What do you think of the DH rule?

[Donkeyboy75]

Poll question: What do you think of the DH rule?

Oh, come on! This is NOT a push poll

[MrSlayer]

1. Who wants to see a pitcher strike out or bunt?

I like the DH and I'm quite knowledgeable about the sport.

[arewethereyet]

4. or hit a home run or RBI

thats what makes it a game

[MrSlayer]

7. A rare occurance usually by a lucky slap at the ball.

It's dreadful watching most pitchers bat.

[dolo amber]

47. Yup yup

a thousand times YUP.

Pitchers are not trained to hit, they're trained to pitch. Different muscle group altogether. And it is excrutiating to watch them try. x(

[Donkeyboy75]

6. I like more strategy...

and who wants to see a fat 38-year-old no-field man bat, then take his seat on the bench?

It was a gimmick introduced in 1973 to boost attendance, and it's time for it to go. The best reason, IMO, is that there are certain spineless AL pitchers who throw at opponents with no fear of retribution.

[Donkeyboy75]

17. You may redeem yourself if you agree

that "Reign in Blood" is the best Slayer album ever.

[JaySherman]

20. Doh. Sorry, Seasons in the Abyss for me.

Have I made your ignore list yet? :evilgrin:

[Donkeyboy75]

22. I know you're kidding, but I would never put anyone on ignore

It would make me too curious about what someone had to say.

"Seasons in the Abyss" is my number two, for sure. Great album.

[MrSlayer]

25. Not only is RIB the best Slayer album it's just the best album ever.

[Donkeyboy75]

26. Looks like you know more about music than baseball.

Just kidding. ;)

[MrSlayer]

29. LOL!

[Champ]

32. I do

Look at it from a Rockies fan standpoint, the Rock show is defeating the D'backs say 5-4, runners on 2nd and 3rd, 2 outs, and bottom (or top) of the 9th inning and Randy Johnson steps up to the plate! Woohoo! Game over! Rockies win!

[arewethereyet]

2. all of the above, it sickens me and disgraces the game we love

I don't understand why the AL doesn't drag pitching machines out to the mound and forego the base running altogether.

[Donkeyboy75]

8. Ah, an enlightened mind.

:)

[JaySherman]

3. I don't mind it.

More exciting than having a pitcher in the 9-hole who's only going to bat .200 at best. When's the last time anyone saw a really good hitting pitcher? I think the game has become so specialized from the days when The Babe was an All-Star pitcher/HoF hitter, the days of the hitting pitcher are over.

[arewethereyet]

5. Mike Hampton, Greg Maddux to name a few

[JaySherman]

11. Maddux is pretty good. Hampton is OK.

Those guys are rare exceptions. Most of the time it's teams juggling around the bottom half of their lineup and their bullpen to fit in a pitcher who couldn't hit a watermelon if it was in the strike zone. More strategy? Maybe. But also booooriiing.

Still doesn't beat seeing a Cecil Fielder or Edgar Martinez, even at the end of their careers.

[Donkeyboy75]

9. You couldn't be more wrong

Kerry Wood has seven career home runs...if you include the one he hit in Game 7 of the NLCS. In this age of specialization and fat boy pitchers, it's nice to see the overall athleticism of a pitcher rewarded by the NL.

[JaySherman]

15. OK. We're up to three now.

Wood, Maddux, Hampton. That's equal to half the NL Central. Got any more? Now name the pitchers you would want to see at the plate over any DH, especially in a big spot.

[Donkeyboy75]

16. Any of them.

I could name more good-hitting pitchers. Glavine, Smoltz, Prior, Woody Williams, Tim Wakefield. But the point is that baseball is not just about hitting. It's about strategy, fielding and pitching. If you want to bring in a good hitter for your pitcher, you've got to take him out.

[JaySherman]

19. LOL. We could go at this forever.

But hey, it beats arguing over Nader/Kerry, right? :spank:

I've never thought of baseball as much of strategic sport (though compared to the NBA, it's chess). If I want strategy, I'll watch football. Now's there's a sport that's all about strategy. :)

[Donkeyboy75]

21. This is actually a "fun" argument.

One realizes that it's a contentious issue when the number of posts dwarfs the number of poll votes.

[JaySherman]

23. True, true...

But still not the number of posts in any thread with 'Nader' in the topic. We can work on that though.

The thing I like about the DH is it doesn't force teams take a better player out. Unlike in the NL, where you've in many cases got to bench a starting pitcher or star reliever if you need a hit, or bench a guy who is most likely a better hitter if you want to keep your pitcher. Whereas with the DH, you can just juggle your lineup around or bring in a specialist depending on whether you need a gap hit, sac fly, baserunner, etc.,.

