"Momentum" to bring the DH to the National League? Please say it isn't so ...

[Auggie]

John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle / 1-19-16

A bit of news surfaced over the weekend at the St. Louis Cardinals’ version of fanfest when general manager John Mozeliak said there’s “more momentum” to add the DH rule to the NL.

SNIP

For the NL to adopt the DH rule, 75 percent of owners would need to give their approval (23 of 30), meaning eight NL owners would need to side with the 15 American League owners. It also would need to be collectively bargained with the players’ union, but the union undoubtedly would be fine with 15 more handsomely paid hitters in its membership.

The current labor agreement is in its final year and expires Dec. 1, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the DH discussion intensifies — starting with adding the rule to interleague games in NL parks. Could the NL adopt the DH as early as 2017? By most accounts, that’s premature.

“I do feel like there were times I could look all of you in the face and say it’s a non-starter, it’s not being discussed at the owner level or GM,” Mozeliak said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “But over the past year, it has. I’m not suggesting you’re going to see a change, but I definitely think the momentum” has changed.

FULL STORY: http://www.sfgate.com/giants/shea/article/To-DH-or-not-to-DH-Giants-still-oppose-it-6767320.php

Don't even think it

[tk2kewl]

1. that would really suck

[El Supremo]

2. ...

[Auggie]

5. -1

[madinmaryland]

10. So you are happy about the Abomination to the National Pastime?

Somehow Tricky Dick Nixon had something to with the Designated Hitter Rule happening.

[joeybee12]

3. Hooray!

I don't care much either way. A little more for it than against it, though.

[Auggie]

6. Hooray?

[Brother Buzz]

4. SF Giants pitcher, Madison Bumgarner: We don't need no stinking designated hitter rule

[El Supremo]

8. But 99.9% of all other pitchers can't hit worth shit.

[Brother Buzz]

9. That's because pitchers that can actually hit generally get moved to the field

To wit: Babe Ruth was possibly the best left-handed pitcher in baseball until they discovered his prowess with a stick.

They wanted to move Bumgarner to right field while Hunter Pence was on injured reserves until they discovered he can't throw accurately more then 60 feet, 6 inches. I double-dog dare you to look it up.

[El Supremo]

11. Didn't you just make an argument FOR the DH?

It keeps even the good hitting pitchers pitching.

[bigwillq]

7. If pitchers want to hit, let them. If a team wants to use DH, let them.

I like the DH, but not against letting pitchers hit.

[Iggo]

12. Fuck the DH.

Fuck fake baseball.

NL baseball is real baseball.

Keep it real.

[Cadfael]

13. Noooooooooooooooooo!

NL baseball is so much more interesting, there is a lot more strategy involved, and a pitcher who is worth his salt can move runners at least via a sac bunt. And I don't buy for a second the argument that it will speed up the game, anyone who has watched AL baseball knows those morons have to spend way too much time leaving the box and readjusting their stupid batting gloves after each pitch while the pitcher for some unknown arcane reason needs to leave the mound and walk around as well. And pitchers not batting will still get injured sometimes - arm injuries, batted ball injuries, injuries incurred while fielding.

Keep baseball the way it is meant to be played -