Homogenization in Baseball

 

I’m wondering if any other baseball fans/followers are unhappy with the homogenization of the American and National Leagues. At this point, there’s really no difference—As an example, the Giants, at the beginning of this season, will have played their first 15 games, and 12 of them have been against American League teams. The only games they’ve played against a traditional National League team is a 3 game series against the Dodgers.

I don’t really see any point of having National League and American League teams. Just call is Big Boys Baseball (or something) and divvy up the teams in 4 team configurations based on geography, or political bent, or total tattoos, or whatever you want to use. Give the little divisions whimsical local names, like the Peppercorn Division, or the Cornfield Division, or whatever.

There’s currently 30 MLB teams, so if they made up 10 more, there would be 40 teams, or ten 4-team divisions.

Just think!! Ten Champions every year!! And there’s plenty of cities who want to be considered Big League but have never quite made the grade. You could manage 10 easily. Nashville, Portland, Mexico City, Havana, Honolulu, Anchorage…..You get the idea.

Just let the 10 Champs go after each other in a double Round Robin and crown a Champion every year, then have a parade.

‘Course, you’d necessarily have to shorten the regular season to, oh, say, 95 games or so, but who would really give a shit anyhow?

Don’t misunderstand. I’m glad it’s baseball season, but some of the new rules and changes in the game drive me nuts.

I miss the days before divisions, and I liked the game better when the American League and the National League had their own umpires and Presidents.

I miss Mickey, Willie, and the Duke.