MLB: Despite Outspoken Critics, Interleague Play Is Great for Baseball

All it took to get the ball rolling about MLB interleague play was one comment by Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland.

With interleague play getting underway this weekend, Leyland was asked about how he felt having to play in a National League park under their rules, and that's when the legendary manager let his true feelings be known.

To be blunt, Leyland said the idea had run its course, and it was time for a change.

Per the Detroit Free Press:

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"We play with the DH rules. The American League gets penalized, even though the record's been decent over the years. We get penalized. Their pitchers are hitting and bunting all year, and they get the advantage of letting their pitchers rest and using the DH when they come here, and we gotta use guys six straight days without Victor Martinez or Alex Avila or somebody. That's ridiculous. Totally ridiculous, and they ought to look into it."

Leyland thinks a bigger change is necessary for baseball—getting both leagues to play by the same rules.

"At some point, I don't know if I'll be around to see it, but at some point you've got to get baseball back to the same set of rules, and I don't know why more people don't talk about it," he said. "Whatever way they decide to go, I could care less. But I think it should be the same."

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From there, other critics, like former pitcher Curt Schilling came out, saying it was time to scrap interleague play, as it gives some teams an unfair advantage because of the weaker squads they drew when the schedule was made.

As far as I'm concerned, this is all sour grapes and shows a lack of vision by Leyland and Schilling.

There is no denying that the fans enjoy interleague play, with attendance rising during these games, and they have created intriguing pairings that even the most casual baseball fan can get behind.

You're trying to tell me that no one wants to see the Chicago Cubs travel to Fenway for the first time in ages to take on the Boston Red Sox? When these two end up on Sunday Night Baseball, everyone is going to tune in and it's going to be one of the best matchups of the weekend.

In fact, it gives fans a chance to see teams they wouldn't have the opportunity to see otherwise. How many times would Philadelphia Phillies fans see the Red Sox and Texas Rangers if it wasn't for interleague play?

These are fun contests and give us the chance to talk about possible World Series previews. While some teams get better draws than others on the interleague slate, I always like to see how my team stacks up against the league's best.

While some will focus on the matchups, another factor that keeps interleague play around is that it's a great revenue maker.

Fans pack the stadiums for these series, and it helps baseball's bottom line, which of course, is making money.

Furthermore, most fans support interleague play, because nine times out of 10, they'd rather see their team play a top contender like the Red Sox or Yankees than a team like the Pittsburgh Pirates. Fans enjoy seeing the top players in baseball, and that wouldn't be possible without interleague play.

When baseball created interleague play, it was done with the fans in mind, and despite the criticism, those fans have responded at the ticket counters and at the stadium. That is all that matters to Bud Selig and baseball, regardless of what anyone says.

Until people stop showing up for these games, we'll continue to have interleague play and it's time for everyone, even the players and managers to enjoy the process.

It is just a game after all.