re: Revisiting an old argument: The designated hitter

I see both sides. It's an issue I haven't really formed a solid position on but I've thought about a lot for some reason. (Sorry for the long post) On one hand, the NL style has a lot of positives, some of which have been mentioned:

-Pitchers actually have to stand in the batters' box and aren't free to just throw at the other team's hitters w/o fear of retribution on themselves, thus leaving their teammates to take the hits;

-NL baseball makes depth more important and pinch hitting and management strategy become relevant--yes, Baloo the actual function of the double switch is simple but the strategy, matchups and decision-making aspect of who to bat, who to switch out for defense, what spot in the order, who to save, etc. involves complicated analysis/strategy, not just the simple function of actually knowing where to write the names on the lineup card as you describe it. Using pitchers to bunt and how to pitch to other hitters in the lineup knowing when the pitcher's spot is due also adds to the strategic intricacies of the NL game that are absent from the AL.

-NL baseball forces all players to play the game. None of these bloated aging veterans playing X-Box in the clubhouse and stepping up to the plate 4 times a night to pad there stats.

I also understand the AL argument that it's more entertaining to have 9 hitters in a lineup who are actually viable players in the batters' box and not a pitcher just trying to not get himself killed. We get to see more offense, more runs, etc. which puts asses in the seats and eyeballs on the TVs. It's more fun for a lot of people to watch rallies uninterrupted by pitchers sucking the life out of them.

It's not so bad the way it is w/ the two leagues except one glaring problem--The World Series. It's unfair to NL teams when they play in the AL parks. The AL team's DH is some star hitter like David Ortiz or Jim Thome. Meanwhile the NL's DH is usually some bench guy who isn't good enough to play every day. That's a serious advantage to the AL. So, while I think I prefer the NL game on most days, the rules should probably stay the way they are except in the World Series where the DH should be banned.