade. Look for it to happen. So it really doesn't matter whether they can actually play the game as long as they can hit home runs? Considering all the skill necessary to play the game, the Seattle outfield is the best in the business. No ifs ands or buts. Period. -- Thomas Goold I got lots of mail after anointing the Reds and Braves as the best outfields in the business. A lot of it was from Seattle. Read on ... I must take exception with your statement that Atlanta and the Reds have the best outfields in MLB. I will agree they may have the best power hitting outfields in the majors, but when it comes to overall performance, offense and defense, no one but no one beats the Mariners' outfield! Granted, both teams you mentioned had a lot more home runs that the M's outfielders and thus more RBIs. The M's outfielders hold their own on runs scored. When it comes to fielding, neither of your teams come close to the M's outfielders. And add this to your equation: Whose arm is the most feared in the American League? Why, it's the right fielder for the Mariners, Ichiro Suzuki! Again, the teams you picked have big boppers and they are impressive for that.&! nbsp; But, for fielders, offense isn't everything! Defense wins ballgames, or lack of it will lose ballgames! -- Frank Powell Folks, this was not scientific. I based the claim mainly on hitting stats. And it's tough to beat those two for that. Defensively, the Reds lack, sure. But, Frank, I'm not so sure about your claim that the M's are better than the Braves, defensively. I think Sheffield is underrated. He has a strong arm and knows how to play right. Andruw Jones is the best in the business in center. Only Chipper Jones in left is a liability, and he's OK, especially considering the guy playing to his left. Hey, genius, judge an outfield on how they actually play defense, not by their power numbers. Sure, the Reds and the Braves might be the best HITTING outfields in Major League Baseball, but the Minnesota Twins are by far the best overall outfield in the game. They have decent numbers at the plate (Jacque Jones, Torii Hunter, Dustan Mohr, Bobby Kielty) and their play in the field is something to behold. So don't refer to these two teams as the "best outfields" before you take into full comprehension of what you're writing. Otherwise, you'll come out looking like a fool. Oops, you already have. -- Jimmy K., St. Cloud, Minn. Love Hunter. Love him. And Jones is good. Not so sold on that right field, though. Any discussion of best outfields in baseball cannot go unchallenged if it neglects to mention the trio of Ichiro, Mike Cameron, and Randy Winn in Seattle. We think it's a shame that writers tend to pay more attention to the non-West Coast teams, and especially those in the NL. You're missing some great plays up here in the Pacific Northwest. -- Rod Stout, Seattle Let's not pull out the old East Coast bias thing again, please. Who's the weak link in the Chicago Cubs' outfield? You mention runner-ups such as St. Louis and San Francisco, but you definitely overlooked Chicago. Going into the season, it was obvious Corey Patterson was the biggest question mark (other than Alou's health). But Patterson has now become the five-tool player that everyone hoped he'd be. -- Stephen Berg, Jacksonville, Fla. Sorry I didn't mention the Cubs. Obviously a Southeast bias I have. Or an anti-Midwest. Something like that. Are you on drugs? Atlanta and Cincinnati have the best outfields in the game? Come watch a game in Minnesota some day, and you might change your mind. I would take Torii Hunter, Jacque Jones and the combo of Dustin Mohr and Bobby Kielty over any other in the game right now. -- Paul Lesnar Maybe I'll ask my doctor to take me off that Claritin. You stated that Sheffield is the most dangerous hitter in baseball. Look again: Carlos Delgado has four more runs, three more home runs, seven more RBIs, 12 more walks, his on base average is 31 points higher and his slugging percentage is 42 points higher. So who is the most dangerous hitter in baseball? CARLOS DELGADO! -- Chris Reynolds OK, I'm not sure where your numbers are coming from, or when you got them, but as I read this e-mail late Friday afternoon, here are the two guys' May numbers. Delgado: .290 batting average, eight homers, 24 RBIs, .403 on-base, .630 slugging. Sheffield: .360, six, 27, .417 and .663. Delgado has been awesome for an impressive Jays team. Sheffield has been better this month. He is better, right now. In your last mailbag, a reader called you the anti-Yankee. Is he nuts? You are always sucking up to the Yankees. Over the past month, and since they have played decent teams, the Yankees have been awful, and yet all you can do is continue to bash the Mets. The Mets have been competitive as of late and should be recognized for playing through an extensive injury crisis. -- Dan Gallagher, Morristown, N.J. You guys are killing me. I love the Yanks, I hate the Yanks, I pick on this team too much, I don't pay enough attention to that one. What are you guys, fans or something? I seem to recall that Tom Seaver also went from a sheer power pitcher to a pitcher who used power as part of his repertoire. Seaver, Ryan and Clemens are my three favorite pitchers. The thing that separates Ryan from the rest is he never lost velocity even as he moved into his 40s. He also was not afraid to "come inside" and Lord help the guy who charged the mound. Just ask Robin Ventura. -- Dave in Reno Yeah, some people love Clemens. Some don't. Nice back rub you gave Roger Clemens. I noticed you carelessly left off the fact that the BoSox did not fail to re-sign Clemens because of his shoulder problems, they failed to re-sign him because he was 25 pounds overweight and the only passion he displayed at that point in his career was when there was an all-you-can-eat buffet in sight. It is also ridiculous to focus the article on what a "gamer" Clemens was. The "heart" he showed in dealing the blister that caused him to ask out of a potential clinching game in the 1986 World Series is one of the most gutless displays put on by a professional athlete in recent memory. How much of your salary is contributed by the Yankees PR department? -- Rory, Los Angeles The Red Sox didn't re-sign Clemens because, simply, his performance over his final contract in Boston led Dan Duquette to think he was finished. Was he hurt? Was he tanking it? Was it a struggle that could only be eased by a move to a new address? It's 20-20, all of it. As far as asking out of that game in '86 ... there are plenty of stories about that. Did he ask out? If so, why? Because he was scared, or because he wanted to give his team the best chance to win and he didn't think he was it? I don't know whom to believe. So, in my mind, you have to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. You wrote in today's piece on Roger Clemens that "After Clemens gets his, and if Maddux gets his, there is Tom Glavine, with 247 wins. No one else has more than 200." As you probably know, but may have temporarily forgotten, Randy Johnson has more than 200. -- Ron Irving Yep. He has 225, to be exact. A blip in the list I was consulting, and a blip in my brain. An old sign in a newsroom I used to work in read "If Your Mother Says She Loves You, Double-Check It." I should have. My bad. John Donovan is a senior writer for SI.com.
Comments? To e-mail Donovan, click here.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Some see this as strangely heroic, but as far as The Pitch is concerned, it reeks of a cool and calculated attack designed to stir things up. Really -- beating up a poor, defenseless computer. C'mon, Curt Schilling. The Arizona ace is leading a charge against the QuesTec system, which judges how accurately umps are calling the strike zone. There are some problems with it, no doubt. But the question here: Not getting the calls, Curt?
"We deserve a little bit of credit for hanging in there."
