Once again the time is upon us in the baseball world for the worst part of the season. What’s it called? It’s none other than inter-league play in MLB, as the AL and the NL teams are forced to play each other. Some people might actually like this part of the season but for myself I could do without it. Especially for 18 games as I’d much rather watch the best team in the majors, my beloved Boston Red Sox play teams within their own division the AL East!
Sure it’s fun seeing my Red Sox play in the different NL parks which gives fans across the country a chance to see them live in their own stadiums. But when I’m watching my star pitchers (Josh Beckett, Tim Wakefield, Jon Lester) and company being forced to pick up a bat and go whack at the ball, I cringe every time. Just the thought of them first having to swing the bat and possibly injuring themselves in the process kills me. Not to mention if they do indeed get a hit they’re forced to run the base-paths, with an even greater chance for injury.
Don’t even get me going if they are put in the situation that calls for them to slide or tag up for a sacrifice fly. I can only imagine watching the season go down the drain when one of them slides and gets injured with a hamstring or torn ACL! Yes, they’ll have to hit when it comes time for the World Series which is fine, it’s why we have batting practice and spring training. It allows them the chance to get into the batters box and do their thing, without a higher chance of injury, mainly because it’s their own pitching coach tossing nice soft easy pitches to them. Not a wanna-be youngster looking to make a name for themselves as he tries and knock one of my guys down.
Both MLB, and commissioner Bud Selig, need to rethink and take another look at inter-league play. It’s time to scratch the 18 games played each season and lower that number down to say, 6 games! Which would allow each team to play the other league once at home, and once on the road. Set it up just like the NFL does, which is where you finish the previous season determines which clubs you face. Continue the rotation so you play all four of the other league’s divisions every four years but make it only 2 teams as opposed to the entire division.
If these changes were to be imposed it would allow for every team to have 12 more games within their own division. For the Red Sox that means three more games each with the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays. Games that are all important and have more of a meaning, as a win or loss means so much more. In a perfect world this would happen, the Sox would still be playing the New York Mets this weekend in Fenway Park, as their one home series. Plus they’d only be traveling once to an NL park (pick the Atlanta Braves) which would be their one away series instead of three times as they do this season. Come on Bud, don’t think about this just implement it NOW!
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