[Donkeyboy75]

35. To quote your namesake,

it STINKS!

[maveric]

31. Don Drysdale, Bob Gibson, Don Newcombe

Three greats that could and did jack the ball out of the park.

[TahitiNut]

37. Don't forget that Babe Ruth began as a pitcher.

:thumbsup:

He had an ERA of 2.28 and W/L pct of .671 with 1,221 innings pitched.
His batting average in 1915 was .315 and .325 in 1917 - years during which he was a pitcher.

[Sandpiper]

10. Get rid of it

It's just a way for old guys who can't play defense anymore to hang around for a few extra years.

On Edit: And punk pitchers like Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez would be a lot less eager to throw at someone's head if they knew they had to step into the box 2-3 times per game.

[JaySherman]

12. What about Nick Johnson?

He's definitely not old, and he's a pretty good defensive player. Maybe a better defensive player than Giambi.

Agree with you on Pedro and Clemens though.

[Sandpiper]

14. Not every DH is

But most DH's are either twilighters, defensive liabilities, or both.

As to the second point, I'm looking forward to the first time Rocket gets "welcomed" to the NL.

[crimson333]

24. you do realize

that clemens is in the national league now?

[JaySherman]

27. Yeah.

I never liked him much when he was with the Yanks. Now that he's playing for the Astros I can say he deserves what he gets.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. It's bullshit

Either everyone plays, or else the team should forfeit the game.

"Oh, but, my hands! ooh, ooh, ooh my hands!"

Whiny little bastards.

[TahitiNut]

18. An abomination, for sure.

Hell, I don't even like the infield fly rule. :puke:

[Feanorcurufinwe]

28. I hate bullshit push polls that don't actually give a variety of choices.

What's so difficult about including an option for 'Other'?


I like the fact that one league uses the DH and the other doesn't. Variety is the spice of life.

[Donkeyboy75]

33. It's a joke, you see.

I was looking to start a scrap in the lounge.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

36. No, it's a bullshit poll. Jokes are funny.

[Donkeyboy75]

40. Chill out.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

42. I'm expressing my opinion. Sorry if you don't like it.

[Nostradammit]

30. The game has a more pronounced rhytm without the DH

It just adds a dynamic that increases the sensation of wheels within wheels that make up a baseball game. Whenever I see a game with the DH, it just feels less dramatic.

Make them earn that $5 million.

[Bertha Venation]

34. The AL plays real baseball --

but the DH is disgusting. It takes away fascinating elements of strategy. I think it should be abolished -- along with playing "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch. That is an abomination.

[gpandas]

38. not to sound defensive, but...

why do so many people think it is so thrilling to see more offense? they have already made the nfl so much like nba on cleats. i personally enjoy a 2-0 game as much, if not more, than a 16-10 game. i would like to see the dh gone from baseball and the bump and run reinstated in football. lets make teams earn their points instead of giving them away.

[Donkeyboy75]

41. I agree. If people like offense, why don't we just give

4 points for a run, and everybody's happy? There's actually more scoring in baseball than football, but people think there is more scoring in football because the score is higher.

I agree with your point, though. Low scoring games tend to have more suspense.

[Anaxamander]

39. DH is an abomination

Glad my Braves are in the NL!

Sucks when they play interleague or World Series games and have to stoop to assigning someone to be the DH. The AL should pay reparations for thirty years of this nonsense.

[mvd]

43. Well, I..

often get really frustrated when there's a rally going and the pitcher comes up. I say, there goes that threat. In other sports the defense contributes offense in some way (football player intercepting,) though, so I guess baseball should be no different.

[Commendatori]

44. I detest it

A pitcher is generally one the better athletes on your team and can think like a pitcher, so I don't see why pitchers who hit .143 are considered decent hitters.

I'd still rather see Mike Hampton hit seven homers in a year than see some elderly slugger hit 35. At least there's the strategy involved in either leaving in a hot pitcher who can't hit or yanking him because you've got two on and two out in a 1-1 game.

[dawn]

45. Hey! I like it.

But then again, I'm an AL fan.

:)

[kmla]

46. I look at it this way....

Would we look at it the same way if, say, Shaquille O'Neal had a "designated free-throw shooter" every time he was fouled? Most people would think that was stupid, and it definitely would take away a valid fouling strategy of the opposing team at the end of the game.

Pitchers not being good hitters is part of the game. Just wanting to see "hitters get hits, not pitchers strike out" is kinda like wanting to eat only cream-filled twinkies for dinner. Sure it's nice, and everything is swell, but most people realize that you need to consume a little "not so swell" (like broccoli or lima beans) to balance out all of the feel good stuff. You'll feel better in the long run if you balance things.

Not my best analogy, but I tried.