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Is the AL simply better than the NL or does the DH break the competitive balance? (Note: I realize...

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Is the AL simply better than the NL or does the DH break the competitive balance? (Note: I realize the picture would indicate the opposite, but the 2005 playoffs forever drive my passion to see the White Sox eat dirt) I have a strange baseball fetish. When the Angels are winning a game against particular rivals such as the Yankees, Boston, and Dodgers, I love to listen to the opposition radio broadcasters and the pity parade that sometimes follows. So while listening to AM 790 today, their announcers (Rick Monday and Charley Steiner I believe) brought up how the AL has beaten down the NL in recent interleague play. The AL has won the majority of games for seven consecutive years (with the most lopsided being 2006 where the AL won a ridiculous 154 games vs 98 for the NL) and are leading this year, if my count is correct, by a margin of 80-73. Their assertion was that this was not due to the AL having greater teams or greater talent as a whole - which is my belief - but that the DH gives the AL a great advantage. For the record, I tried finding a way of comparing relative strengths of talent in both leagues and simply don't know how as there are no controls to give the data any real meaning and weight in terms of an apples-to-apples valuation. The funny part though is that in the same conversation, after stating that the DH gives the AL a large advantage, they touted how the NL-aspect of having to manage the pitchers, double-switches, etc. adds much more to the game of baseball in that it's more strategic, difficult to manage well, etc. So if that is the case, it would seem the NL should have the advantage in that many AL managers would fall far short in this regard, the pitchers can't hit for crap, yadda yadda. So is it sour grapes or...? If there is one consensus criticism of Soth, it has to be his management of pitching in general and bullpen management in particular. Therefore, you would think the Angels would have a hard time in interleague play, but recent history shows that to be exactly the opposite. Well, I'm not sure anyone can agree on what the real reason for AL dominance is (relatively speaking), but I for one enjoyed the arse-kicking today and hope it continues for years to come!

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