# If I was king of baseball **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 8, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110 "2017-08-08T17:31:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/141 "2017-08-12T22:23:14Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > 1. No DH. This rule —and wooden bats — also mandated in the minor leagues. They use wooden bats in the minors. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/142 "2017-08-12T22:30:46Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > If you want to watch softball teams, watch softball. 😛 I do. Those women scare me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/143 "2017-08-12T23:44:17Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I do. Those women scare me. 😃 Like field hockey, I always question the wisdom of letting women have sticks that can be weaponized. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/144 "2017-08-12T23:49:39Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I hate referring to the Reds’ stadium as the Great American Ballpark, but I can’t call it Riverfront Stadium, because that was a different structure. The sites overlap. Go ahead. Or call it New Crosley; we’ll understand. > [@Acsenray](#): > > I object to the DH for the same reason that I object to platooning in football. Now _that’s_ hardcore. > [@](#): > > It’s a game with X players. Those X players should play the entire game, offense and defense. If it means a weak spot in the lineup, then you have to live with it That’s fine in the youth leagues, where everyone gets a chance to hit, even the fat kid. But pro sports is the entertainment industry, and has to cater to the fans, not some adolescent ideals of sportsmanlike inclusion. The interests of the people who pay take precedence. I’d like to see Pedro Martinez batting as much as I’d like to see David Ortiz pitch, but maybe that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/145 "2017-08-13T11:57:41Z")
So is \*anybody \*going to explain why it’s perfectly fine to pinch-hit for the pitcher once, but four times is an abomination? Yeah, I didn’t think so. The first imperial decree, and the only one really needed: The NL gets the DH and its fans STFU. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/146 "2017-08-13T14:06:55Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > So is \*anybody \*going to explain why it’s perfectly fine to pinch-hit for the pitcher once, but four times is an abomination? > > Yeah, I didn’t think so. The first imperial decree, and the only one really needed: The NL gets the DH and its fans STFU. I never said it was perfectly fine. But they’re not the same situation because a pinch hitter means that the player is out of the game. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/147 "2017-08-13T14:12:31Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The sites overlap. Go ahead. Or call it New Crosley; we’ll understand. > > Now _that’s_ hardcore. > > That’s fine in the youth leagues, where everyone gets a chance to hit, even the fat kid. But pro sports is the entertainment industry, and has to cater to the fans, not some adolescent ideals of sportsmanlike inclusion. The interests of the people who pay take precedence. I’d like to see Pedro Martinez batting as much as I’d like to see David Ortiz pitch, but maybe that’s just me. It’s not about giving the fat kid a chance. It’s about having to play with the team you’ve selected. It’s about having to play with your own weaknesses as well as your strengths. If you can platoon the pitcher, why not platoon every player in the lineup? Why even have a lineup? Why even have a roster limit? As I said, it’s like letting a chess player kibbutz. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/148 "2017-08-13T15:45:09Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > It’s not about giving the fat kid a chance. It’s about having to play with the team you’ve selected. It’s about having to play with your own weaknesses as well as your strengths. If you can platoon the pitcher, why not platoon every player in the lineup? Why even have a lineup? Why even have a roster limit? As I said, it’s like letting a chess player **kibbutz**. Spell-check’s a bitch, isn’t it? 😃 Add to the above the fact that being a world-class pitcher doesn’t keep you from being a pretty good hitter as well. Just ask anybody who thought Mad Bum or Kersh was an easy out. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/149 "2017-08-13T15:52:18Z")
So you guys want to eliminate pinch-hitting too, right? NO? ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/150 "2017-08-13T16:22:06Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > So you guys want to eliminate pinch-hitting too, right? NO? Please. As someone already pointed out, this is false equivalency. Using a pinch-hitter forces you to either put that hitter in the game in replacement of the person hit for, or burn someone on the bench for the simple purpose of a single at bat. Since the available number of players is limited (the more so these days by the use of roster spots for specialty pitchers), that’s substantially different than letting the pitcher continue to pitch and letting a single player do the hitting. I don’t mind the DH, but I prefer to watch the National League (because I’m a Cubs fan), so I prefer to see games without it, probably because that’s what I’m used to. I do think that the idea of the DH is primarily to cater to those who want more scoring, and that’s a pathway that, once you start going down, can justify a lot of changes that are even less appealing from the standpoint of a purist. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/151 "2017-08-13T16:50:10Z")
