We're finishing up the first month of the season, and the big questions in the National League are whether the Mets are for real, and whether the Nats are really this bad. It's also nice to see the Cubs back in contention after several pretty weak seasons:
1. St. Louis: 14-6 ---
2. New York: 15-7 ---
3. Los Angeles: 13-8 1 1/2
4. Chicago: 12-8 2
5. Pittsburgh: 12-10 3
6. Colorado: 11-10 3 1/2
7. San Diego: 11-12 4 1/2
T8. Atlanta: 10-11 4 1/2
T8. Cincinnati: 10-11 4 1/2
T8. Arizona: 10-11 4 1/2
11. Miami: 10-12 5
T12. Washington: 9-13 6
T12. San Francisco: 9-13 6
14. Philadelphia: 8-14 7
15. Milwaukee: 5-17 10
Note: We're not surprised that the Giants are off to a flat start. They only go to the playoffs in even-numbered years. We expect them back for the 2016 World Series.
Over in the American League, the Yankees and Astros have gotten off to good starts, the Angels and A's are flat, and the Red Sox appear to be back:
1. Detroit: 15-7 --
T2. Houston: 14-7 1/2
T2. Kansas City: 14-7 1/2
4. New York: 13-9 2
T5. Tampa Bay: 12-10 3
T5. Boston: 12-10 3
7. Baltimore: 10-10 4
T8. Los Angeles: 10-11 4 1/2
T8. Seattle: 10-11 4 1/2
10. Toronto: 10-12 5
11. Chicago: 8-10 5
12. Minnesota: 9-12 5 1/2
13. Oakland: 9-13 6
14. Cleveland: 7-13 7
15. Texas: 7-14 7 1/2
So what do you think is it time to put the DH in the National League? Personally I still don't get all the inter-league play and don't understand why they ever established the DH, but I wonder what you think with the current situation in the MLB.
ReplyDeleteMLB has been signalling, through its minions in the press, that people like me have to get out of the way and put up with the DH in both leagues. Given that we traditionalists are just about the only people who still watch the baseball playoffs, and that all of MLB's prior efforts to make the game more popular with casual fans have failed, I am extremely doubtful that putting the DH in the NL will work out as MLB expects.
ReplyDeleteBut I've given up at this point. I don't think I will live to see MLB figure out that it could use tradition to grow its brand. Someday, MLB will be divided into the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference, eight teams from each conference will make the playoffs, and the playoffs will run from mid-September to mid-November. And people like me will be the only ones paying attention.