National League rules stink!!!!!

[Guest Sailor Jerry]

National League rules are way better. They go back to the purity of the game. It'll never happen, but if the AL rule was ever dumped I'd be so happy.

[Spoonless]

During interleague play, the DH should be optional regardless of which team is the home team. That way, should a team choose to stay true to the purity of the game or whatever, they can do so. I'd be shocked if many NL teams chose to have their pitchers bat, however.

[Bloopandablast]

AL has a slight advantage in the AL since in most cases AL teams have a regular DH that is better than the bench guys the NL has DH'ing when they come over to the AL in interleague play, but they are still gaining a hitter which adds to their lineup confidence. Not only do we lose a hitter but their pitchers are much better hitters, their lineup doesn't have to be juggled, and most AL pitchers don't have any experience running the bases and pitching after they just ran the bases. And another thing if an NL player has a player that's hurting/old like Berkman/Griffey they can DH them in an AL Park, so that's another benefit. And a guy like Ortiz goes to the NL and has to try to play 1B or has to sit...Disadvanges all around for AL teams and one small one for NL teams. I'd say the disadvange on a scale of 1-10 for an AL team in an NL park is a 15, as opposed to maybe a 3-4 for an NL team in an AL park.

Has anybody looked at the hitting differentials of the AL pitchers vs NL pitchers. It would be interesting to see how much a difference it is.

I just hate that our sports are becoming so centered around specialists. Whatever happened to making a player be an athlete and play the whole game?

In football we have a defense/offense on the field for 60-70 plays and we shuttle in guys left and right. In baseball we have 13 man pitching staffs, 5 man rotations and then see 3-4 innings of relief pitching.

What is wrong with making a player be an actual player?

[IamtheSkip]

No DH or not, the O's just didn't hit much in games 2 and 3 this series... Someone needs to get hot going into Chicago, or they might be seeing brooms.

[Mark Carver]

National League rules are way better. They go back to the purity of the game. It'll never happen, but if the AL rule was ever dumped I'd be so happy.

Ok, lets play all games in the daytime, play on real grass, no domes and best of all, no MINORITIES. Make it an all white sport.

Yeah, lets get back the real purity of the game.

[bird watcher]

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.

I posted something in agreement on the mlb board earlier today. It makes baseball LESS exciting to have to watch pitchers give up outs.

[Bloopandablast]

This is such poor logic. The ability to throw a baseball at a world class level and the ability to hit a baseball at a world class level are completely different skills. Do you also support a combo Violin/Poker competition? How about advanced math competitions with a sprinkle of ballet dancing mixed in?

BTW, I posted the differences in my previous post in that link. Both groups stink at a level that makes Luis Hernandez look like Barry Bonds, but the AL guys stink more.

Where do you stop then, since hitting is so different from the rest of the game. Should you allow a DH for each possible player?

[Aberdeener]

The National League is the only league left that still does not use a DH.

Heh, what does this even mean?? There's only two leagues! :scratchchinhmm:

[Bloopandablast]

I happen to like the DH rule. However, using your logic, shouldn't we have the 8 best fielders playing, whether their bat is in the lineup or not. Fielding and hitting are two completely different skills also. Don't you want to see the best fielders out there at all timtes also. Just playing devil's advocate but I think I have a pretty good case against your logic.

precisely. More specialization. Maybe we should have designated runners for bad base runners too......

[IamtheSkip]

I happen to like the DH rule. However, using your logic, shouldn't we have the 8 best fielders playing, whether their bat is in the lineup or not. Fielding and hitting are two completely different skills also. Don't you want to see the best fielders out there at all timtes also. Just playing devil's advocate but I think I have a pretty good case against your logic.

There is no "real" argument for the DH and no "real" argument against it. It's a matter of preference. It's ketchup and mustard. You might like one and not the other, or you might like both equally. But they're not the same, and someone else might feel differently. But it's just ketchup and mustard.

[Mark Carver]

Heh, what does this even mean?? There's only two leagues! :scratchchinhmm:

How about others besides the Major Leagues. From Wikipedia.

Amateur baseball

The use of the designated hitter rule in amateur baseball is nearly universal. The primary difference between the DH in the professional and amateur games is that the DH may bat in place of one player in any position in most amateur baseball leagues such as those that use National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rules. Most high school coaches use a designated hitter in place of the weakest hitter in the lineup, if they use one at all. In amateur baseball, many pitchers are also good hitters and will often play another position (or even DH) when not pitching. Professional pitchers usually focus exclusively on improving their pitching, thus their batting skills often deteriorate compared to their teammates. However, in Canada, the DH must bat for the pitcher still.

One notable exception to the NFHS designated hitter rule in youth baseball is American Legion baseball. Legion rules exactly follow those prescribed in the Official Baseball Rules, which allow the DH only to bat for the pitcher. Prior to 1995, the use of the DH was not allowed in Legion baseball.

In college baseball, NCAA rules state that the designated hitter must hit for the pitcher, but in many instances the pitcher is also a good hitter, and the coach may elect to let the pitcher bat in the lineup. If the pitcher opts to bat for himself, he is treated as two separate positions — a pitcher and a designated hitter (abbreviated P/DH on the lineup card) — and may be substituted for as such (i.e. if he is removed as the pitcher, he may remain as the designated hitter and vice versa). However, if a player who starts a game as a P/DH is relieved as the starting pitcher, he may not return to the mound even if he remains in the game as the DH, and he may not play any other defensive position after being relieved as the pitcher. Conversely, a player who begins the game as the DH, but not as the pitcher, may come into the game as a reliever and remain as the DH (in effect becoming a P/DH), be relieved on the mound later in the game but continue to bat as the DH.

International baseball leagues

The DH is used in most professional baseball leagues around the world. One notable exception is the Central League of Japan, where pitchers bat as they do in the National League. Japan's Pacific League adopted the designated hitter in 1975.

Minor leagues

Most, if not all, of the minor leagues have adopted the designated hitter rule for use in their games. Generally, the only exceptions are at the triple-A and double-A levels, and then only in games where two National League affiliates play each other. As players move up and get closer to reaching the majors, teams prefer to have the rules mimic (as closely as possible) those of the Major Leagues. Single-A and Rookie leagues use the DH in all games.

[Aberdeener]

How about others besides the Major Leagues. From Wikipedia.

Touche!

words

[Lt Melmo]

Where do you stop then, since hitting is so different from the rest of the game. Should you allow a DH for each possible player?

Should you make the hitters pitch?

I mean, why not? Even though they're two entirely different skills. I want to see hitters pitch. If they get an AB, they have to throw. It's what makes sense. Otherwise, they're incomplete players.

[Bloopandablast]

Should you make the hitters pitch?

I mean, why not? Even though they're two entirely different skills. I want to see hitters pitch. If they get an AB, they have to throw. It's what makes sense. Otherwise, they're incomplete players.

No I believe the manager should use whichever of the players he puts on the field to play whichever position it best suits the team. But he does play.

[Bloopandablast]

So, you advocate lots of specialization, just specialization you agree with. Nothing like consistency in a stance and argument.

Answer my question about more DH's and designated runners because if you follow the logical end of your stance it is having the best 9 hitters, the best 9 fielders and the best 9 runners playing at all times.