I’d sympathize more with this (often rabid) anti-DH sentiment if starting pitchers actually worked on their hitting to the point where the majority became at least borderline competent. But they don’t. Why not? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/152 "2017-08-13T17:13:54Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I’d sympathize more with this (often rabid) anti-DH sentiment if starting pitchers actually worked on their hitting to the point where the majority became at least borderline competent. But they don’t. > > Why not? Again, this is not about allowing the pitcher the favor of allowing him to bat—its about forcing the team to live with its weaknesses. If the team chooses to let a pitcher not develop batting skills then the team has to live with the difficult problem of how to continue a game with a poor batter in the lineup. Allowing a DH lets the team have its cake and eat it too. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/153 "2017-08-13T17:16:02Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Spell-check’s a bitch, isn’t it? 😃 Too true:D ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/154 "2017-08-13T17:37:24Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Spell-check’s a bitch, isn’t it? 😃 > > Add to the above the fact that being a world-class pitcher doesn’t keep you from being a pretty good hitter as well. Just ask anybody who thought Mad Bum or Kersh was an easy out. I see your Mad Bum and Kersh and raise you a Koufax. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/155 "2017-08-13T17:51:31Z")
I do get it. Opposing the DH rule is a ritual engaged in by Those Who Want To Be Considered Serious Fans. If you want that too, then you have to repeat the ritual. I totally understand wanting to be accepted as a Serious Fan by those you consider Serious Fans, I really do. I get wanting to be like George Will harrumphing about not having the DH when he was a boy (they didn’t have black players in the majors when you were a boy, either, George). That little routine was even mildly amusing for the first couple of decades. But it’s been simply pathetic for a long time now. You lot are not being Considered Serious as much as you’re being laughed at. Maybe someday you’ll get tired of it; meanwhile, it’s time for your thrashings. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/156 "2017-08-13T17:53:11Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Add to the above the fact that being a world-class pitcher doesn’t keep you from being a pretty good hitter as well. Just ask anybody who thought Mad Bum or Kersh was an easy out. How often do they get used to pinch hit? 😉 Look, the fact that you can name \*a couple of individuals \*who are actually not quite as sad as most only helps prove the point, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/157 "2017-08-13T18:10:14Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > I do get it. Opposing the DH rule is a ritual engaged in by Those Who Want To Be Considered Serious Fans. If you want that too, then you have to repeat the ritual. I totally understand wanting to be accepted as a Serious Fan by those you consider Serious Fans, I really do. I get wanting to be like George Will harrumphing about not having the DH when he was a boy (they didn’t have black players in the majors when you were a boy, either, George). > > That little routine was even mildly amusing for the first couple of decades. But it’s been simply pathetic for a long time now. You lot are not being Considered Serious as much as you’re being laughed at. Maybe someday you’ll get tired of it; meanwhile, it’s time for your thrashings. Expressing a preference for particular rules of a game is a sign of a basic character flaw and a justification for disparaging mental diagnoses? Who is taking things too seriously here? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/158 "2017-08-13T18:33:42Z")
That depends on what the preference is based on, doesn’t it? Well, we’ve been over that and the answer is now identified and confirmed. Now tell all your compatriots who are also ritualistically demanding an end to the DH about taking the game too seriously, please. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/159 "2017-08-13T18:48:58Z")
For those of you who say there should not be a DH, I wonder, do you object to stunt doubles in movies? Should directors have to live with their choice of the good actor who can’t fall off the roof right, or select a better stunt man who’s not so good at acting? It really is the same thing, we’re talking about entertainment. What do people feel is more entertaining? By and large the public seems to have spoken. The DH is not used in the National League, Japan’s Central League, and many situations when kids play. The last is due to the fact that the best pitchers at that age are often the best hitters as well. I believe the argument is not argued very much by either side on the merits. It seems to me it’s more like, “The Democrats (Republicans) do it that way, so it must be wrong.” ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110/160 "2017-08-13T19:02:31Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > That depends on what the preference is based on, doesn’t it? Well, we’ve been over that and the answer is now identified and confirmed. > > Now tell all your compatriots who are also ritualistically demanding an end to the DH about taking the game too seriously, please. Sorry, no I reject that analysis and diagnosis. Its nothing but a poorly veiled insult based on nothing but a disagreement over a game’s rules. There’s no rational basis cod this disparagement. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-was-king-of-baseball/793110.md?page=9)