Random Baseball: The Omniscience

Wow! Has it really been a month since I published anything? While I ponder the meaning of that I'll let you ponder the Bud "The Omniscient" Selig.

First a minor item. Today the Cubs are finishing a 3 game home stand. No, I didn't typo. Just three games.

Second let's look at the Astro's move to the American League starting in the 2013 season. Since this move will result in an odd number of teams in each league, baseball will have inter-league play every day of the year. This is bad enough in my mind but your mileage may vary. Consider Steve Rosenbloom's point at the Tribune.

Let’s say the Sox get the “Nate Dusek Special’’ and are scheduled to finish next season with a six-game, two-city road trip to Los Angeles and San Francisco. NL cities, NL rules. Let’s also say the Sox are in a race fro the second wild-card spot with the Yankees, who finish with six games at home against Pittsburgh and the Cubs. AL city, AL rules. The Sox will have to sit down Viciedo or maybe Dunn or Alex Rios, while the Cubs insert Reed Johnson as DH against C.C. Sabathia.

 The team playing on the road is always at a disadvantage. Starting next year a team on the road playing inter-league will be doubly disadvantaged. They will not be able to play with the rules their team was built to compete with.

Now you might argue the problem isn't inter-league play as much as it is the differing rules between the AL and NL. I would agree. My preference would be for the immediate end of the DH abomination. Not going to happen. I also don't think the NL is going to implement the DH rule. The rule difference has been in place for 4 decades.

Inter-league has been around for a while now as well but it was two weeks year in the middle of the season. No team came down to the wire, fighting for a playoff berth, and had to play by different rules. Last season the Wild Card for both leagues came down to the 162nd game. It happens. The all-year inter-league play now makes this situation blatantly unfair for a team that gets the Selig Scheduling treatment.