Does anyone like interleague play?

[TomBrady'sGoat]

I'm just curious if anyone is at all excited or even interested by upcoming interleague play.

I could care less myself. I hate seeing Sox pitchers bat, so that's a knock against it. I hate the fact that the scheduling isn't at all fair, where the Sox play the Braves every year while someone else gets the Nationals as a "rival" (in fairness to the Yankees it looks like they get the worst deal for the forseeable future, as the Mets look like they're going to be good for awhile). It's not like interleague play makes me want to gouge my eyeballs out or anything.

Is there anything redeeming to it? I guess if you go to a lot of games (which I don't) it gives you a chance to see NL players in person. Is that such a big deal?

Any thoughts on interleague play?

 

[DarrylS]

I do not like the absence of the DH in the National League.. but I like the diversion and seeing the differnt teams.. I loved last year when we went 16-2 against the National League. If we go 12 and 6 will be very happy.

 

[patsfanofNC12]

I like it, because my favorite national league team is the braves (even though i love the sox way more)

 

[sdaniels7114]

My only beef is that National League rules are used for 1/2 of them.

 

[Foley]

The NL game is much more strategic with different elements that make it a lot more interesting to watch. You get more contributions from the bench in the NL, the double switch, pitchers being cautious about hitting someone, and the fact that small ball isn't completely dead. I find winning a game in the ninth by manufacturing a run with a stolen base, or a hit an run, or a squeeze play to be more entertaining than a walk off homer. And while you certainly get both in each league, because of the superior benches of the NL small ball is much more common.

But despite all that I can see an NL game elseware and don't think that interleague play brings that much to the table. Its expecailly obnoxious as a Red Sox fan because it forced them to sit down one of their three best hitters in Lowell Ortiz or Youkilis. I think the bigger problem with it, as mentioned before, is the unbalanced schedules that results because of interleague play. Boston playing the Atlanta with a 25-16 record is a bit lopsided to Detroit playing St. Louis and their 16-22 record. I'd be pretty pissed off if I were a Dodger fan knowing that they have to play the Angels, while the Padres right behind them in the division get to play the Mariners.

 

[patriotspride]

i love the dh.i dont watch baseball to see what the manager is going to do .if i wanted to see that i would watch more chess.i watch to see the best players perform on the field .the only problem i have with interleague play is when the american league team has to sit its dh.interleague play should be dh only because the national league team isnt weakened by the dh .they can take there best bench player and just slot him into the dh role .

 

[TomBrady'sGoat]

The NL game is much more strategic with different elements that make it a lot more interesting to watch. You get more contributions from the bench in the NL, the double switch, pitchers being cautious about hitting someone, and the fact that small ball isn't completely dead. I find winning a game in the ninth by manufacturing a run with a stolen base, or a hit an run, or a squeeze play to be more entertaining than a walk off homer. And while you certainly get both in each league, because of the superior benches of the NL small ball is much more common.

But despite all that I can see an NL game elseware and don't think that interleague play brings that much to the table. Its expecailly obnoxious as a Red Sox fan because it forced them to sit down one of their three best hitters in Lowell Ortiz or Youkilis. I think the bigger problem with it, as mentioned before, is the unbalanced schedules that results because of interleague play. Boston playing the Atlanta with a 25-16 record is a bit lopsided to Detroit playing St. Louis and their 16-22 record. I'd be pretty pissed off if I were a Dodger fan knowing that they have to play the Angels, while the Padres right behind them in the division get to play the Mariners.

The strategy behind NL games can be understood by a 7 year old. Seriously. When I was 7 I already knew and understood all of the strategy being used in the NL. The only real baseball strategy I have since learned is stuff introduced by sabremetrics.

I never understood how the double-switch was granted this mythical status. You do two substitutes at once and swap their positions. Ooooh.

Baseball has almost no strategy compared to other sports. It's ok to admit that and still love the game. When NL strategy enters play it is 1) extremely simple, and 2) compensating for an unnecessary and annoying weakness. It isn't adding anything, instead it is making the best of a crappy situation. Fun!

 

[Foley]

All strategy is simple. Find one instance of strategy in any sport that is difficult to understand. Understanding a strategy and being able to execute it correctly are two entirely different things, one of which is clearly more difficult than the other. If you've ever watched NL games on a regular basis you can see that the double switch can be executed very well and very poorly, that doesn't make it mythical, but rather another factor that can play a part in how the game goes down. Like whether or not a pitcher should be allowed to pitch through trouble or how well a manager handles the bullpen. And while no one is ever really pumped up to see a call to the bullpen or a double switch happen, the results are fun to watch when they work out, not the actual event itself.

Baseball certainly doesn't have the same amount of stategy as in most sports, but there are plenty of things that happen in every game that are pretty darn important from a strategic standpoint... who to pinch hit/run for, who to pinch hit/run with, when to remove a starter, which reliever should the starter be replaced with, where to position guys in the field(guard the lines, infield in, straight away, etc)/using the shift, whether or not to steal/hit and run/squeeze, IBBs, and a whole lot of other situations that can alter the course of the game. Simple, but depending on how well they are executed determines whether they alter the game for the better or for the worse.

 

[brdmaverick]

I actually think that interleague play sucks.

I would rather do away with it.

The ONLY benefit that I fans get to go to the ballpark and watch players that they normally wouldn't see.

I think the only thing that keeps the MLB from continuing the interleague schedule is the few interesting matchups Mets/Yanks, White Sox/Cubs, A's/Giants.