Like virtually everything else Major League Baseball puts their hands on, the scheduling of interleague games has taken a turn for the worst over the past few seasons. I’ll have to admit I never liked interleague play; I’m a purist of sorts, preferring to see a true World Series involving teams that haven’t faced off in the regular season.
In an effort to renew fan interest after the 1994 strike, interleague play became a reality in 1997. The concept was initially well-received by fans and just like a brand new car, was fun to drive for a while.
But in order to make interleague play work, MLB had to revise scheduling. The unbalanced schedule was introduced as a means of incorporating interleague play into each team’s schedule. Initially, MLB scheduled interleague play with corresponding league divisions squaring off each year.
In 2002, MLB revised the scheduling to allow for interleague match-ups between different American and National League divisions while attempting to preserve self-contrived natural rivalries, like the Cubs-White Sox.
Despite the protests of Buzz Bissinger, I’m going to be completely biased. I’m a Cardinals fan and I’m going to use their schedule as examples of why interleague play has become problematic.
For the third consecutive season, the Cards’ will travel to Detroit to face the Tigers. I realize the Tigers and Cards’ have a history together, most recently with the 2006 World Series. But if interleague play is going to be good for the fans, why haven’t the Tigers visited St. Louis at least once over the past three seasons?
The Redbirds natural rivals are the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs and Cards are not only division rivals, but it’s one of the better rivalries in baseball. As a result of the unbalanced schedule, St. Louis will not visit the Friendly Confines until August 8. I’m having a hard time believing that’s what the fans want to see.
I’d venture to guess even Cubs fans would rather see the Cardinals visit Wrigley Field before nearly 75% of the schedule has been played. The Cubs and Cardinals squared off earlier this season in St. Louis and will play another three-game series at Busch Stadium during the July 4 weekend. Playing a total of six games during the first four months of the season is a bit too unbalanced for my taste.
The Cincinnati Reds, another division foe of the Cardinals, made a trip to St. Louis during the last weekend in April. The Reds don’t return to St. Louis until the very last weekend of the season.
The Cards have completed their season schedules against the Giants and Rockies, and won’t play another road game against division opponent Milwaukee for the rest of the season.
The Cardinals began interleague this past weekend winning two-of-three against Tampa Bay. Their next interleague series will be against the Royals starting June 17. MLB has implemented an annual six-game, home and away series between the Cards’ and Royals, billing it as the I-70 rivalry.
Speaking for myself only, I personally could care less about the Royals. I’d rather see the Cardinals visit Baltimore, a team they have never faced in interleague play.
Here’s my plan to resolve these scheduling abnormalities. Abolish interleague play.
Interleague play has created a disproportionate number of games between teams and doesn’t allow for natural flow and consistency. In the American League, for example, the East division teams play six games against each team in the Central division. Play within a team’s own league should take priority over the novelty of interleague play.
Back in the day when there was just an American and National League, you could set your clock by a team’s schedule. If the Giants visited St. Louis one weekend, the next weekend the Cards’ would be playing in San Francisco. Each team played an equal number of home and road games against each opponent, or as close to equal as was possible.
When unbalanced scheduling interferes with natural division rivals playing a consistent number of games over the course of the season, it creates a potential disadvantage for teams vying for a pennant. In interleague play, one team can face contending teams, while another team within the same division faces only teams with losing records.
Team rivalries in baseball have always been intra-league, and have developed naturally over decades. This notion of natural rivalries between American and National League teams is simply fabricated to justify the continuance of interleague play.
I say let’s get rid of interleague play after this season. MLB needs to return the focus of each teams schedule to division play and truly natural intra-league rivals. Come October, we’ll return to the good old days when two teams having never faced each other play for the title.
Who is with me?
