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THROWING YOU A CURVE
INTERLEAGUE PLAY: Good or bad for baseball? As I head home to Ft. Myers for a couple days off and away from the Twins, I sit here on this airplane wondering if interleague play is a good or bad thing for baseball. I guess it’s a good thing if the Twins are able to end up with a winning record in the 18 games they play against the National League, or it can be a bad thing if they end up with a losing record. I know that interleague play was put into effect so that fans from both leagues could see the many stars and different teams in the other league throughout the season. It was adopted in 1997 and the Twins were coming into the 2004 season with a 60-60 record in interleague games. Sweeping the New York Mets was a nice way to start interleague play. The Twins did lose last night to the Philadelphia Phillies 11-6 with 2 more games to play. Then, they go on the road to play the Montreal Expos and the Milwaukee Brewers. Finally, the Brewers come to the Metrodome and a quick road trip to Arizona to play the Diamondbacks and it’s over. Baseball has tried to create a rivalry between the Brewers and the Twins, but come on, there’s no rivalry. There was a rivalry back in the 70’s but not anymore. I remember the battles we had with the Brewers in the early 70’s, with not only baseballs thrown at each other but also fists. Oh, the good old days! What happened to those days when you hated your opponent and not only wanted to beat them in the game but also bury them? I like interleague play because the fans have shown they like it. The attendance is up around 20% when those games are played. And it is fun to watch the stars in the National League play against the Twins. Heck, Mike Piazza was in with the Mets and Jim Thome came back into the Dome to hit more homeruns. Going to Montreal will be interesting just see how the Twins draw at the gate. They get to go back to Milwaukee to eat their bratwursts and drink their beer. Then the Twins get to play and see the beautiful ballpark in Phoenix, Arizona. Maybe they will also see the beautiful 6’10” Randy Johnson. Well maybe not beautiful but he is 6’10” and nasty. As I write this, the Twins are in first place, one-half game ahead of the White Sox. A lot of ups and downs already for the Twins but they are in first place. Slowly, they are getting healthy and they should be more consistent as the season continues. Maybe when I write my next column they will have a bigger lead. I'm heading home for a little R&R and hope all you have a safe summer. School is out, so watch out for all those little knuckleheads around your neighborhood. Drive safe and watch out for the other person. Thanks for reading my column and when we meet let me know you are a reader.
Be good to each other.
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