Bob Nightengale had a piece up a couple days ago predicting that the NL will adopt the DH fairly soon. Theo Epstein is quoted as saying he hopes in a couple years. This had led to a lot of discussion all over the internets, and the general consensus is that, yes, it is inevitable that the DH will soon be universal. Cardinal fans are already beginning to weep and gnash their teeth.
The Astros, who in this instance are the most important team in all of baseball, are the predicted impetus for this change. You might have noticed that the Reds played the Angels for their opening series, which was really quite jarring for me. With 15 teams in each league now, interleague play will be year round, due to some convoluted complexities of math. So that means Reds v. Angels to start the season. And it also means the interleague match-up of Astros v. Yankees....wait, that's not interleague. Still getting used to this. It also means Tigers v. Marlins to close the season. In Miami. Imagine a scenario where the Tigers and Indians/Royals/White Sox are neck and neck down to the last series. Now the Tigers have to play the last three games without a DH. They won't be happy. Now imagine how angry they would be if they weren't playing the Marlins. I don't think this situation will last very long.
So, my question to all the AL haters is this. If the NL adopts the DH, how will that change your view of the league switch? Will you be less angry about playing in the AL if the only real difference between the leagues is gone? Will you be more upset because the league switch opened the door for the complete ruination of the game you hold dear? Were you more concerned about the rivalries lost, and don't much care either way about the DH? I want to know. Take my poll, and explain your thoughts and feelings in the comments, if you so desire.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
