There’s no crying in baseball. And while we’re on the subject, there’s no waffling, either.
Being a baseball fan is the ultimate either/or proposition. Always has been, always will be. As in, you’re either a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan. You either love the DH or hate it. You pulled for Willie, Mickey or the Duke, not all three.
In baseball, middle ground is for the shortstop and second baseman. That fence out there? You don’t sit on it, you watch the players take aim at it.
Which brings us to Tuesday night’s All-Star Game in Detroit. I was pulling for the National League because, well, it’s what I do. It’s my birthright, not to mention my moral obligation. My father was a National League man, and so was his father. Far as I can tell, we’ve been National Leaguers since early in the 20th century, when the Cubs were starting and ending a remarkable run of World Series appearances.
I only mention this stuff so you consider the source. As much as I’d like to tell you the National League is a better league than those second-class citizens in the American League, it just isn’t so. Somewhere along the line, the Junior Circuit grew up and became the National League’s daddy.
“On paper,” Johnny Damon was saying before the game, “we’re looking really good.”
On paper. As in, the lineup cards. Did you check out the American League batting order? Vladimir Guerrero, your basic defending MVP, hit sixth. Mark Teixeira, leading the league in home runs, hit seventh. Brian Roberts, who would win the batting title if the season ended today, hit ninth.
Then there’s future Hall of Famer and monument-to-be-
named-later Derek Jeter. He wasn’t good enough to make the American League roster.
By the way, the National League’s No. 9 hitter? That would be David Eckstein, who was essentially released by the Angels after last season. If he had stayed, he would be lucky to crack the top 10 among American League shortstops.
That’s the way things stand here in the early 21st century. The National League used to own the All-Star Game, and for good reason: It was the better league. But then the Berlin Wall crumbled, and so did the National League’s dominance.
Numbers? You want numbers? Of course you do. This is baseball we’re talking about.
The National League from 1960-85 was 25-3-1 in All-Star Games. The American League after Tuesday night’s walk in Comerica Park has won eight decisions in a row, though the NL did pull off a moral victory a couple of years ago, playing to a tie in Milwaukee.
Fact is, it’s not even close anymore. The National League has better ballparks and better flaxseed oil, but the American League has better players. Even when you deduct style points for Kenny Rogers and the Angels’ nickname, the AL still wins by a landslide.
Never was the National League’s inferiority more obvious than Tuesday night. But just in case you need more proof, check out the top three markets in the country.
In New York, the Yankees have won four World Series since the mid-1990s and own the back page of the tabloids. Moving West, the White Sox don’t get any love in Chicago, but went into the all-star break with the best record in the game. If the Sox don’t win the World Series, the Angels, proud owners of the game’s deepest bullpen, probably will.
Exactly how and when did the balance of power shift in major-league baseball? It started in the mid-late 1970s, when the American League expanded and the National League stood pat. The addition of Seattle and Toronto gave the AL two extra boatloads of draft choices every year until the early 1990s, when the Rockies and Marlins joined the National League.
Then there’s the international talent market. You think the American League rules in New York, Chicago and L.A.? It hasn’t done too badly in Tokyo, either. Or haven’t you noticed the two biggest stars to come out of Japan – Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui – play in American League cities?
Those are no doubt factors in the AL’s ascension to the penthouse, but there’s an even bigger reason. Nothing says baseball in the 21st century quite like the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. Every offseason, they try to one-up each other, and every offseason the American League is better for it.
The Yankees get Alex Rodriguez, so the Red Sox counter with Curt Schilling. The Yankees sign Carl Pavano, so the Red Sox sign Matt Clement. The Red Sox sign Manny Ramirez, so the Yankees pick up Gary Sheffield.
On and on it goes. When the American League’s domination will end, no one knows. All I know is, I liked things better the way they used to be, when Pete Rose made roadkill out of Ray Fosse.
Catch staff writer Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on ESPN 560 AM and tonight on Fox Sports Net’s “Insider Edition.” He can be reached at 303-820-5452 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
