Saturday, June 26, 2010

It's Passed Time For The American Pastime To Level The Playing Field

What's it going to take to get the attention of MLB managers, general managers, owners and execs to restoring parity to baseball, by either making the DH a part of both leagues, or eliminating it for both leagues?

It's seemed to me to be a strange anachronism for quite awhile, but recent events have got my attention enough to try to get the attention of those who have the position of power to make this right.

Recently I watched an inter league game played in the ball park of an American League team in which the National League team manager had the option of using a DH whose batting average in his own league was less than mediocre or letting his pitcher, whose batting average in his own league was more than respectable. The manager sent his DH to the plate with predictably negative results.

Tonight, watching the Boston Red Sox versus the San Fransisco Giants I witnessed the talented Boston pitcher Clay Buchholtz hit a single, and then come up hobbling when forced to run to second base by what the next batter did.

He , the pitcher, had to leave the game, with a four run lead, achieved to that point in the game by virtue of his pitching savvy and skills.

That talent is at least partly due to his being able to practice and strengthen his pitching savvy and skills with little or no need to practice and strengthen his savvy and skills in hitting and base running elements of the game.

How long, Oh Lords of the Game, must we wait for you to restore a level playing field to this game?

Leanderthal, AKA a surviving specimen of what had thought by many to be an extinct species.

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