Why David Ortiz shouldn’t be the MVP - and why I will always cheer for a National League Team
16 Apr 2006Note: This post originally appeared on October 3, 2005.
The Designated Hitter. I hate it. I don’t understand it. I don’t understand the average baseball fan’s reaction to it, either. I found the following two questions in separate polls on espn.com tonight:
Which would you rather see in person?
A batter hit four home runs in one game.
A pitcher throw a no-hitter.
What should baseball do with the DH?
Keep things the way they are
Get rid of it in the AL
Add it for the NL
The responses are as follows:
88.8% of those polled said that they would rather see a pitcher throw a no-hitter than a batter hit four home runs in one game. However, 47.5% said that the DH situation should stay the way it is. A full 18.8% said that it should be added in the National League, leaving only 33.3% of us who would abolish this abomination in the American League. If so many people want to see good pitching, why is the designated hitter suddenly okay? Is it because we’re sentimental and like seeing guys like Frank Thomas continue to play? If you can’t play in the field, you shouldn’t be in the batter’s box. If I were an American League manager, I’d make my pitcher hit anyway.
I could rant about this for a while, but to keep it short, I choose to quote Ray Romano: “The designated hitter is baaaad for baseball. Nine guys field, nine guys bat; that’s the way it is.” Bud Selig has pulled many stunts in recent years to try and leave his mark on the game as the commissioner. I can think of no better way to accomplish this than by abolishing the worst rule in all of sports.
I leave you with this link for your enjoyment.
