Inter-League Play

I have to admit, I was not a big proponent of interleague play when the idea was thrown around some years ago. The traditionalist in me thought for sure this would hurt the World Series and the All-Star game. Those thoughts have since gone out the window. Baseball used to be two leagues under one umbrella. The entire season was played without even a mention of the other league. There was a MLB and a MLB2 (you can designate which goes with which league). Other than the very last game of the season, they may have well been on different planets.

Interleague play has allowed fans of teams to see teams they wouldn't normally get to see right in their own park or better yet, you can now travel with your team to parks that you would normally never see. It's no longer a league comprised of our league and there league. Now you keep an eye on the standings for the other league as well as the league that your team is in so you know what to expect when interleague play rolls around.

I think MLB has managed it very well also. I would hate to see a team like the Reds have to play the Dodgers every year while the Cardinals got to play a team that doesn't necessarily have a winning season most years like the Nationals. What happens then at the end of the season when the Cardinals edge out the Reds in the Central division by 1 game. The way MLB has set it up to where every team from one division in the NL plays teams from one division in the AL is a great way to have interleague play and make it as fair as possible.

Interleague play has also allowed for some new rivalries and rivalries are good for any sport. Now teams like the Reds play their Ohio foe the Cleveland Indians and teams like the Mets get to play their cross town rival Yankees. Every fan has to enjoy the opportunity for their team to play for bragging rights for the year.

In my opinion, MLB has definately got this one right. Now let's work on the All-Star game.