• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Tuesday, 6/24/97 Interleague play should remain novel to lure fans BASEBALL: Owners have to manage innovations correctly to hold interest

By Rocky Salmon Daily Bruin Staff Do not call me a baseball purist. I believe that sports should be continuously changed to suit the fans' needs. Who cares if the outfield walls have been creeping in from 470 to 408 feet? Who cares if there is another round of play-offs? Who cares if Los Angeles squares off against Anaheim during the baseball season? The fans do. Because the fans carry the money, they should have a say in what they want to see, even if it might mean a bad decision. The fans wanted a baseball field in Denver and they got one. But is that really a baseball field or is it just NASA's second launching site? Denver was a mistake; baseball is not really baseball up in the thin air. Walt Weiss should not be able to belt over five home runs in any season, even though Joey Cora has hit six in the Kingdome this year. In the case of interleague play, the fans wanted something new and they got it. I sat glued to the TV last week to watch the Orioles battle the Braves and even the Padres play the Athletics. Each game was played with intense emotion, as if the World Series title was on the line. Remember that image of the Chicago White Sox player bowling over Scott Servais of the Chicago Cubs just to try to tie the game? You rarely see such a play during conference games because play against conference rivals occurs all the time throughout the season. However, interleague play raises a lot of questions which have not been asked or answered yet. The World Series will not be affected by interleague play. In every other sport, all teams play each other at least once. This does not take away from the championship because the finals have a special aura: The championship is for all the marbles. Yet, will the play-offs before the World Series become less exciting? I doubt it - they're the play-offs! But regular non-interleague games could lose a lot of attendance because fans want something new. Cincinatti versus Pittsburgh is not as novel as Cincinatti playing Minnesota. This past Friday in Anaheim, the Angels played Oakland but the stadium was dead. The Angels are in first place and have tremendous offensive power, but the magic was just not there. When San Diego came to town to play the Angels, however, the stadium was packed. The Padres are in last place, struggling to even find the baseball diamond. (What did happen to those Padres?) What will happen once interleague play becomes the norm? Will the fans become bored with interleague play and want to instill something new? Sure, I want to see Ken Griffey, Jr. and Alex Rodriguez, but do we have to see them every year? Wouldn't the league remain just as exciting if every two years, interleague play were to occur? This would make the fans yearn for every other year, keeping attendance up and interleague play more novel. It is time for the players and owners to come together and agree on how to keep interleague play novel. If it continues year in and year out, it will become very old and the fans will once again begin shying away from the gates. Originality is what can bring baseball back to life. Interleague play is an example of novelty, but it needs to be wielded correctly. In an era of high salaries, constantly moving players, and continuous walk-outs, Major League Baseball needs to hold on to interleague play and cherish it like a newborn child.