Interleague baseball

[Brian]

It is that time of year again. A time where teams from the National League play against teams of the American League. Some of these matchups pit old World Series teams against each other and some (but probably very few) teams play each other for the first time ever. Some teams will visit ballparks that they had never before played in previously. My favorite time of year.

Today the San Diego Padres play at Fenway Park for the first time ever. I got to see the Sox play against the Padres when they came here in 2002, a game in which the Pads won their first game ever against this storied franchise. The next series is a 1998 World Series rematch in which the Padres visit Yankee Stadium. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the Kansas City Royals, and the Toronto Blue Jays come to town for the first time and the Blue Jays will play the Padres this weekend, the first game ever between them. I will get to see the first Padres/Blue Jays game on Friday.

Before 1997 one probably couldn't imagine the Astros playing at Seattle or the Rockies and Yankees going at it in Yankee Stadium. That and more are happening this year.

[ConservativeBalla]

Yeah, Interleague play is very interesting.

[Brian Damage]

Personally, I think the whole interleague thing is played out.

[Pentimento]

I agree that it's played out. I never liked it much, but at least when it started back in '97 it was intended to create regional rivalries (i.e Yankees/Mets, Dodgers/Angels, Cubs/White Sox) so that more people would get interested again after the strike-shortened season of '94 had driven a serious and lasting wedge between the game and its fans. AL and NL teams played their divisional counterparts and, yes, it was mildly interesting for fans in areas with teams in each league. Now the novelty has worn off, and continuing with it makes little sense.

April has long been my favorite month of the year, and now June is becoming one of my least favorite. I know some fans still love it but, for me, interleague play has outlived its purpose.

[Pavan]

I can't wait to see the Yankees and Dodgers play. Classic late 70s!

[ConservativeBalla]

Originally posted by Pentimento
I agree that it's played out. I never liked it much, but at least when it started back in '97 it was intended to create regional rivalries (i.e Yankees/Mets, Dodgers/Angels, Cubs/White Sox) so that more people would get interested again after the strike-shortened season of '94 had driven a serious and lasting wedge between the game and its fans. AL and NL teams played their divisional counterparts and, yes, it was mildly interesting for fans in areas with teams in each league. Now the novelty has worn off, and continuing with it makes little sense.

April has long been my favorite month of the year, and now June is becoming one of my least favorite. I know some fans still love it but, for me, interleague play has outlived its purpose.

Hey, there are younger Baseball fans who haven't seen it yet. You want them to participate in a league with no INTER-league play? Then what? Institute it again in a few decades? Just go on and off with it? No, having a certain time of year each season to do interleague play is good.

...after the strike-shortened season of '94...

I like watching baseball, but those players get greedy for playing one of the slowest sports....This whole strike business made me very mad. They've already got more dough than they know what to do with and they want more!? Stupidity...

[Pentimento]

Originally posted by ConservativeBalla
Hey, there are younger Baseball fans who haven't seen it yet. You want them to participate in a league with no INTER-league play? Then what? Institute it again in a few decades? Just go on and off with it? No, having a certain time of year each season to do interleague play is good. Why would young people feel deprived if there were no interleague play? It didn't come along until I was in my 30s and I don't feel as though I missed anything important. No, I take that back... I spent my entire youth (and a good portion of my adulthood) looking forward to interleague play each year. It was called the World Series -- AL vs NL, and it was something very special. Now it's likely as not that the championship match-up is one that everyone has already seen during the regular season, or at least during a recent season. Big deal.

Interleague play was good for baseball (or at least for the owners) at first, but since it's no longer about manufacturing regional rivalries (Ooooh -- the Giants are playing Tampa Bay!), I don't see the point.

[Brian Damage]

Originally posted by Pentimento
Why would young people feel deprived if there were no interleague play? It didn't come along until I was in my 30s and I don't feel as though I missed anything important. No, I take that back... I spent my entire youth (and a good portion of my adulthood) looking forward to interleague play each year. It was called the World Series -- AL vs NL, and it was something very special. Now it's likely as not that the championship match-up is one that everyone has already seen during the regular season, or at least during a recent season. Big deal.

Interleague play was good for baseball (or at least for the owners) at first, but since it's no longer about manufacturing regional rivalries (Ooooh -- the Giants are playing Tampa Bay!), I don't see the point.

agreed :clap

[Lil g 05]

only interleague i want to see is cubs-red sox...other then that I am not a fan...

[Pedantic]

Originally posted by Pentimento
Interleague play was good for baseball (or at least for the owners) at first, but since it's no longer about manufacturing regional rivalries (Ooooh -- the Giants are playing Tampa Bay!), I don't see the point.

This sounds similar to a certain little novelty added in 1973. And we all know how that turned out. ;-7

[Pentimento]

Originally posted by Pedantic
This sounds similar to a certain little novelty added in 1973. And we all know how that turned out. ;-7 Don't even get me started on THAT. :rolleyes:

Considering some of Finley's other suggested innovations over the years (orange balls, the pitch clock, batters walking on ball three), how could any of them have been taken seriously? DH: Devil's Handiwork! :)

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by Brian
It is that time of year again. A time where teams from the National League play against teams of the American League. Some of these matchups pit old World Series teams against each other and some (but probably very few) teams play each other for the first time ever. Some teams will visit ballparks that they had never before played in previously. My favorite time of year.

Today the San Diego Padres play at Fenway Park for the first time ever. I got to see the Sox play against the Padres when they came here in 2002, a game in which the Pads won their first game ever against this storied franchise. The next series is a 1998 World Series rematch in which the Padres visit Yankee Stadium. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the Kansas City Royals, and the Toronto Blue Jays come to town for the first time and the Blue Jays will play the Padres this weekend, the first game ever between them. I will get to see the first Padres/Blue Jays game on Friday.

Before 1997 one probably couldn't imagine the Astros playing at Seattle or the Rockies and Yankees going at it in Yankee Stadium. That and more are happening this year.



I still think the Jeffersons theme song was a classic

[tvje]

The AL teams are winning most of the games. If you look at the standing, the first place NL teams are barely over 500.

People called the Eastern Conference in the NBA, the JV, well let me say right now, The National League is the JV of baseball.

For example, put the Yankees or Red Sox in the NL east, and they would own the division.

[Pedantic]

Originally posted by Pentimento
Don't even get me started on THAT. :rolleyes:

Considering some of Finley's other suggested innovations over the years (orange balls, the pitch clock, batters walking on ball three), how could any of them have been taken seriously? DH: Devil's Handiwork! :)

I would have to agree. It's like letting someone else take Shaq's freethrows.

[JREwingBlackmail]

I love interleague play but it is way too late. The strike made it real hard on me in 94. They should have implimented INTERLEAGUE in the 80s and it would have been so much better. Especially since baseball was so much more balanced back then.

The Mets/Yankees rivalry could have been great with the likes of Gooden vs Mattingly..Guidry vs. Strawberry. It would have been that much more electric to me back then. Sadly todays game it seems like more of a gimmick than anything else.

I mean baseball used a bogus gimmick with the DH and that stuck. It might as well tried Interleage back then at least for one year..