And now we come to the necessary, but not painless, discussion of baseball for\ an event that crowns its champion under two sets of rules. Of all the major sports that grace the American landscape, only our national p\ astime changes the actual number of participants in the starting lineup during\ its ultimate championship. There are people who think this is sort of preciou\ s, but there is an excellent chance that these same people also think that day\ time television enriches the soul. The DH rule was instituted by the AL in 1973 as a vehicle to increase offense.\ The increase in offense, it was thought, would increase attendance. The NL wa\ s in ascendance at the time -- that was a long time ago, wasn't it? -- and it \ took the purists' approach, that this was a gimmick unworthy of the grand old \ game. You can argue that the NL was protecting the integrity of the game or yo\ u can argue that the NL was being snooty. Either way, fans ended up with the t\ wo leagues playing by different rules. The DH should go now, but it probably won't. There has not been a problem with\ creating offense for some time. The reasons for that could constitute several\ other columns. It is sufficient to say that the basic reason for the creation\ of the DH is long gone. If your position is that watching pitchers hit is fundamentally boring, you're\ missing the point, and you're also missing your favorite programming on the s\ nowboarding channel. The inherent worth of the successful sacrifice bunt shoul\ d not be diminished. And on those occasions in which the pitcher changes the c\ ourse of the game with his bat, we are all the better for their relatively rar\ ity. Beyond that, it is reasonable to say that the designated hitter rule dramatica\ lly reduces the number of variables involved in pitching changes, and thus red\ uces the texture and the nuance and the thought that is required to manage a g\ ame. And it also reduces the texture and nuance and thought that is required f\ rom those who watch a game. The DH rule does provide a vehicle for one-way players to greatly extend their\ careers, and their fiscal well-being. The purists' view is that if you're goi\ ng to ascend to the lofty level of a Major League regular player, you ought to\ be able to catch the ball and throw the ball, along with being able to hit th\ e ball. The DH has in that way lowered the bar for what a Major Leaguer can be. Why does this situation persist? Because the DH provides 14 of what can be som\ e of the highest-paying jobs in the game. If you were the Major League Basebal\ l Players Association, you wouldn't want to lose the DH, either. The fellow ho\ lding down that spot is going to drive up the salary structure much more than \ a utility infielder or a long reliever could. http://tinyurl.com/55wrat 全文 -- 永保赤子之心! SO. LET US BE OURSELVES! --

※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 220.141.40.227