The Pecan Park Eagle

If all pitchers could hit like The Babe once did, there wouldn’t be any dad-gum DH rule around today to mess things up.

In responding to yesterday’s column on the DH as one of MLB’s major ignored issues, broadcaster/author Greg Lucas aptly reminded us with a comment of support for former Astros icon Larry Dierker’s recent times suggestion as a resolution to the splintering effect this game-changing DH rule has had at the MLB level since 1973.

Problems That MLB Chooses to Ignore or Bury

Here’s what Greg Lucas had to say early this morning:

“I like Larry Dierker’s suggestion that the DH (should) die, but that pinch hitters COULD be used for the pitcher without the pitcher having to come out of the game. (That satisfies those who don’t like the pitcher hitting as well as those who don’t like the DH concept for a single player.) The negotiating ploy would be to offer the union one or two more spots on active rosters. Like Dierk, I just don’t like the concept of a player doing nothing but hit for a whole game. But I agree with most that #4: Cost of attending games could ultimately be the biggest threat to the sport as we know it. That actually applies to all sports since once you price the younger generation out of being able to afford tickets themselves you are cutting off the future.” – Greg Lucas.

The Pecan Park Eagle personally agrees with Larry Dierker and Greg Lucas. If we cannot have our first choice – go back to baseball as it was played prior to the DH period – and then give us a rule that doesn’t include rosters with players who only bat and never field. One of these days, we may actually have a DH up for the Hall of Fame because of his bat who has never taken a single ground ball in the field at any defensive station. And we don’t like that possibility at all.

What of the rest of you think?

____________________

 Bill McCurdy

Publisher, Editor, Writer

The Pecan Park Eagle

Houston, Texas