When is MLB going to get rid of the bastardization of the game called the "designated hitter"?

[madinmaryland]

Oh, and inter-league play has also jumped the shark.

:popcorn:

[El Supremo]

1. The greatest innovation in baseball since called balls and strikes!

It makes baseball exciting!

[madinmaryland]

3. Sorry, but adding an over-roided 38 year old douchebag is not exciting.

Unless of course you are a fan of...

DOUCHEBAGS!

[El Supremo]

4. The Great Giambino plays First Base.

He could be a DH in any AL team if he wanted to.

[madinmaryland]

5. An over-roided douchebag????

:rofl:

[Ter]

18. There are no more roiders

Once they are found out to juice they are swiftly suspended 50 games, then 100 games, then forever.

[Iggo]

9. No way. Steroids were even better!

Whoo-boy!

Exciting!

[Jack Rabbit]

11. Good point.

That put runs on the board, too. That made ordinary sluggers into Babe Ruths.

What do anti-intellectual fans who don't like the cerebral part of the game and confuse high scoring with "excitement" have to say about that?

And where's the excitement? Where are the runs? On the average, The DH is only worth about half a run per team per game. That's an awful lot to give up for so little in return.

One of my favorite moments in World Series history is when the number eight batter was up for the American League team, behind by a run or two at the time, and Tommy Lasorda noticed that nobody was up in the AL team's bullpen. What a hapless AL manager! Lasorda just whistled at the mound and held up four fingers. That is mind over matter.

[El Supremo]

13. cerebral schemebral

"Everyone in the world disagrees with me, including some managers, but I think managing in the American League is much more difficult for that very reason (having the designated hitter). In the National League, my situation is dictated for me. If I'm behind in the game, I've got to pinch hit. I've got to take my pitcher out. In the American League, you have to zero in. You have to know exactly when to take them out of there. In the National League, that's done for you." – Jim Leyland

[Jack Rabbit]

14. Does Leyland mean he didn't know when his pitcher was too tired?

That's something a good National League manager knows, too. I'm surprised Leyland didn't. I assume he had come inkling of when. After all, he was a successful manager with the Pirates.

So, he "zeroes in" to a part of the game that is also part of real baseball. The decision is even more critical in the National League, since the manager has to weigh the costs and benefits of taking a tired pitcher out mid-inning as opposed to keeping him in, although less effective, and using a pinch hitter later. The decision to double switch also must be weighed, since the manager may well be replacing a good position player with a lesser one in order to not have to use a pinch hitter until later.

Now, that's interesting baseball. Dumbed down baseball doesn't compare to that.

/s/
Jack Rabbit,
Proud Chess Snob

[JonLP24]

2. Both leagues can have different rules regarding the DH

Getting rid of DH would probably piss off AL fans and making the DH universal would probably piss of NL fans(me).

If you ask me what I prefer. I'll say no DH. I like to see in situations do you remove an effective pitcher when you have runners in scoring position with 2 outs and the pitcher comes to the plate down by 1. OTOH, I also like to see do you leave a tired pitcher in when the pitcher leads off after the other team gets 3 outs. I could go on but I prefer no Dh.

[Auggie]

6. Only when they deem it a money loser. Same with inter-league play.

Get the message fans?

COMPLAIN

[Jack Rabbit]

7. The sooner, the better

!!

[era veteran]

8. It's sort of like baseball.

...and so is softball. The Junior Circuit should go back to playing real baseball. The next thing you know they will need batting gloves.

[joeybee12]

10. NEVER!!!! unrec!

[El Supremo]

12. After the NCAA and the minor leagues do.

It sure is nice to see the tournament use it.

[dakota_democrat]

15. The DH will disappear once it's conclusively determined that fans prefer it.

We're talking a Selig-run organization. If it's good for the fans, you can be sure that it will be destroyed.

[LisaM]

16. It can't come soon enough for me!

I will never like the DH.

[rurallib]

17. I like sports where a player must play both sides of the game

offense and defense.
One thing folks overlook is that at one time pitchers were often decent hitters.
- if you look on youth, HS and even college teams, the pitchers are usually also the best athletes on the team.
- for example we have in the modern era pitchers such as Ken Holtzman who was actually used as a pinch hitter AFTER the gimmick was put in in the AL
- other examples include Bob Gibson, Fergie Jenkins, Don Drysdale etc. I remember the '64 Cards pitchers averaged @ .275.
- and there was a pitcher name of Babe Ruth.

I don't care much for football either. I watch because I live near a major college town. Can't remember the last pro game I watched.