MLB: Which league is better?
By Caleb Musselman and Ryan Frisco
The NBA and NHL have East and West. The NFL has AFC and NFC. However, none of these leagues have any unique characteristics to set them apart. Truly, it is just a way to separate and evenly divide teams. The MLB is different. Have you recently stopped to think about how one sport has different rules for different teams? What if the Eastern Conference of the NHL played with 6 skaters on the ice while the West only played with 5? What if the NFL allowed one of their conferences to play with more than 2 guys in the backfield? The MLB's difference in rules is accepted under the "that's how its always been" clause. Many would argue that it causes one team to have unfair advantages over another. However, we would argue that
In other sports, the "which is better question" comes down to standings and rankings. In the MLB, the word better can have a different definition. Which is better? The NL or the AL? The DH or the hitting pitcher?
Game on.
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Caleb - First off, as with most showcases, I have many things to say that I won't be able to get to. But I'd like to highlight a few reasons why I believe the NL is "better" than the AL. First, the National League forces managers to be a more active part of the game. In the AL managers only have to worry about pitchers running out of steam or choosing their hurlers on the basis of match-ups. In the NL, once the game gets into its later innings, the manager has incredibly important decisions to make that could easily impact the outcome of the game. Tie game in the 7th. My pitcher is dealing and he's only at 90 pitches. Runners on 1st and 3rd. Do I let Kershaw hit with his .110 average? Or do I pinch hit for him and end his night early. The fact that the NL forces managers to have a more active role in the game makes the NL more interesting as well as more of a chess match. Hit me Ryan.
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Ryan - I will, next time I see you. Right on the noggin. But let's talk about the better league, the American League. I'm going to pose a question; When I say American League, what words pop into your head? Power. Prestige. Yankees. Home runs. World Series Champion. There's no arguing with the facts. When I hear National League, I think weakness. The Yankees have been by far the most dominant team in history, and the AL East this year is where it's at. You name for me a division in baseball that comes close to that level. You think watching a National League game is interesting, like a chess match? I think it's boring like a chess match. The fact that pitchers hit makes for twice the amount of pitching moves, which means twice the amount of unnecessary Bud Light commercials. More 'hitters' in the lineup makes for more excitement, and a faster moving game. Thoughts?
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Caleb - To the common uneducated sports fan, baseball is often considered to be on par with golf as the most boring sport in the nation. For these types of fans who can't understand and appreciate the beauty of baseball, more home runs, less strategy and more unathletic players who can't catch sounds really exciting. Maybe if they started putting hurdles in the baselines or gave the umpires a taser even some Baltimore fans would start watching baseball every night. The DH position was implemented into the American League in 1973. What does that say? It says that the Yankees won 20 World Series while their pitcher held a bat behind the plate. In fact, when I think of baseball, I think of the Yankees as well. But I don't think Tino Martinez or David Cone. I think Babe Ruth. It just so happens that Babe Ruth was a pitcher who hit 714 home runs. Why is the NL better? Because baseball was created and established with a hitting pitcher. We gawk and fuss about all the rule changes in baseball these days, yet many people welcome the DH with open arms. If you want more excitement and less of a chess match, then watch the NFL or the NHL. Watch replays of the Giants in the WS last year and tell me those games weren't exciting.
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Ryan - Alright, I understand where you're coming from. I'm not denying that National League teams/games can be exciting. But, I fear we may be straying a bit from the actual question posed: Which League is Better? This isn't measured by how exciting the games are, how strategic the coaches are or how powerful the hitters are. It's measured by wins. It's measured by championships. Okay, the Yankees won 20 titles before the DH was introduced. They were still in the American League for those championships. Overall, the American League holds the all time record over the National League in World Series wins, 62-46. With that record, the National League would have to win 16 championships in a row (till 2029) to be in a tie with the American League. You can make the argument that the NL is dominant as of recent years (4 of the past 5) but that doesn't matter overall. I've got more to say, but I want to give Caleb one more chance to right his ship.
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Caleb - When asking the question of which is better, a defining of terms is crucial. If the definition of better is which league is historically better, then we are wasting our time. In your first response you argued that the AL was better because it was more exciting without hitting pitchers which leveled with the "better" definition that we've been discussing. Which is better to watch, better for the sport, etc. Suddenly, we're switching to talk about which league has the most overall wins. If wins and losses were the criteria for this argument, then I'd be as misguided as a Philly fan arguing that the Eagles are a historically "better" squad than the Steelers. Baseball is now a pitcher's sport. As the art of pitching evolves, career averages are going to continue to decrease. With either definition of "better" the National League comes out on top. With the Wins/Losses definition, the NL is currently dominant. The Giants proved last Fall that the pitcher still reigns supreme over the bats of Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and the AL. In my definition of "better", the NL style of play (no DH) still holds to the roots of how baseball began. It brings the historicity of the game together with the modern day style of play. In my mind, there's no contest. Finish it up.
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Ryan - I like what you said. This arguement doesn't have to come down to wins and losses, to the number of championships won. You think originality makes the National League better. I think excitement and power make the American League better. We both view baseball through a different lense, which means we may never agree. But let me run this by you; do you know why the designated hitter position was introduced? It's because pitching became so dominant, TOO dominant, that the game was borderline boring. In 1968, Carl Yastrzemski led the MLB with a .301 average. The American League voted in 1973 to incorporate the DH into everyday play and haven't looked back. Since then, their overall average has always been higher than the National League. Yes, the National League has stayed true to baseball's roots, but the way it's always been isn't necessarily the better way to do things. I think the American League got that one right in 1973. But hey, we can agree to disagree if you'd like. Watching baseball is still one of my favorite pasttimes, whether it's the Yankees or the Phillies.
So readers, what do you think? Which league is the better league, and what defines 'better?' Let us have it!!
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