Wavering DH Fan...

[KayForPresident]

Hey all.

I was just perusing some other post where there was mention of the always-intriguing, forever-debatable DH Rule. I have always been a Yankee fan, therefore an AL fan, and consequently a DH fan. I have always thought that pitchers should not bat and hated seeing them come up during the start of a rally in say, the 5th inning. I am familiar with all of the arguments pro and con, and have still always sided with the offense oriented DH rule.

Here are a just a few aspects to it...

FOR:
<LI>Increased offense. Obviously, a guy who gets 3 AB every 5th game is not going to be as proficient a hitter as "position" players. No more automatic out.

<LI>Career extension. Harold Baines...Edgar Martinez...Jose Canseco. 'Nuff said.

<LI>Pitching strategy. No more walk the #8 guy to get to the pitcher crap. I hate that. Rally killer. Lineups are so much more contiguous with the DH.

<LI>Special Rules. In most sports, there is one position which is treated differently than the others. Football has QB's and kickers, hockey and soccer have goalies, etc. So, why not pitchers and DH's in baseball?


AGAINST:
<LI>The Purist. Obviously, there are 9 men on a baseball team so those same 9 men should bat. The original rules were probably written as such.

<LI>Strategy. The DH eliminates the decision whether or not to keep your pitcher in if his turn comes up to bat late in the game and double-switches are non-existant. Plus, with pitchers batting your bench becomes much more important.

<LI>Bean balls.[/b] Armando Benitez. Oh how I would LOVE to see him at the plate with Mariano or Rocket on the mound. For those who don't remember, Benitez drilled Tino in the back in '98 and he hasn't been the same since. Pitchers do not fear beaning a hitter because they themselves don't have to get up there.

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Anyway, these are the basic arguments. Well, this past season, I watched more NL games than usual, since the Mets were a viable team. Yanks vs. Mets, Mets vs. Braves, Yanks vs. Braves...etc. During those games, I found myself thinking in NL rules...anticipating substitutions and double-switches and stuff accordingly. When the Yanks went back to AL rules, I suddenly felt as though a dimension of the game was lost.

Granted, as I mentioned above, the strategy may not actually be lost with the DH rules, only changed. But, I could not help but feel a major change when switching back to the DH rule.

My allegiance towards the DH rule is wavering these days. Plus, Joe Torre hates it...and I respect anything that man has to say.

Your thoughts?

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See Ya!

Dinologic.com (http://www.dinologic.com)

[orangemom]

I really don't like the DH, mostly for the reasons you listed. I enjoy the strategy of whether to leave the pitcher in to face one more batter, knowing he's due up in the next inning, and seeing if he can dig down deep and pull out enough to get that one last out. I also enjoy the child-like glee on the pitcher's face when he's able to get the unexpected hit and help out the team. I also like the fact that the games tend to be a little shorter. Some of the Yankees marathon games I had trouble staying awake to see the end of. HOWEVER, I do like the fact that with the DH, some of our older, favorite players are able to extend their careers a little longer, and give us the joy of watching them for just a couple more years.

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President and founder of the Ansky39 fan club

[clipper]

I am NOT a fan of the DH rule, and hope it is abolished in the near future. In order to accomplish this, MLB will have to negotiate with the players association. In all likelihood, it will require expanding all rosters to 26 players. This may alleviate some of the concerns of the old warhorses having to retire when they could still DH.

I remember discussing this issue with Bowie Kuhn, who was not a fan of hte DH. He had proposed a different rule, which he called the DPH (designated pinch-hitter). Under this scenario, the pitcher would bat, but there would be a DPH in each team's lineup. The DPH could bat for ANY player in the lineup at any time (but only ONCE in the entire game), and the player could return to his position. Once the DPH had been used, he would be done for the game. If used in another capacity, he would similarly be done.

The advantage of this rule over the existing DH is that all of the strategy of the NL game is retained, with an ADDED decision related to choosing the best time to use the DPH. 2 on, 2 out in the 2nd inning, with the pitcher due up? In the middle innings, to hit for the SS? Save him for the 9th? Choose a right-handed DH to discourage the opponent from bringing in a situational left-hander?

I prefer there to be NO DH, but I thought Mr. Kuhn's idea was pretty cool.

In my view, the DH was one of several things baseball did in the late '60s and early '70s to increase the offense. Scoring was lower in the '60s than in any prior decade since the end of the deadball era. Baseball needed more scoring. The balance has since shifted considerably, and the game has, if anything, too much scoring. The DH may have been necessary when first instituted, but it is not needed today. It's past time baseball got rid of this rule.

And there are plenty of pitchers who CAN hit. I also think the elimination of the DH would bring the lost art of bunting back to the game.

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"Does Coggins look like Bonds?" - Bill White 1975

[OklaYankeeFan]

Everyone raises some good points here. I have mixed feelings about the DH--generally in favor because I LIKE the strategy generated about what to do in pitching situations, based solely on who you want to face who, not on whether he has to bat soon. I like the increased strength in the batting order. BUT there is something to be said for that pitcher standing and facing the other pitcher and the effect that has on the thought of beaning a player. I am in total agreement with wanting to see Benitez face Rocket--I think MO has too much restraint and would not do it, I would have liked to see him up against Boomer the year it happened.

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