-AH> Interleague play was a bad idea, and is nothing but a
-AH> stupid gimmick owners
-AH> thought would improve attendance.  Right - other than
-AH> intracity rivalries,
-AH> who really cares?  Expos vs. Tigers,  Astros vs. Brewers,
-AH> etc. - big deal.
-AH> Teams that are drawing well draw, teams that aren't don't,
-AH> regardless of
-AH> opponent.  Hopefully, interleague play will die a quick,
-AH> unlamented death.
 
At first I thought it would be great.  And it would have been
great in the era of 16 or 20 teams.  Before the massive volume
of TV broadcasts, I **NEVER** got to see any National League
players when I was growing up in the 50s and early 60s. CBS'
"Game of the Week" was not broadcast in cities like Boston,
although we could pick the games up with a fuzzy picture from
Portland.  It would have been nice to see Willie Mays or Hank
Aaron or Sandy Koufax in their prime.  Never got the chance
unless they were in the World Series.
 
OTOH, I now have Red Sox season tickets.  Very few people here
are excited over interleague play.  To make room on the schedule
for the home games against Florida, Philadelphia, and Atlanta,
they had to knock out games with other teams - like the Yankees
and Seattle.  I have a night season ticket plan - Mon-Fri nights
only -- and we only have ONE game against Seattle on the plan.
We (groan) have the misfortune of all three against Philadelphia.
 
And, you will only get to see a particular team from another league once 
every six years.  No traditional rivalries will be built.
 
"Traditional Rivalries" - they do exist.  Yankees-Red Sox.
Dodgers-Giants.  Braves-Dodgers.  Even A's-Royals.  Even
(newer one) Blue Jays-Tigers.   But the Red Sox and the
Phillies?   Gimme a break.  Every few years they talk about
NFL alignment, and some sportwriters with a block bring up
the "traditional rivalry between the New York Giants and 
New England Patriots".  There is no such rivalry -- the Pats
have their rivals in the Bills and Dolphins.  The Giants have
theirs in  the Eagles, Redskins, and Cowboys and wouldn't give 
those up to play New England or Buffalo or even the Jets year
after year.  
 
It would have been a great idea 25-30 years ago.  Now it is
just a promotional (short-term, I hope) experimental gimmick.
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