Thinking Outside the (Batter's) Box

Some conventional wisdom in baseball is based on subjective rather than objective logic, resulting in skewed ideas. One area of subjective thinking is to view many things within the game in terms of batting (offense) instead of the thing in view itself. This is understandable to a degree because we Americans love the home run and the thrill of the crack of the bat.

An example is the conventional wisdom that says that the way the DH is used in the World Series gives the National League team an advantage. Actually, it gives the AL team an advantage. It's just that so many people look at it in terms of hitting that they don't see the whole picture. I'll write a commentary sometime here that will prove my point.

Another example is the SF Giants' history of focusing on hitting, and not pitching. The Dodgers, meanwhile, have taken the opposite approach. The Giants have produced the most exciting sluggers in the history of the game, yet the LA Dodgers have won 5 World Series to the SF Giants' none.

I'll also tackle divisional play, balanced/unbalanced shcedules, tiebreaking schemes, home field advantage (both from best record and All-Star game victory), the wild card, All-Star game managerial strategy, expansion, tradition, changes in the game, rivalries, foreign players and baseball's future. Oh, boy, that's a lot to write. Stay tuned.....