Phillies TV, radio broadcasters weigh in on the universal DH

Kevin Frandsen

“I just like the two separate leagues. I get and understand interleague play for fans and everything, but there’s something special about back in the day when the American League will play the National League for the first time in the All-Star Game and then the World Series. That was it. I love the two separate leagues. They’re doing stuff to try to help and get things going within the game when it gets back. I don’t know, is that one that really needs to happen?

Obviously with the pitchers, you’re not gonna get a lot of balls in play and doing all of that, but I would say in the last five years … the absolute pullback on pitchers’ BP, bunting practice and then working on stuff, we’ve seen worse and worse at-bats because  they’re guys that don’t do anything. They randomly do something here and there.

I know when I came up with the Giants, it was mandated every day; every starter and long reliever would be out there bunting against the machine one or two rounds, hit, [and] boom, they’re out. You don’t see that anymore.

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It kind of goes where we are in our sports world — specialization. It’s like a little ‘micro’ look at where we are in sports and not having the multi-sport athletes, the better athletes playing all the sports growing up as kids. [Now] it’s like, ‘you got to do one thing. if you do one thing great, you’re going to be fine. They’ll find something for you.’

I just love the game of baseball … you don’t have to have the most talent. Watching a guy like Scott Kingery, for me, is fun. A guy that had turned himself into not a Gold Glove shortstop, but a very above-average shortstop, a really good second baseman, [and] turned himself into a good third baseman. More impressive, he goes out to the outfield, has a little slow time going at the beginning, and turned himself into a great centerfielder. That’s something that’s lost in this game.

When I played for the Angels, it was the most boring time ever. It was fun, I’d be playing and knew I was never coming out. The days when I was not in the lineup, I was like, ‘Am I going to get warmed up and stretched out? No, I’m just going to get some coffee. That’s gonna be my walk right now.’

It wasn’t fun that way. I can speak for the bench player, where you’re always trying to think along with the manager. You’re almost more in cahoots with the manager than anyone else, because you’re trying to understand where he will utilize you. Where, pick and choose the times … ‘Okay, I can start my routine now, because this guy’s already at 60 pitches and we’re in the third inning. He’s maybe two innings away from getting another at-bat. I better be ready to go.’

Now, you’re thinking along with everything. You’re in the game; you’re locked in. I feel like with the DH, you’re not as locked in with the game, American League guys compared to National League guys — especially the bench guys.”