Say what you will about Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper's homerness on Giants broadcasts, they're about a jillion times more objective and entertaining than Ray Fosse and whichever lesser Kuiper it is in the booth with him. They're terrible. But during last night's Giants/A's game, it was their turn for the local TV broadcast, and I toughed out a couple of innings before switching to the radio broadcast on my iPhone MLB At Bat app. The Lesser Kuiper (TLK) asked Fosse if he liked interleague play, and Ray responded with the expected negative perspective. It makes the All Star game less "special." It makes the World Series less compelling. Blah,blah, blah. I don't buy it.
I love the All Star game. I'm not a big fan of it deciding the World Series home team, but I love the game. How is it less interesting if Albert Pujols already faced Felix Hernandez ("F-Her"?) 3 times the month before? Maybe Pujols took him deep, or maybe he never touched the ball. Either way, doesn't that add to the drama as much or more than it detracts from it? I'm voting "yes." Yes it does.
And if you need a lack of familiarity between two teams to be excited about the World Flippin' Series, you should probably look inward to find the root cause of your apathy, not blame interleague play.
I like playing geographic rivals. I also like getting to see players from the other league, and how they stack up against my team. I like seeing the players and teams who aren't All Stars or the AL pennant winner. Now, sure, part of that is the twisted thrill I get watching anyone in their first at-bat against Tim Lincecum, but my enjoyment goes well beyond that. I like getting to see the other ballparks. I like the strategy that comes with having (or not having) the DH. I like seeing players adjust to new pickoff moves, outfield arms, and breaking balls.
The bottom line is that interleague play is FUN. I fully concede it creates some schedule issues and isn't a perfect system. But I like it. Bud Selig has done plenty of things that I don't like, and even some that I think are unethical to the point that he should have been removed from office, but I think he got it right with interleague play. And I sincerely hope that it's here to stay.
In my opinion the only good thing Bud Selig has done as commissioner was to allow Peter Magowan's group to purchase the Giants and keep them in SF. Interleague play removes the ideal of every team in a particular group playing the same number of games against the same opponents, so that true winners are produced. If youn like the Giants and A's playing each other in the regular season, simply put them in the same division. In the alternate universe where I am commissioner, there are two leagues with two divisions of 8 teams each. The leagues only play against each other in the World Series. The All Star game is moved to after the World Series. Teams play each of the seven teams in their division 16 times, each of the eight teams in the other division six times, for a 160 game schedule. Each team would be required to have one double-header with each team in its division, so the World Series could be finished before the snows come to Colorado. And the winner of each division would have played the same opponents as every other team in their division, so their feat wouldn't be tainted by getting to play 3 games against Kansas City (no disrespect intended, they are just an example).
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