Blasphemy!

I have two confessions to make. One I will make now, and the other I will make momentarily.

Confession #1: I'm a huge baseball fan (gasp!)
I know, I know. I have hidden it so well for all these years, right? I'm one of these guys that just finds something pure, something beautiful within the game. It doesn't even have to be a Braves game (obviously my team of choice). If there isn't a Braves game on, I'd gladly watch two other teams duke it out. Earlier in the spring, I took Cohen to a game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide, despite not liking either team (or school), just because it was my first chance of the year at seeing real, live baseball.

I have been somewhat of a "Baseball Purist" for most of my life. I didn't want to mess with tradition. Lately, though, I have had a revelation of sorts. I was watching the Blue Jays and Red Sox play - both American League teams.

Okay, before I go any further, I will (try to) breifly explain for anyone who doesn't follow baseball at all. Just to be safe, I'll give the "for dummies" version. Major League Baseball is divided into two leagues - National and American. There are few real differences between the two, but there is one glaring difference: the Designated Hitter (DH). The American League uses the DH, and the National League (in which the Braves play) does not. The DH takes the place of the pitcher in the batting lineup. Therefore, the pitchers do not bat. The DH is usually a player whose defense isn't necessarily up to snuff, but who is still a good batter. A lot of fans (Purists) are adamantly against the idea of the DH, if for no other reason, because it flies in the face of baseball tradition. It changes the rules that have always been in place for the sake of making the game more exciting.

Anyway, I was watching the Jays and Red Sox play a few days ago. It was starting to look like a blowout. After 3 innings, the Jays were up 7-0. Then, the Red Sox started to come back. Going into the 9th, the Jays had a 9-7 lead. I wondered what part of the lineup was coming up, and whether the pitcher's spot was soon in the lineup, and then it occurred to me - there is no pitcher's spot in the lineup. These lineups were both loaded with offense. It made for a very exciting 9th inning.

Then it hit me. Other than an unreasonable sense of wanting to hold on to something "because it's what we've always done", what good reason is there to not have that same thing in the National League?

Confession #2: I'm in favor of the DH
It almost hurts to say that. I've been against it my whole life, but I can't deny it anymore. First off, it makes the game more exciting, plain and simple. Literally, it's the idea of taking your worst hitter out of the lineup and replacing him with a much better hitter. What's not to like?
Secondly, it is simply a proven fact that Major League pitchers cannot hit as well as position players. I do not know why. My assumption is that they spend all their time concentrating on pitching, and neglect hitting. Regardless of the reasoning, the DH rule has proven to be a good thing in the American League since it was adopted in 1973.

Whew. There, I said it. I really feel better. I know I'm going to catch a lot of flack from my baseball purist fans, but I think I'm prepared to deal with it.

Now, if we could only increase the use of instant replay....(dun dun dunnnn!)