A Brief History
On January 11, 1973, the American League of Major League Baseball voted to accept a rule change allowing for the position of “designated hitter” (DH) so that pitchers would not have to bat, something which they, with a few exceptions such as Babe Ruth, were generally weak at. Before then, there was only the option of using a pinch hitter, but that meant that that particular pitcher would have had to be pulled from the game. H&H Notes: The National League still has their pitchers bat. When teams from the two leagues meet, such as in a World Series, the rules of the home team are followed.
Digging Deeper
Not surprisingly, the proponents (such as worn-out, old and heavyset players who can still hit) think the DH is the greatest rule in the world, while the naysayers are still bemoaning such a radical change in “The National Pastime.”
Perhaps those who thought baseball should not be tinkered with are forgetting that the pitcher’s mound used to be much higher than it is today, that spit balls were allowed and that the strike zone really was the strike zone and not the personal dimensions of every umpire. People who treat the rule book of baseball like the U.S. Constitution (which incidentally is changed with every amendment) think that aluminum and carbon bats should not be allowed, but surely they do not expect players to go back to miniscule gloves and for the game return to the “dead ball era” when you could lead the league in home runs with less than 10.
Indoor baseball and night games brought the same sort of protests from irate “purists” who must have thought the world was ending when these changes were introduced. When I was born, there were no teams west of St. Louis, and there was certainly no team in Canada. How about the color barrier? Do these “purists” think that rule should not have been changed either? Astroturf must also drive these people crazy!
Now that steroids are outlawed, big musclemen are no longer threatening the home run records on a regular basis. Even if you think steroids and other performance enhancing drugs are bad, you have to acknowledge the spike in interest and attendance the steroid era brought to baseball. (Note: We do not advocate these PEDs.)
Hey, do not get me started on American football! Quarterbacks are off limits nowadays, there is no bump-and-run pass defense, field goals are almost automatic and from long range at that. Jim Brown never ran out of bounds to avoid a hit, and he never missed a game in 9 years. Players did not wear gloves back then, and championship games would be played in a blizzard instead of indoors or in the balmy South. Even before World War II, the football itself was made more aerodynamic to encourage passing, and now there are radio receivers in the quarterbacks’ helmets!
Just like cars, televisions, and other technology, sports evolve as well. Perhaps you like the old ways, perhaps not, but there seems to be an inevitability about change. Question for students (and subscribers): Tell us what you think. Should sports rules be allowed to evolve or should they be left alone? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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