Gawd, the National League is boooooring!

[El Supremo]

Even the announcers are boring.

Why is this? I really want the 'Stros to finally make it. The Braves and Cards have had their chances. But the situations and excitement in the AL Division Series are far better.

I have lived in an American League town for 26 years and then in a National League town for 12 years. Could it be - is it really because of the Designated Hitter?

[nickgutierrez]

1. No - it's a distinct lack of competence in NL front offices.

The Braves have been unlucky, but also not *that* good - their division title streak is impressive to say the least, but it's tough to claim that they've been WS quality for every single one of those years.

We finally got a good glimpse at what the Giants are without Barry Bonds, and it's about what we should have expected: .450 baseball. The Dodgers were hit with a wave of injuries the likes of which I've never seen before, and it cost them big time. The Astros can't hit, the Pads are barely a .500 team, the Phillies are the Phillies, and the Marlins had two players hit about half of their home runs and had no bullpen to speak of.

Meanwhile, six of the seven best teams in baseball played in the American League this year, the exception being my #1, St. Louis. There are simply better, smarter GMs in the American League along with the two teams with the league's biggest revenue streams, and it shows. Mark Shapiro, Billy Beane, Terry Ryan's minor league system, and whoever it is that runs the Angels are in the American League, while Brian Sabean and company run teams in the National League.

(Actually, now that I think about it - the Mets' revenues might be as big as the Red Sox. I'm not sure.)

[Bill McBlueState]

2. that's a great point

It seems the NL is full of teams -- the Dodgers, Cubs, Mets, ... -- that operate in large markets, but never make the financial investment necessary to have great teams.

[CatholicEdHead]

3. Astros can hit enough for Atlanta

that they did hit that crucial home run in the 18th.

[nickgutierrez]

4. On the other hand...

...it took them nine innings to score the one run. :)

[underpants]

14. NLDS Game 2- All of the Atlanta 9 had NEVER played for another team

Completely home groan.

I did find this game very boring (so did the Astro they show openly YAWNING in the 13 th inning or so) but to say that the NL is more or less boring is ridiculous. As noted below, the DH is not baseball but aside from that you should recognize that Joe Torre brought NL baseball to the AL and has won with it. That is a fact.

Anyway-I just thought that that stat above was pretty cool in this day and age.

[Captain Hilts]

5. Yeah, compared to the AL, they sure are boring. nt

[GOPisEvil]

6. What a load of crap.

The AL is boring as hell. hardly any strategy at all. The AL isn't even baseball. Baseball is played with 9 players in the lineup, not 10.

National League baseball is more pure. If all you want is home runs and station to station baseball, then I guess the AL is for you. I find THAT boring.

[nickgutierrez]

7. I disagree

If by "strategy" you mean the rote application of "the book", then maybe the NL does have more strategy. But a lot of it is, IMO, superfluous (lefty-righty reliever shuffling in the majority of situations in which it is used) or counter-productive (most sac bunts or hit-and-runs).

For what it's worth on the home run point - AL teams averaged about 173 homeruns per team this past season, while NL teams averaged about 161. A 12 homer difference, or less than one per 10 games. So it's not a huge difference in that regard.

I like AL and NL baseball equally. I think there is something to be said for both having and not having the designated hitter, and it does bother me to see someone make the claim that one side isn't "playing baseball" because it happens to use the DH.

[GOPisEvil]

8. The designated hitter is a contrivance in my opinion.

It's solely because the American League wanted to put butts in the seats. I do watch AL baseball, because I enjoy baseball (or it's close approximations ;)). I just think there's more thoughts that have to enter the manager's mind in the NL. I will also admit to my NL bias as a Cardinals fan since birth. If I were an AL team fan, I might feel differently.

[kick-ass-bob]

9. Cowboys AND Cardinals?

I'm really starting to not like you. :grr:


:P

[GOPisEvil]

10. I'm not a Cowboys fan, but I don't really dislike them either.

My team no longer exists. :cry: Luv ya Blue! :cry:

Does this mean I don't get the job? Crap!

:P

[kick-ass-bob]

11. Hey - you want the job?

You'll have to relocate, and we don't pay for that - but you are already familiar with the beaurocracy part!
:D

[GOPisEvil]

12. What kinda job is it?

What kinda jack are we talkin'? Just so I don't miss out on something good, ya know. ;)

[Reciprocity]

13. If you find it so booooring why watch?

I tried to watch the game on faux (shudder) the other night. It didn't last long before I tuned into our local radio station for the play-by-play. However faux has about a 30 second delay. What a hoot!