Why Interleague Play Stinks....

It's simply unfair. Sure, most things in life aren't fair, but it still stinks. I completely agree with the arguments against Interleague play. The only reason Interleague play exists is because after the strike in the mid-90's, the commissioners office wanted a way to generate more interest in the game. So they decided that the two leagues would play against each other in June, directly coinciding with the end of the school year so that more families would go to the ballpark and would want to see games they wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to see.

I'm not here to argue that a Mets-Yankees, Reds-Indians, or an A's-Giants series isn't intriguing, of course it is. I am here to argue that it creates an imbalance in the scheduling, and it gives some teams an unfair advantage. For example, the Detroit Tigers have series against the last place Rockies, the last place Mets, and the terrible Pirates. Then look at the Phillies who have to play AL East powers- the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays, who have been one of the best teams in baseball this year. As if that wasn't enough, throw in a series against the AL Central leading Twins, and the Phillies all the sudden have a really tough schedule.

Baseball doesn't need interleague play anymore. The game has been restored to it's lair as America's greatest past-time. Attendance has been on the rise every year since 2004. We should save interleague play for one all-powerful series at the end of October.

Quick Thoughts from Friday's Games
- Edwin Encarnacion hits 3 of the 6 Blue Jay solo shots on Friday. I don't really understand how Chase Field is such a hitters park. That place looks absolutely huge, but balls fly out of there, as the Diamondbacks are the NL Home Run leaders. 3 home runs in a game is pretty impressive, but to hit 6 and lose might be more impressive.

- Mark Buehrle turns in the pitching performance of the night. I was originally going to say it was Tim Hudson, but Buehrle faced a much tougher offense in the Marlins. Buehrle spread 3 hits and 3 walks over 8 innings of shutout ball. The Marlins actually made some decent contact against Buehrle, so there was a bit of luck involved. Buehrle has struggled a bit this year, and he's not a guy i'm touching in 10 or 12 team leagues.

- Mariners drop a 15 spot. Pretty impressive seeing as how much I hate that offense. The wily 36 year old Mike Sweeney had a great game for the M's knocking in 6 with 2 homers. It took an out-of-the-blue performance to get their offense a little attention, but you have to think that the return of Milton Bradley has given that offense a slight boost.

- Shin-Soo Choo may be the most underrated fantasy player. He hits for power with a good average and he runs very well. The reason he's so underrated is because he's got no one around him. The Indians offense has also been terrible, but Choo gets lost in the shuffle. He hit 2 homers tonight which drove in 3 runs, but got no help from the rest of his offense.

- I was completely and utterly shocked that Ted Lilly didn't get rocked by the Rangers tonight.

- Roy Oswalt wants a trade. He's one of those guys that sort of deserves it. He has had some health problems in the past and he makes a ton of money. ESPN's Buster Olney doesn't think a deal is going to happen. Oswalt has been great thus far this season, but no team is going to want to give up elite prospects for Oswalt.

- Brad Penny's a dude for hitting a grand slam. It may have cost him, though. He left the game while he was warming up for the 4th inning after he hit the granny in the 3rd. Another reason to love the DH for the national league, but he doesn't seem to have sustained a really bad injury.

- I'm exhausted.

Everybody have a good one. Enjoy the weekend of baseball. I probably won't post again until Sunday night, but check back then.