Oh…yeah…about that other league
Greetings from the one fan of an American League team here at WTP. [Author's note: I would be concerned about being grossly outnumbered, but considering I am comparing the Indians to the Cardinals and Astros, I think it's a fair matchup.]
As I write this, the Tribe just lost to the White Sox 2-1, giving the beloved politically incorrect mascot its first loss of the year. Shockingly, the juggernaut that is the Kansas City Royals looks to have another win today against the Tigers, meaning KC will be in first place all alone here in a matter of minutes. Of course, they will be mathematically eliminated from the postseason in a matter of days, so I say “bully for you, Alex Gordon.” Or something like that.
I’m rambling. Back to my point.
Simply stated, the American League is roughly 1,354,787 times greater than the National League right now. (I did the math.) Why is this? Well, according to assmasters like Joe Buck, part of the reason is that the two biggest spenders and five of the top six spenders are American League teams. Problem is, once you get past number six, the National League more than keeps pace with the American in spending, yet the AL keeps feeding its collective dick to the NL in the All Star game year after year.
Here’s where I would insert my own theory if I had one, but I don’t. Instead, I’ll open it up to comments and suggestions. Any comments that refer to last year’s ALCS, however, will cause me to mail a turd to the commenter.
In other news…I realize that I still owe the 9 of you who read this a new, fancy, baseball-related template. I even have a couple cool pictures already picked out for the header. But I am lazy. Very lazy. Amazingly lazy. But it will come.
Posted under AL Supremacy, I always hurt the ones I love, Indians, NL Central, Standings
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Simple, its the DH. Every AL team carries one person who’s job it is only to hit and they are usually pretty good at it. NL teams can’t afford to waste a roster spot on a very good player who doesn’t play more than one at bat a game. Therefore, AL teams have 9 hitters to our 8. Sounds like a pretty big advantage to me. Need proof? Boston’s DH is David Ortiz, last year we used Orlando Palmiero as a DH when we played interleague games. Our pitchers are used to getting one at bat off for every nine. Two if Adam Everett is playing. Baseball is the only sport that would even consider such a discrepancy in its rules. Could you imagine if the AFC got an extra player on defense? Maybe Stern should try that this year for the eastern conference.
PS- After “Major League” how could I not have a soft spot for the Indians? As long as they crush the White Sox every year, they’re ok by me.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:48 am
“You may run like Hayes, but you hit like shit.”
April 4th, 2008 at 9:18 am
That quote was “You may run like Hayes, but you hit like my sister” to me for the longest time.
Thanks movies on cable!
April 4th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Yeah, I agree that a lot of it comes down to the DH. An AL manager never has to decide whether or not to pinch hit for his pitcher in the sixth inning of a 2-1 ballgame, which means his bullpen stays fresher, and the ripple effects continue. Not every DH is a 30 homer masher, but having an extra hitter who doesn’t wear a jacket when he runs the bases is certainly significant.
The media plays a role here, too. The AL powerhouses get tons of media coverage, leading to the patronizing “why does the NL suck?” stories. If the situation were reversed and NL teams had that same kind of fawning treatment, we’d have a 12 part Outside The Lines special on the unfairness of the DH.