Darth Selig

Minute Maid field, park, stadium--whatever--has always been a joke of a stadium and I have always hated to see games played there. Although I feel the Cards won there more often then not (I could be completely wrong, but I can't be bothered to look atm) it was more of an annoying obstacle course. Crawford boxes jutting out. Poles and hills butting in. The dangerous right field line (yes, I know it's not too dissimilar from Busch III). Praise the Lord the Astros are moving in 2013! Although I'll miss the rivalry with the Astros it's about the same as I'd miss the Pirates leaving. I think balancing out the leagues is good for baseball. I makes sense. It didn't make sense to change things before.

That said, I'm not sure I like the other change--or why it was even required. I'm not sure I even understand the logic. We still have two leagues with three divisions each, yes? So, why do we need another wild card. Before us stands the debate: the excitement of playoffs with wild cards (what kind of hypocrite would I be if I denied us this last season and post-season?) vs. the reward for winning the league in the marathon. Another wild card DOES water things down--you can't deny that. But you can't deny the excitement that more teams provide. Would you have wanted to watch the Phillies play the Yankees? Maybe, but more are included--and that sells. Currently I believe that it's watered down enough--it's not a stodgy Murphy's Irish Stout, but lets not turn it into Keystone Light please!

There are worries that the symmetry will lead to other changes that will make the leagues more similar--like the elimination of the DH--something that I am DRAMATICALLY opposed to. The fear is that with more interleague play (a feature that comes with equal 15 team leagues) will come more use of the American League pitcher with a bat in his hand--an image that conjures up images of Bugs Bunny striking out the side with one pitch as the Gas House Gorillas flail at the ball. Such a fear may indeed lean toward the universal use of a DH. The import of such a decision is well chronicled and I wholly am opposed to such a flat and droll game. We'll call it the "checker effect"--the reason more people play checkers than chess is simplicity and not because checkers is a superior game. "Let the fools have their tar-tar sauce," he seemed to say. Such a change would be worse (by far) then the NFL's decision to change the placement of the kickoff--which has grossly dumbed down the game as well.

"This deal is getting worse all the time" and I fear what changes Selig will make next.

-CJ