The Realignment Conspiracy

This weekend I wrote a little about the “One-division-per-League Realignment Idea” (Which could really use a spiffy acronym) that was being thrown around and, other than a few logistical problems and the issue of Interleague play, I actually kind of liked it.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Dispatch takes apart the realignment issue piece by piece, but he comes to a terrifying conclusion:

“So let’s call this discussion, this talk of realignment, this Trojan horse what it really seems to be: an attempt to force the DH on the NL.”

The player’s union would never give away the DH, a proven moneymaker and way to extend the careers of many one-dimensional hitters, while the National League could not play Interleague games throughout the season without adding a true designated hitter type on the bench. That leaves one option: the designated hitter becomes a reality in both leagues.

If you love pitchers hitting, which I do, and haven’t already found a paper bag to hyperventilate into, then this should kill your excitement over realignment right quick. Let’s hope baseball finds a way to take one step forward without taking two steps back.

(h/t Hardball Talk)