Interleague Play is here to stay. Its success is measured by the roar of sellout crowds in New York, Chicago, Southern California and the Bay Area. And in Ohio, Missouri, Florida and Texas, where they play for state bragging rights.
Where the rivalries are natural, they get heated. Fans stoke the fires, and sparks fly.
The Red Sox and Braves have had some spirited series, but you'd have to be very old to remember when they shared Boston. The Brewers and Twins get into it, their cities tied by college and NFL rivalries. The upstart Nationals and rebuilding Orioles have formidable potential as regional enemies.
"We probably get a little more up for the Angels, and I'm sure the Giants get up more for the Dodgers," said Eric Chavez, the longest-tenured A's player. "Don't get me wrong -- I like playing the Giants. We usually play in front of big crowds, and that's nice."
A fixture is missing this time around.
"It's not as exciting for me, personally, as it is for the fans -- especially with Barry [Bonds] gone," Chavez said. "He was a big part of the excitement of playing the Giants for a lot of guys in here."
Dead even after 44 games in their series, the A's have forged ahead of the Giants of late, taking a 34-28 advantage.
Giants veteran Rich Aurilia has adopted a philosophical attitude toward Interleague Play.
"As a player, you try to enjoy it as much as you can, even though sometimes it doesn't make a lot of sense," he said. "There are some matchups that aren't very sensible, but you have to do something."
The all-Texas pairing has been a commercial success even if the quality of play hasn't always been on the elite level. Attendance soars in Houston when the Rangers are in town. In 2001, the first year, they drew 81,179 over a three-game series. The series has sustained its appeal.
"The best thing," Rangers shortstop Michael Young said, "is the fans really like it. It seems they turn out for the games in Arlington and Houston. For us, it's just a series we need to win. But it is fun when you're playing in front of big crowds like that."
Rangers president Nolan Ryan noted "a lot of interest around the state," adding: "I think it will be a bigger deal if both teams are in contention. But I think it's a good thing for both franchises."
Bronson Arroyo of the Reds and Ryan Garko of the Indians can feel the energy when the Ohio clubs square off, whether it's in Cincinnati or Cleveland.
"The crowds are a little bigger for those series and maybe a little louder," Arroyo said. "When it's at our place, you can definitely hear the Cleveland crowd in our stands. I'm sure the White Sox-Cubbies series is out of control, as is the Mets-Yankees.
"It brings a little flavor in the season for guys that haven't been in the playoffs their whole careers."
Added Garko: "It's good for the fans. That's what it's all about. It's about getting fans excited about things. You can feel some energy in the ballpark when we play the Reds. As a player, you just go out and play. But I like it."
In Missouri, where 23 years ago a controversial I-70 World Series went to the Royals at the Cardinals' expense, Kansas City fans flock to Kauffman Stadium when the Redbirds alight on the premises.
"They've got their rivalries in their division with the Cubbies and the Astros the last few years," Royals second baseman Mark Grudzielanek said. "It's not where it needs to be as a rivalry, so that's something that will be built up and, hopefully, we can get to the level where they're at.
"You want to win that intrastate rivalry -- that's the bottom line. But I don't think there's any added drive.
"[The Cardinals] bring a lot of fans in here. You want to play in front of people. You want a great following, and I think that just comes with the history of that franchise and of that team over the years." While these rivalries have fans frothing, there are isolated locales where Interleague Play never has really made it off the runway.
Citizens in San Diego just can't get fired up about the arrival of the Mariners, their appointed rivals. The same tepid response awaits the Padres in Seattle. The Padres would love to hook up with the Angels, but the Dodgers are wed to the Halos, for better or worse.
The Diamondbacks have nobody to dance with on a regular basis. The Rockies are out on their own in the Mountain Time Zone, their closest neighbors, the Royals, in the embrace of the cross-state Cardinals.
The Pirates would enjoy the company of the nearby Indians, but the Tribe is involved with the Reds. So the Bucs, like the Tigers, are left with no real Interleague electricity for fans.
"It's good for the fans. That's what it's all about. It's about getting fans excited about things. You can feel some energy in the ballpark when we play the Reds. As a player, you just go out and play. But I like it."-- Indians infielder
Ryan Garko
Torii Hunter, the Angels' new center fielder, takes note of such things. He's not only one of the game's premier athletes -- he's also a deep thinker, searching always for ways to make the sport he loves better.
Hunter thinks there is a way to create two new Interleague rivalries while adding balance to the leagues, by taking one team from the National and sending it over to the American.
That team, in Hunter's judgment, could be Arizona or Houston, maybe even Colorado. The best fit, all things considered, is the Diamondbacks.
"It's not really right, competitively, that you have a six-team division [the NL Central] and a four-team division [the AL West]," Hunter said. "Why not move one of those NL teams over to the AL West, make it right?"
The advantage in making that team the Diamondbacks is that it would create a suitable geographical rival for the Padres in Interleague Play.
The Mariners then could be linked with the Rockies, giving each club an Interleague foil that makes sense.
Of course, there's one problem complicating Hunter's plan: an odd number of teams in each league. And here's the solution: one spotlight Interleague series at all times, from April through September.
"Why not?" Hunter said. "Interleague Play is working, right? Fans like it, and it's their game. Owners like it if the fans like it. I don't see anything wrong with having one [Interleague] series going on all the time. Everybody would adjust."
There are always going to be issues of competitive balance, or imbalance, with Interleague scheduling, making purists cringe.
Joe Torre, having shifted from New York Interleague madness to the cool restraint of Southern California, was talking about that Wednesday night before his Dodgers engaged the Padres in San Diego.
"We play six games against the Angels," Torre said. "Somebody else [in the NL West] is playing six games against somebody not as good as the Angels."
Bud Black, pitching coach for Angels manager Mike Scioscia before taking charge in San Diego last season, wouldn't mind facing his old club.
"That'd be fun," Black said. "It'd be like playing your brother."
The Padres are in Cleveland this weekend, giving Black a chance to visit some old acquaintances. The Dodgers visit the Tigers, who are in the similar position of trying to kick-start their season.
No comments:
Post a Comment