Astro's move to AL finalized?

[Birds of B'more]

Brooklyn and Mexico City. The Bridegrooms find some government or rich person in NYC to foot the bill to bring back the pride and nostalgia that left with the Dodgers. And the Red Devils can play at Foro Sol. I've always wanted to see baseball played at an altitude a half mile higher than Denver.

If it can be converted to accommodate baseball, MLB should play an exhibition or two here. The ball will fly like something reminiscent of the steroid days.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Not a fan if the season long interleague play. Two teams will have their opening day as an interleague matchup. I do like the even number of teams in each league, but would prefer to have contraction of two teams.

How is that any worse than the Mariners playing the Blue Jays on Opening Day?

[backwardsk]

How is that any worse than the Mariners playing the Blue Jays on Opening Day?

I'm trying to put this in an Orioles context, but it's difficult. But to use your example, the Blue Jays acquire a big bat to be their DH. This guy can't play the field, or maybe can play 1B, but you already have a first baseman (say Frank Thomas or Jim Thome). You're a big Blue Jays fan. You've waited all winter to see your improved line-up --the line up you'll see for most of the season. But you open up in Miami. So now you have to wait a series to see your team in full gear. I'd much rather open up in Seattle. It takes away from the opening day experience, IMO.

[DrungoHazewood]

If it can be converted to accommodate baseball' date=' MLB should play an exhibition or two here. The ball will fly like something reminiscent of the steroid days.

I would fly to Bolivia just to see a game there. Being a futbol stadium it would probably be configured like the LA Coliseum, but instead of a 250-ft left field fence with a 50-foot screen, they'd have to have a 150 ft wall looming over the shortstop.

Orioles - Placed SS JJ Hardy on the 15-day DL, retroactive to July 22nd, with high altitude pulmonary edema.

[Birds of B'more]

I'm trying to put this in an Orioles context, but it's difficult. But to use your example, the Blue Jays acquire a big bat to be their DH. This guy can't play the field, or maybe can play 1B, but you already have a first baseman (say Frank Thomas or Jim Thome). You're a big Blue Jays fan. You've waited all winter to see your improved line-up --the line up you'll see for most of the season. But you open up in Miami. So now you have to wait a series to see your team in full gear. I'd much rather open up in Seattle. It takes away from the opening day experience, IMO.

Like I said, I think it becomes a much bigger issue if an AL team in a pennant race ends the season in an NL park.

[sangar]

And the Red Devils can play at Foro Sol. I've always wanted to see baseball played at an altitude a half mile higher than Denver.

If you're fielding your team of little guys with 40 oz. bats you may not like the result.

[BaltimoreTerp]

I'm trying to put this in an Orioles context, but it's difficult. But to use your example, the Blue Jays acquire a big bat to be their DH. This guy can't play the field, or maybe can play 1B, but you already have a first baseman (say Frank Thomas or Jim Thome). You're a big Blue Jays fan. You've waited all winter to see your improved line-up --the line up you'll see for most of the season. But you open up in Miami. So now you have to wait a series to see your team in full gear. I'd much rather open up in Seattle. It takes away from the opening day experience, IMO.

What if you are facing, for example, a lefty ace, and so you bench certain players due to platoon splits? Isn't that essentially the same thing?

[BaltimoreTerp]

Like I said' date=' I think it becomes a much bigger issue if an AL team in a pennant race ends the season in an NL park.[/quote']

No more than a team in a division race playing their final games out of the division.

[Birds of B'more]

No more than a team in a division race playing their final games out of the division.

I disagree. At least if you're only playing out of division you still get to use your DH. But an AL team having to win the final series with one of their top hitters only available as a PH, while their competitors get to have their DH in the lineup? Different story.

[BaltimoreTerp]

I disagree. At least if you're only playing out of division you still get to use your DH. But an AL team having to win the final series with one of their top hitters only available as a PH' date=' while their competitors get to have their DH in the lineup? Different story.[/quote']

But how often would that happen?

They don't do these sort of things randomly. You know why the Yankees and Red Sox are always playing each other or division rivals the last series of the season? You know why the Orioles played almost exclusively division rivals last September? Because the league wants to make sure as much as possible that teams are playing other teams they might have to beat out for a division title.

It wouldn't be any different under an interleague system. You'll end up with two terrible teams from the previous season to lower the chances the series would affect a playoff race.

Even if, for example, the Orioles were stuck with that series but went on a miracle run that season, would you really be worried too much about a small quirk in the system like that?

[Birds of B'more]

But how often would that happen?

They don't do these sort of things randomly. You know why the Yankees and Red Sox are always playing each other or division rivals the last series of the season? You know why the Orioles played almost exclusively division rivals last September? Because the league wants to make sure as much as possible that teams are playing other teams they might have to beat out for a division title.

It wouldn't be any different under an interleague system. You'll end up with two terrible teams from the previous season to lower the chances the series would affect a playoff race.

Even if, for example, the Orioles were stuck with that series but went on a miracle run that season, would you really be worried too much about a small quirk in the system like that?

Which is why I suggested that MLB just go ahead and make the Orioles and Pirates permanent end-of-season opponents for the foreseeable future.

But hypothetically, if the O's did go on a miracle run and had to go to an NL park to clinch a playoff birth, while NY and Boston were playing Toronto and TB with their DHs, then yeah, it would suck....especially if the O's DH was the best hitter on the team or at least had a hot bat at the time. And I know every team would have the same number of interleague games over the course of the season....but nobody wins a pennant in July. Little intricacies like losing your DH (by rule, while your opponents keep theirs) will be much more magnified in late September. The "Well, the other guys had to do the same thing a couple months ago" probably won't silence many critics.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Which is why I suggested that MLB just go ahead and make the Orioles and Pirates permanent end-of-season opponents for the foreseeable future.

But hypothetically' date=' if the O's did go on a miracle run and had to go to an NL park to clinch a playoff birth, while NY and Boston were playing Toronto and TB with their DHs, then yeah, it would suck....especially if the O's DH was the best hitter on the team or at least had a hot bat at the time. And I know every team would have the same number of interleague games over the course of the season....but nobody wins a pennant in July. Little intricacies like losing your DH (by rule, while your opponents keep theirs) will be much more magnified in late September. The "Well, the other guys had to do the same thing a couple months ago" probably won't silence many critics.[/quote']

Well, since many, if not most of those critics would overlap with groups like the "Uneven numbers of teams is stupid" group, it might be helpful to remind them that every act has consequences

I'd be willing to put up with the once-in-a-half-century chances that the start would align like that for a more equitable system overall. And fifteen teams per league helps do that.

[Birds of B'more]

Well, since many, if not most of those critics would overlap with groups like the "Uneven numbers of teams is stupid" group, it might be helpful to remind them that every act has consequences

I'd be willing to put up with the once-in-a-half-century chances that the start would align like that for a more equitable system overall. And fifteen teams per league helps do that.

So would I. I was just playing devil's advocate more than anything. But when the whole discussion of interleague play all season came up, and the biggest complaint was potentially Opening Day against a team from the other league, the first thing that popped into my head was the ramifications that could occur at the very end of the season....even if the odds do happen to be remote.

[backwardsk]

What if you are facing, for example, a lefty ace, and so you bench certain players due to platoon splits? Isn't that essentially the same thing?

Your team still has the option to set their 9 hitter lineup. With interleague, you don't. I'm not a fan of it.

[backwardsk]

If you want to make scheduling completely fair, and contraction's off the table, then reduce the number of games to 159...play each team in your league 6 times and each team in the other league 5 times.