Fuck John Denver.

Now that son, is what you call a title.

I don't like interleague play. Please, don't worry. I'm not about to recycle what all the flapping faces have been saying every year ad nasuem. For example:

- "It cheapens the World Series." Yeah, because the reason I get so pumped up for the World Series is that sheer THRILL that can only come from watching an AL team facing an NL team. Gimme a break.

- "Pitchers have to hit, which they aren't used to and basically puts AL teams playing in a home park at a disadvantage." Ok yeah, pitchers from the AL do look stupid. Especially when players like Bronson Arroyo bat with a double flapped Mark Bellhorn helmet. But really, if you look at most number 9 hitters in the AL, they are more often then not automatic outs anyway. Plus, are the NL pitchers really that nasty with the bat in their hands?

- "Interleague matchups count in the standings, which is bad for baseball when the Yankees get to play the Mets as a natural rival, while the Red Sox have to play the Braves." Bullshit. This is the lamest reason of all. Baseball is full of stretches like this where the top teams in the division go against very different levels of competition during the same stretch. What about when the Twins are playing the Royals and the Indians while the White Sox are playing the A's and the Angels? Same thing in my opinion. Besides baseball is a game of hot streaks. Aside from the Expos, any team could win on any given night. Teams can go on hot streaks which have no correlation between their respective place in the standings, which basically renders that arguement moot. Example: The Red Sox should have tore the Rockies up and at least kept pace with the Yankees. They are 5.5 back today because they have been playing bad, not because the Yankees had to play the "less tough" team.

While all of those excuses have varying degrees of validaty, my reasons are purely selfish. The Red Sox always eat it during interleague play and it always hurts them. Every year you can basically pencil the two interleague stretches on the Red Sox calendar as trouble. They come into interleague play with a bit of momentum, only run in to the buzzsaw that is playing NL teams, and end up losing a good chunk of ground in the division. I'm not basing this on stats obviously, (and I'm sure there is something somewhere that will prove me wrong) but based on my pure speculation, interleague play ends up hurting the Sox every year. That's why I hate it.

I am pumped to see Pedro pitch to Bonds however.