National League rules stink!!!!!

[Tony-OH]

I absolutely and utterly hate the archaic rules of the National League. Besides the novelty factor of watching horrible hitters try and not embarrass themselves, but we get the added bonus of watching our pitchers get tired and then have to go pitch.

The National League is the only league left that still does not use a DH. At the very least they should allow DHs when an AL team comes into town for inter-league play. We've already seen one pitcher (The Yankees Wang) get hurt and others have probably tweaked things trying to do something they don't normally do.

BTW, a double switch is not rocket science or such extreme strategy that it should overcome adding an extra hitter. On top of it all, is it really strategy to pitch around the 8th hitter in order to face the pitcher? Nope....

If the National league wants to play with their ridiculous rules, be my guest, but how about you not force the AL teams to go back in your time warp and allow the teams to use a DH.

Ok, rant over.

[Sports Guy]

Don't tell Bshipe this...He thinks it is rocket science!

[Frobby]

I'm with ya. I especially hate when there are runners on with 2 out and the 8th place hitter is up, and they walk him to get to the pitcher.

[PoorMike]

Olson was so focused on getting the bunt down that he didn't run at first and bunted into a double play.

[Palmer Esque]

Don't tell Bshipe this...He thinks it is rocket science!

Haha come on that is not fair.

Each game is different in and of itself. It is not as always simple and cut and dry as some us think it is.

I guess a part of me is still an old school baseball guy. I would rather have low scoring and pitching battles occur, and the letting the pitcher hit goes into this.

That plus the fact that I pitched and was never let to hit in college.....lol there you go, I admit, I am bitter.

But in all seriousness, when it comes to AL vs. NL, to each their own I guess.

But if I had to choose, I would still choose the DH, who wouldnt??

[RayC]

It's not the NL rules that stink, it's the performance of the players. I think baseball rules for a long time required all players to play defense (in the field) AND offense (at bat).

It was the AL that invented the current DH dichotomy!

Nice rant though!

[Goober Noodles]

What ticks me off the most is how a lot of NL teams' announcers take cheap shots at AL play every chance they get.

I was getting so sick of the Pirates "color" announcer (not the play-by-play guy) take repeated shots at how they weren't playing a real baseball game.

[RShack]

Haha come on that is not fair.

Each game is different in and of itself. It is not as always simple and cut and dry as some us think it is.

Actually, it pretty much is.

Here's what I said in response to your point in the other thread about how the NL has more strategy because of the P batting :

Well, at first glance that seems logical. But, as it turns out, it's wrong.

It's not "more strategy" when everybody does the exact same thing.

Just making automatic moves isn't "strategy", it's just making automatic moves.

Some years ago, Bill James investigated this very question. He studied AL vs. NL pitcher-change decisions, and he found out that in the NL managers act pretty much the exact same way, whereas AL managers behave much more differently from one another than managers do in the NL. So, while it might seem counter-intuitive to you, the actual truth is that the DH *increases* strategy, while having the P hit *decreases* strategy.

This means that the NL not only makes us watch P's who can't hit go to bat and look awful, it also gives us *less* strategy.

So, having the P bat is not only awful to watch, it also ties the manager's hands too.

[Lt Melmo]

Haha come on that is not fair.

Each game is different in and of itself. It is not as always simple and cut and dry as some us think it is.

I guess a part of me is still an old school baseball guy. I would rather have low scoring and pitching battles occur, and the letting the pitcher hit goes into this.

That plus the fact that I pitched and was never let to hit in college.....lol there you go, I admit, I am bitter.

But in all seriousness, when it comes to AL vs. NL, to each their own I guess.

But if I had to choose, I would still choose the DH, who wouldnt??

I love how little sense this makes, when people say "I'm old school, so I like low-scoring games," as if the entirety of baseball played before the mid-90s was dominated by pitching.

[Palmer Esque]

Actually, it pretty much is.

Here's what I said in response to your point in the other thread about how the NL has more strategy because of the P batting :

Yea I read it in the other post, and good information.

But that does not mean it is any less difficult to manage in the NL as it is in the AL. They are playing with a different set of cards.

[YankThis!]

I like the NL format better because I think it forces teams to execute better and play more small ball than the DH format. Its a more intellectual game without the DH. Plus, it drives me nuts to watch guys like Molitor extend their careers by 5 years by DH'ing, padding their career statistics and denying the next generation their place in line.

[Methodology]

Actually, it pretty much is.

Here's what I said in response to your point in the other thread about how the NL has more strategy because of the P batting :

The Pitcher batting acts in the same exact way as the DH batting in the AL. If you have a better athlete then you reap the benefits of the Pitcher batting just like in the AL the team with the better DH reaps the benefits.

In the AL the Dbacks always have an advantage when Owning pitches just as the Cubs do when Zambrano pitches. Its part of the game. The NL is how the game was created and it will continue to play by those rules. I enjoy the DH in the AL but I see no reason for the NL to change their rules especially when an AL team plays in their parks.

[Palmer Esque]

I love how little sense this makes, when people say "I'm old school, so I like low-scoring games," as if the entirety of baseball played before the mid-90s was dominated by pitching.

I was referring the DH rule being modern, and letting the pitchers hit as being old school. Does that get your panties out of a bunch a lil bit?

And there have been offensive dominant eras throughout history as well as a pitching dominant. I do believe there was a deadball era....

The steroid era is over ( We all hope ) so I think we will begin to see a return to better pitching across the board, which is the style of ball I tend to favor if I had to choose.

Thats all I am saying.

[yamminonemo6]

I personally think that either both leagues should use the DH, or both leagues not use the DH. But complaining that a player got hurt, like Wang, because he was running the bases is unreal. A pitcher, no matter who it is, should at least be able to run correctly!

[Sports Guy]

Migrant Redbird in 3...2..1....