One of the entertaining elements to following the Cubs this year is witnessing just how the city’s reactions have changed in light of the lofty expectations foisted on the team prior to the start of the season. Ordinarily, a 30-28 record during the first 90-degree week of the summer would be cause for celebration. This time around, it has triggered grave concern, as the red-on-blue Cub flag flies feebly beneath those of the Reds, Cards and Astros atop the center field scoreboard at Wrigley. One of the problems, it seems, is not that the Cubs aren’t scoring enough runs, but that they aren’t scoring them at the right times.
It’s no secret that I don’t like interleague play. It’s a gimmick that throws the schedule into chaos for the sake of letting the Yankees play the Mets six times.
If that’s an exaggeration, it’s only a slight one. The selling point of
interleague play is the eight or nine “natural rivalries” that are
played out each season, with the rest of the interleague schedule built around
them. Whatever nonsense is spread about allowing fans in cities of one league
to see the stars of another is just smoke and mirrors, because in some places,
it will take 30 years for the entire other league to make a visit.
I wouldn’t mind as much if MLB would just admit that interleague play exists
for the natural rivalries. Ratchet it down, make interleague just those games
each year and force everyone else into two matchups built around those two
weekends. MLB would rather sell the idea that interleague is hugely popular,
publishing context-free attendance figures–four of six interleague series are
on the weekend again, all are in June, and the natural rivalries will drive
the attendance gains–as part of the perpetual misinformation campaign.
Troy Percival hits the disabled list for the Angels. The White Sox lose Magglio Ordonez for a couple weeks. Eric Chavez breaks his hand, forcing the rest of the A’s offense to pick up the slack. Mark Prior makes his long-awaited return to Chicago’s north side. Milton Bradley gets a four-game suspension for another temper tantrum. And Dos Molinas suddenly becomes Tres Molinas, with the addition of Yadir to the MLB family. All this and much more news from around the league in your Thursday edition of Transaction Analysis.
The Marlins have spent the whole year exceeding expectations. Can they keep it up? Hideki Matsui has turned into a different type of hitter. And the Pirates’ two best hitters share the same last name, but little else in terms of ability. All this and much more news from Florida, New York, and Pittsburgh in your Thursday edition of Prospectus Triple Play.