Interleague Baseball

[NJTank]

I had to watch the Met-Yankee game through MLB.tv. It was the raw feed of the mets telecast which meant it had no graphics. You just saw what was in the main monitor in the truck. The Mets color anaylist for the game (I don't know who it was, it wasn't Keith Hernandez though) had to be the worst ever. He just stated the obvious (even more than what McCarver usually does on FOX) and offerd no insite into the game. The only time you got good analysis was when Tom Seaver came into the both for an inning.

Keith Hernandez has Pnumonia that was Ron Darling

[HedleyLamarr]

I like Interleague play. It's about time MLB modernized the game by having NL teams play AL teams in the regular season. The NBA does it, the NHL does it, and the NFL does it, and people don't complain about the lack of mystique of the East vs. West/AFC vs. NFC championship game/series.

[LMU]

After watching the last 2 games of the freeway series, I have 1 request.

Please, Bill Stoneman, trade for a bat already! And, how stupid can you possibly be to release Edguardo Alfonso instead of trading him for someone? What kind of move was that?!

[/rant]

Now that I think about it, do something about Jeff Weaver. 1-7 is unacceptable.

[The_Admiral]

I like Interleague play.  It's about time MLB modernized the game by having NL teams play AL teams in the regular season.  The NBA does it, the NHL does it, and the NFL does it, and people don't complain about the lack of mystique of the East vs. West/AFC vs. NFC championship game/series.

The NBA and NHL conferences don't have history the way the major leagues do, though. It's just another level of organization.

[rainmaker17]

I think the Astros-Rangers series is called the "Silver Boot Showdown", or something like that. Just what we needed...another redneck stereotype

[IronChefShark]

A day after Barry Bonds hits HR 714 and becomes only the second visiting player to take a curtain call in Oakland, 21 year old Matt Cain pitches a one hit complete game shutout in leading the Giants to a 6-0 win and a two games to one series victory in the Bay Bridge Series.

[BJ Sands]

Not that it will end up mattering in the long run, but is it fair that the Cardinals get six games with the Royals while the Cubs get six with the White Sox? The last thing the Cubs need is another disadvantage.

(I'm just playing the devil's advocate. I think extra rivalry series are good for the game and outweigh the slight unfairness.)

[Camden Crazy]

This just in, Bruce Chen and Rodrigo Lopez suck.

[SouthSidePride]

There should only be two interleague series a year, and that is a home and away set vs rivals. If you don't have a rival. You get to play a fellow league team. I'm sick of this Royals at Astros crap.

[WJMorris3]

Well, if you ship the Diamondbacks to the AL, and then ship the Astros into the NL West, what you could do is play the season as follows, with six divisions of 5.

18 games against your division. (18 x 4 = 72)

6 games against the rest of the league (6 x 10 = 60)

3 games against each of the teams in the opposite division (3 x 5 = 15)

3 games against each of the teams in one other league division (3 x 5 = 15).

The plans for those extra division games would rotate as follows.

Year 1

AL East vs. NL East

AL Central vs. NL West

AL West vs. NL Central

Year 2

AL East vs. NL West

AL Central vs. NL Central

AL West vs. AL East

Year 3

AL East vs. NL Central

AL Central vs. NL East

AL West vs. NL West

So every three years, each division will play home and home series with the opposite division. In the two off years, each team will host once, so each team plays at the opposite division's stadia twice every three years. In the other divisions, a team will visit each stadium once every six years.

The interleague games will be scheduled throughout the season, with at least two interleague series scheduled each week (one weekday and one weekend). It is possible to conceive one period, on a weekend, where all 30 teams will be in interleague play, as follows:

East: BAL v WAS, BOS v PHI, NYY v NYM, TB v FLA, TOR v ATL

Central: CHW v CHC, CLE v CIN, DET v PIT, KC v STL, MIN v MIL

West: ARI v SD, LAA v LAD, OAK v SF, SEA v COL, TEX v HOU

By the way, I'm proposing we abandon the 34 year abomination. 14 of 30 MLB teams currently play most of their games the wrong way.

[Fred T. Jane]

Switch the Diamondbacks with the Rockies in your scenario, and you've got my vote.

[HedleyLamarr]

Well, if you ship the Diamondbacks to the AL, and then ship the Astros into the NL West, what you could do is play the season as follows, with six divisions of 5.

