Seven of the last ten World Series winners were from the American League. Despite its faults, despite its heresies – being the junior league, the designated fecking hitter – the American league is clearly the superior league. In fact, it’s a minor miracle the National League wins any Championships at all.
What has the American League got that the National League doesn’t? Is it just titanic payrolls and the insanity of competition – *cough* AL East *cough*? Is it really that elevated a play? That much better pitching? Even with a man down and their pitchers hitting the AL still cleans up. For chrissakes, an AL pitcher moved to the NL this year and had more home runs to start the season than one of his former teammates – a man widely proclaimed one of the best hitters in baseball. An AL pitcher cracked a homerun in a game against the Phillies. Did any NL pitchers hit homers in interleague play? Hell, in regular season play? No, seriously, I’m asking here.
I revel in the Red Sox, I dig the fanbase and the vibe and can’t get enough of that city when the season’s in high gear. I love going to a town where all eyes are on the game, where they have a TV channel that shows every single blessed game, repeatedly. I love sitting in a bar near the waterfront watching the game and being asked the score constantly by passers-by. That’s a beautiful thing. That’s meaning in the game. I’d say I wish they’d change to the National League – come on over to the side of the Lord – but I’m afraid their play would sink to the level of, say the Phillies, or the Cubbies or the Rockies. And then they wouldn’t be fun to watch.
But last night, last night I wore my Phillies hat. Last night, I felt a stab of pain in my heart as they showed the winning homer from the ’93 World Series. Last night as I delighted in Papi, saw him swing, saw him smile, hoped and prayed he’d beat down anyone representing the Orioles, the White Sox, the Marlins, the Mets, anybody but the Phillies I held out hope that our man Howard would make it another Phillies year. And sure enough, the boy came through.
Now, explain to me how the Home Run Derby can come down to NL East power hitters and the NL can be such a lame-ass League?
Tonight I fully expect to see the NL embarrased. That’s fine, the Phils ain’t going anywhere near the Series with the current regime in place and the Red Sox could use the home field advantage when they get there *cough* Beckett *cough*. But dammit, I want to see parity. I want to see a titanic battle for the purity of the game.
Or maybe I just want to see some small ball. The old sandlot game played on a big stage.