Thursday, June 19, 2008

Interleague play has worn out its welcome


Interleague play needs to go.

So says New York Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner; so says us.

Steinbrenner says so because his best pitcher got hurt running the bases, National League style.

We say so because interleague play is unfair and unbalanced (sorry Fox News) with the American League teams being so superior.

Here’s what Steinbrenner had to say this week when ace pitcher Chien-Ming Wang hurt himself on the basepaths and will probably be out until September:

“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.”

Well, making pitchers run the bases wasn’t outdated 200 years ago and Steinbrenner’s selfish comments don’t make much sense. But getting rid of interleague play would.

Take the Padres, for instance. They are just 2-7 against the superior AL, following getting swept three games by the Yankees.

Now they come back for a nine-game homestand against the Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners. Even though none of those teams are setting the world on fire, don’t be surprised if the Padres have a losing homestand against teams from a better league.

The Los Angeles Dodgers got it right with the schedule-maker this week. They just swept three games from the Cincinnati Reds in a NL vs. NL series.

From now on, too bad all series can’t be intraleague until the World Series.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Steinbrenner should quit griping. He's too much like his old man. Pitchers have been batting for 200 years. Deal with it.