18 games against your division. (18 x 4 = 72)

6 games against the rest of the league (6 x 10 = 60)

3 games against each of the teams in the opposite division (3 x 5 = 15)

3 games against each of the teams in one other league division (3 x 5 = 15).

The plans for those extra division games would rotate as follows.

Year 1

AL East vs. NL East

AL Central vs. NL West

AL West vs. NL Central

Year 2

AL East vs. NL West

AL Central vs. NL Central

AL West vs. AL East

Year 3

AL East vs. NL Central

AL Central vs. NL East

AL West vs. NL West

So every three years, each division will play home and home series with the opposite division. In the two off years, each team will host once, so each team plays at the opposite division's stadia twice every three years. In the other divisions, a team will visit each stadium once every six years.

The interleague games will be scheduled throughout the season, with at least two interleague series scheduled each week (one weekday and one weekend). It is possible to conceive one period, on a weekend, where all 30 teams will be in interleague play, as follows:

East: BAL v WAS, BOS v PHI, NYY v NYM, TB v FLA, TOR v ATL

Central: CHW v CHC, CLE v CIN, DET v PIT, KC v STL, MIN v MIL

West: ARI v SD, LAA v LAD, OAK v SF, SEA v COL, TEX v HOU

By the way, I'm proposing we abandon the 34 year abomination. 14 of 30 MLB teams currently play most of their games the wrong way.

I like this idea for the most part, but I'd make a couple changes.

Let me get your idea straight, the AL East would play the NL East each season, and would also be playing either the NL East, Central, or West in a rotating fashion, correct?

Instead of all three divisions rotating, how about just rotating the other two divisions? The AL East would play the NL East each year, and the AL East would play the NL Central teams one season, then the NL West the next season. That would guarentee playing a home series every two years with your division, and a home series with the other teams once every four seasons.

Also, instead of PHI-BOS and ATL-TOR, being rivals, have ATL-BOS be rivals (Braves were originally in Boston), and PHI-TOR be rivals (1993 WS relived each season).

Good call on Arizona moving to the AL (As part of their agreement with MLB, Arizona would not get a vote if MLB decided to realign), and playing Interleague games throughout the season. Though, ditching the DH would make these Interleague games less interesting, since there'd be nothing that differentiates one league from the other. I'd be in favor of dropping the DH if I had a vote, but I do like seeing the Braves use a DH for 6-9 games a season.

[The_Admiral]

STOP REALIGNING INTO 15-TEAM LEAGUES. STOP. JUST STOP IT. STOP.

[cubfan1985]

STOP REALIGNING INTO 15-TEAM LEAGUES. STOP. JUST STOP IT. STOP.

My thoughts exactly

[LMU]

Well, if you ship the Diamondbacks to the AL, and then ship the Astros into the NL West, what you could do is play the season as follows, with six divisions of 5.

18 games against your division. (18 x 4 = 72)

6 games against the rest of the league (6 x 10 = 60)

3 games against each of the teams in the opposite division (3 x 5 = 15)

3 games against each of the teams in one other league division (3 x 5 = 15).

The plans for those extra division games would rotate as follows.

Year 1

AL East vs. NL East

AL Central vs. NL West

AL West vs. NL Central

Year 2

AL East vs. NL West

AL Central vs. NL Central

AL West vs. AL East

Year 3

AL East vs. NL Central

AL Central vs. NL East

AL West vs. NL West

So every three years, each division will play home and home series with the opposite division. In the two off years, each team will host once, so each team plays at the opposite division's stadia twice every three years. In the other divisions, a team will visit each stadium once every six years.

The interleague games will be scheduled throughout the season, with at least two interleague series scheduled each week (one weekday and one weekend). It is possible to conceive one period, on a weekend, where all 30 teams will be in interleague play, as follows:

East: BAL v WAS, BOS v PHI, NYY v NYM, TB v FLA, TOR v ATL

Central: CHW v CHC, CLE v CIN, DET v PIT, KC v STL, MIN v MIL

West: ARI v SD, LAA v LAD, OAK v SF, SEA v COL, TEX v HOU

By the way, I'm proposing we abandon the 34 year abomination. 14 of 30 MLB teams currently play most of their games the wrong way.

