RMJ 90 May 15

THURSDAY, MAY 15 ● Off-day in Philadelphia

I didn’t arise until 10:30 this morning. I drew back the curtains, and it looked like a fine day. I had a date to play golf with baseball analyst Steve Mann and two Phillies executives, Richard Deats  and Dave Montgomery. 

Steve picked me up at 1:30, and we had lunch. We teed off at 3:30, and I played poorly but enjoyed the company.

Afterward, we had a few beers and dinner and talked about a lot of baseball issues. Dave is on the Scheduling Committee, and he didn’t offer much hope for the future.

“With two new teams next year, there will be an interleague game every day,” he said. “There will be more two-game series. And the homestands and road trips will be chopped up even more. There is no way around it.”

I told him that I had devised a way around it in a column I wrote last year. Each team would play 18 games against each of its divisional opponents, and six games with teams from one Amercian League division. Add six games with each non-divisional National League team, and you’d get 162 games and a schedule that had competitive balance and featured intradivisional play in April, July, and September.

“That is the exact plan I proposed,” Dave said. “But the players and the big-market teams wouldn’t go for it.”

I can’t recall the reason he gave for the big-market position. But the players didn’t like it because it would mean 30 interleague games instead of 18. For some reason, the union thinks that this would threaten the Designated Hitter rule. They feel that the DH is like an extra regular player — that he commands more salary and therefore helps create a higher salary scale.

This is a terrible fix we’ve negotiated ourselves into. When the players dictate the rules of the game, it’s like having bank employees dictate interest rates based upon their own personal preferences. It makes it impossible to achieve competitive balance, and it cuts the customer out of the equation completely.

“I think the DH is anathema,” I said. “But I have a compromise rule that could bring the two leagues together without sacrificing strategy.

“You allow a team to pinch-hit for the pitcher, without removing him from the game. The critical aspect of this rule is that the pinch-hitter would be out of the game after he hit. If a team is behind, it gives them a little edge in catching up.

“But there is a tradeoff. Do you let your pitcher hit down 2-1 in the fourth with a man on second and two outs, or do you expend a bench player? This could be very interesting in terms of strategy.”

“They’d never go for it,” Dave said. “In that scenario, the pinch-hitter would still be a bench player, and would not command top dollar.”

“How are we ever going to get ourselves out of this mess?” I asked. “I have talked to a lot of guys who have been in both leagues, and not one of them prefers the American League. Do we have to sacrifice the beauty and integrity of the game, just because the union wants more money?”

Dave didn’t say anything; he just shook his head. I noticed that he looked a lot older than the last time I saw him, two years ago. I suppose that’s what dealing with the owners’ scheduling committee and the players’ union will do to you.

All things considered, I guess it’s easier to manage the team than to manage the business.

           

When I got back to the hotel, I had a message to call Gerry. He said that the tests on Derek’s calf revealed a hematoma, and that he would require surgery and be out for three to four weeks. I was really looking forward to this one-day vacation. As it turned out, it was almost as unsettling as losing a game you could have won.

We didn’t really have any good options. Most of our minor-league prospects are hurt or slumping right now. We decided to call up a journeyman outfielder named Ken Ramos to take Derek’s place on the roster. Kenny has spent a lot of time in the minors, and he hit .300 or better almost every year. He is an in-between player, because he throws lefthanded and can only play the positions that are reserved for great offensive players: the outfield and first base. His offense is steady, but unspectacular, as he has no exceptional skills. His defense is adequate. He has no base-stealing speed, and no home-run power.

At least he can hit a little bit. That, in itself, could help us. My biggest fear is that our outfield defense will suffer. Derek is not the best centerfielder in the world, but he may be better than the guys who will replace him: Thomas Howard and James Mouton. Time will tell.