At Major League Baseball's winter meetings earlier this month, baseball owners unanimously endorsed a plan to allow interleague play for the 1997 season. The plan, which still requires the approval of the players' union and the umpires' union, calls for 15-16 interleague games for each team, to be played against their regional counterpart. (i.e., American League West teams vs. National League West teams) This plan is a boon for baseball -- it will enhance fan interest after a grim 1995 season.
Baseball needs to adapt to compensate for the 20 percent drop in attendance that followed the players' strike of 1994. Not only does this plan create new rivalries currently only seen in the pre- and post- seasons, but also it shows Baseball's commitment to win fans back. A commitment necessary to bring baseball back from being America's third favorite sport behind football and basketball.
The one sticking point could be the required approval from the players' union. Under the plan the designated hitter would be used only when home games are played in American League ballparks. This system will work for the 1997 season, but if the plan becomes permanent for the seasons after '97, uniformity for both leagues must be achieved.
Many players are seeking to expand the designated hitter into the National League, thus adding another high-salaried position to the payroll. Not surprisingly, several owners are seeking to abolish the designated hitter from the American League, thus shrinking their payroll.
Let us hope the '98 season brings an end to the designated hitter. The designated hitter today is nothing more than a spot for washed-up veterans to expand their careers while taking the place of a rookie.
The designated hitter also steals a great deal of strategy from the game. It is sad that only rarely will you see a pinch hitter in an American League ball game. There is nothing more exciting in baseball than seeing the ace reliever come in to get the final out against a top notch pinch hitter. Without this situation we would have never seen the miracle pinch hit home run of the Dodgers' Kirk Gibson off of the Oakland Athletics' Dennis Eckersly in the 1988 World Series.
With any luck, the players will approve interleague play, and give up the designated hitter in the American League, drawing fans back to the stadiums and rekindling their love for America's pastime.