I agree with everything except the DH elimination, because the league home field advantage would be removed, and career American League pitchers would become total liabilities.

And, the 15 team realignment makes perfect sense, because it seems rediculous that the AL West has only 4 teams while the NL Central has 6. That puts teams like the Pirates, Reds, and Brewers at even more of a disadvantage when they have to compete against 3 perennial powers (well, maybe not the Cubs, but still...).

And, essentially, if the schedule is staggered so that there's always an interleague series going on, the imbalance that people have complained about is eliminated.

[The_Admiral]

Who's to say the Cardinals and Astros will be powers for all eternity, though? These things shift. It balances out.

[AceHawk447]

I would agree with Will's idea of rotating divisional matchups.

When you go 4x8 through expansion, though (see my post in the "Next MLB City?" thread), an interleague schedule would only consist of 15 games. The divisional matchups would, of course, rotate, with a "parallel" featured each year; as a result, the major rivals would play a six-game home-and-home only once every four years:

Cycle 1: AE/NE, AN/NS (CIN/CLE), AS/NW, AW/NN.

Cycle 2: AN/NN, AE/NW, AS/NE, AW/NS.

Cycle 3: AS/NS, AE/NN, AN/NW, AW/NE.

Cycle 4: AW/NW, AE/NS (BOS/ATL), AN/NE, AS/NN (KC/STL)

["Parallel" features in bold, major "non-parallel" matchups underlined in parentheses.]

For, say, the Yankees, a sample Cycle 1 slate would have them at the (new) Expos and the Mets, followed later by home series with the Phillies, the Nationals, and again, the Mets. In other years, the Yankees and Mets would only play one three-game series against each other, per year, at rotating sites.

[Per the remainder of a given team's schedule, a combined 75 games against divisional rivals with the other 72 as home-and-home series with the rest of the team's own league is rather close (if not closest) to the current setup and can work. (The most balanced option still favoring the former element would call for 39 intradivisionals and 108 against the league's other teams.)]

[447]

[NYBadshah1]

Well, if you ship the Diamondbacks to the AL, and then ship the Astros into the NL West, what you could do is play the season as follows, with six divisions of 5.

18 games against your division.  (18 x 4 = 72)

6 games against the rest of the league (6 x 10 = 60)

3 games against each of the teams in the opposite division (3 x 5 = 15)

3 games against each of the teams in one other league division (3 x 5 = 15).

The plans for those extra division games would rotate as follows.

Year 1

AL East vs. NL East

AL Central vs. NL West

AL West vs. NL Central

Year 2

AL East vs. NL West

AL Central vs. NL Central

AL West vs. AL East

Year 3

AL East vs. NL Central

AL Central vs. NL East

AL West vs. NL West

So every three years, each division will play home and home series with the opposite division.  In the two off years, each team will host once, so each team plays at the opposite division's stadia twice every three years.  In the other divisions, a team will visit each stadium once every six years.

The interleague games will be scheduled throughout the season, with at least two interleague series scheduled each week (one weekday and one weekend).  It is possible to conceive one period, on a weekend, where all 30 teams will be in interleague play, as follows:

East:  BAL v WAS, BOS v PHI, NYY v NYM, TB v FLA, TOR v ATL

Central:  CHW v CHC, CLE v CIN, DET v PIT, KC v STL, MIN v MIL

West:  ARI v SD, LAA v LAD, OAK v SF, SEA v COL, TEX v HOU

By the way, I'm proposing we abandon the 34 year abomination.  14 of 30 MLB teams currently play most of their games the wrong way.

I agree with everything except the DH elimination, because the league home field advantage would be removed, and career American League pitchers would become total liabilities.

And, the 15 team realignment makes perfect sense, because it seems rediculous that the AL West has only 4 teams while the NL Central has 6. That puts teams like the Pirates, Reds, and Brewers at even more of a disadvantage when they have to compete against 3 perennial powers (well, maybe not the Cubs, but still...).

And, essentially, if the schedule is staggered so that there's always an interleague series going on, the imbalance that people have complained about is eliminated.

Well, the reason they both have an even amount of teams is so that everyone plays everyday. Otherwise you'd need 3-day byes or one interleague series each half-week.

[The_Admiral]