The DH in the National League?

[Guest d'Kong76]

Ceetar wrote: And Rey Ordonez made the majors too.

HEY! No playing the Rey card!

[Ceetar]

d'Kong76 wrote: Ceetar wrote: And Rey Ordonez made the majors too. HEY! No playing the Rey card!

He could've used a Designated Hitter.

[Fman99]

I hope that's not the case.

My argument against it is that it dumbs down the managing of the game. Where's the strategy without double switches and pinch hitting? It's so dull.

My compromise would be, if forced upon us, that you only get to keep your DH as long as your starting pitcher remains in the game. Then, once you pull the SPs, you also pull the DH. Keeps the strategy intact and gets more jobs. This would work if combined with an expansion of the rosters.

[Edgy MD]

Expanding the rosters is another thing that protects people from the weaker part of their games, and so detracts from the human drama.

Anthony Recker at third? That's drama!

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Simple solution: The manager may elect to use one designated hitter in any game that begins on an odd-number day (local time). No designated hitter is permitted on games beginning on even-number days. This rule holds for the postseason as well as the regular season.

[ashie62]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: This Selig Era strategy of marketing the game by marketing the player led to all the crap about the Buster Posey Rules and I have no doubt that Wainwright will be the Tendon That Killed The Pitcher Hitting Once and For All. I think it sucks but there's nobody out there who's going to stop this. What, you want snap poor Adam Wainwright's achilles?

Have you asked any AL fans?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Here's my solution: Don't drop the DH suddenly, leaving owners stuck with contracts. Instead, say that the rule will expire in five years. Or eight years. Or ten. That leaves plenty of time to plan for the change. And to appease the union, expand the active roster from 25 players to 27. Or 28.

This has always been my solution, too. Notwithstanding the DH issue though, I think MLB's due for a roster expansion anyway, given the dramatic impact pitch-counts have had on the game and rosters, essentially requiring teams to trim their bench from about seven position player subs to four or five. The reduced bench limits strategies maybe even more so than the DH itself. Roster construction in today's game is more crucial than ever, is my guess.

[Gwreck]

Another person on the correct side of this issue: Adam Wainwright says adding the DH to the National League is a stupid idea.

Asked his response to those who argue that the NL should adopt the DH, Wainwright replied: "I couldn't disagree more with that." He then explained why. "I just think baseball is a National League game. I wish both leagues would convert to National League baseball. And I understand why people would say that, but you can't point to another instance, almost, where the pitcher has hurt [his] Achilles doing that kind of thing. Running the bases? Maybe once or twice a year. Maybe. "Baseball, the strategy and the game itself in the National League is just a better game, in my opinion. I hope that people don't look at this -- which I know they already are --- and think that we should switch to a DH now. Baseball is a beautiful game. I just hope it doesn't change too much."

[Guest d'Kong76]

Booth talking about this too...

"It's really not much different that exploding off the mound to get a ground ball or covering first or fielding a bunt," he said. "It could have happened at any time. Listening to the doctors, there is no reason it happened. It wasn't like it was an incredibly weak tendon. It could have happened doing anything -- I could have been carrying my daughter up the stairs and it happened. So you outlaw carrying your daughter up the stairs? Or outlaw covering first? Outlaw fielding a bunt? It was a fluke thing, and baseball needs to stay just the way it is."

[Ceetar]

You know, part of the "so much more" strategy non-DH love is about running out of of players, something adding roster spots in exchange for dumping it in the AL would do damage too.