Saturday is for Baseball

So far in the 28 days of blogging I have been hitting on some heavy stuff. But, today is Saturday. Saturdays are supposed to be fun! They were the days of sugar cereal (I preferred Cap'n Crunch Berries) and cartoons.

The best part of Saturday was, This Week In Baseball...

I loved TWiB! This was before Sportscenter and cable. TWiB and Mel Allen were the best way for a kid like me to learn about all the teams in MLB. I would have my baseball card collection out and watch the show. Then NBC's game of the week would come on and it seemed like it was always Ozzie Smith and the St. Louis Cardinals. 

I loved those Saturdays because I could see National League teams. The sadness that is "inter-league" play wasn't conjured up yet. 

The NL teams were small and fast. They stole bases and bunted. It was different than watching my Tigers play. We were big and strong with guys like Larry Herndon and Kirk Gibson. There was something romantic about the NL. 

When I moved to Normal, IL I found myself in Cardinal country. Amy and I loved watching the Cardinals play. This was about the time the Albert Pujols burst onto the scene and began dominating the league. What struck me as I watched the games was how much strategy was involved in the NL as opposed to the AL. 

I was used to seeing big boys fill a lineup and mash. It seemed like every team in the DH ridden AL was playing for the 3R Home Run. The NL teams didn't have that luxury. With pitchers hitting the managers had to make hard decisions about how to use their bench. 

Living in a NL town made it clear that the DH is an abomination. It takes much of the fun and strategy out of the game. Besides, how much more intense is it when a pitcher brushes a guy off high and tight and then the next inning has to stand in the box himself? 

I say get rid of the DH and let's get back to playing ball.

Ahh...baseball.