The National League has traditionally been known as the “Senior Circuit”, a reference to their long history, predating the emergence of the renegade American League in 1903 as a constituent member of Major League Baseball. 

 In spite of the dominance of the NY Yankees throughout the 20^th century, the National League had always been the ‘class’ of  baseball.  Integration occurred first in the National League as the visionary Branch Rickey of the then Brooklyn Dodgers introduced Jackie Robinson to the country.

The Gashouse Gang in St. Louis won championships, led by the likes of Dizzy and Daffy Dean, “Red” Schoendiest, and others while the NY/SF Giants remain the most successful franchise (in terms of total wins) in all of baseball.

The National League dominated the All Star game for years in the 60’s and 70’s.  Their style of baseball was regarded as superior, a combination of speed (Maury Wills, Lou Brock), power (Hank Aaron) and grace (Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays)

But much has changed over the past few years.  The DH League dominates today as it has never done in the past.  With the advent of the designated hitter rule in 1972, an appeasement to the players union in negotiations over salaries, etc, the American League has emerged as the most exciting brand of baseball on the planet, if one discounts the Japanese and Korean players (who dominated the World Baseball Classic, not an anomaly).

With their new ball parks (Jacobs Field, Camden Yards, Comerica Park, Safeco Field) and a brand of baseball that inevitably attracts the average “fan” in droves (ie. home runs, “Chicks Love the Long Ball” – MLB advertising slogan from 1998), the financial base of the teams is secure, enabling them to sign the high profile free agents as well as invest in developing talent in the Caribbean and elsewhere. 

Even the doormats of the league (Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Devil Rays) have provided a number of stars for other teams, fulfilling that same role served by the Kansas City Athletics of the 1950s when they were virtually a farm team for the mighty Yankees. Players like Carlos Beltran (former Royal,

current NY Met), Jermaine Dye (former Royal, current White Sox), Danny Baez (former Devil Ray, current Atl. Braves), Aubrey Huff (former Devil Ray, current Astro), and others have migrated to other teams, primarily through trades intended to preempt an imminent departure via free agency for more money.

The current state of the NL is absolutely mediocre.  Currently the NL has only five teams playing ABOVE .500 baseball, while the AL has nine teams playing above .500.  There has been talk that the eight best records in all of baseball should compete in the playoffs, rather than the designated four from each league.  Such

talk has previously never surfaced, but with the Padres winning the mild, mild West last year with an 82-80 record and leading the Wild Card race this year at 69-66, mediocrity in the National League is more than apparent.   Some would call it “parity” but that term is saved for the NFL, but major league baseball and is not applicable here.  Plain and simple, the NL stinks.

The Central Division leading Cards have stumbled through their season, at times tied with the Reds, at one point losing 8 straight games to the White Sox and Tigers in inter league play.  Their pitching is in shambles, their line up crippled by the absence of David Eckstein and Jim Edmonds, yet they lead their division by

a comfortable margin of five games, 10 games above the .500 mark.  At one point this season, only the Mets had a winning record in the NL East; now they share that distinction with the 69-68 Phillies, who bark at their heels, a mere 16 ½ games off the pace but vying for a Wild Card spot, a ½ game behind the powerful Padres.  Can it get more ludicrous?  One hopes not.

Ryan Howard has a real chance to hit 60 homeruns, having hit 3 yesterday, reaching 52 for the season with approx 25 games left to play.  Amazing.  One does wonder about MLB’s inability to police the use of HGH (human growth hormone), citing the expenses involved with such tests as well as the Players Union reluctance to accept such tests.

Jason Giambi has 36 homeruns and 102 rbis, a remarkable recovery given his ineptitude last year which suddenly dissipated when Yankee management was threatening to send him to the minors to recover his stroke. Makes one wonder, no?  Especially when he look as big as he has ever looked when he was on steroids, by his own evasive admission.

Barry Bonds has had a resurgence as well, hitting four home runs in his last 16 at bats.  His health has improved over the course of the season, and my earlier projections of his timely demise on the field of play have been proven wrong.  Will Barry come back to play one more year in his quest of Aaron’s record? 

I think so, and if he will accept a significant pay cut (say to $5 million from his astronomical $20 mil salary now), then the Giants would be well served to go after Alfonso Soriano, install him at 2b where he wants to play anyway (Ray Durham will leave as a free agent), and offer Soriano Bond’s salary.  I am sure Giants fans everywhere would welcome his arrival in SF.

Oakland Athletics second baseman Mark Ellis, right, is upended by Baltimore Orioles' Chris Gomez after Ellis completed a double play in the fifth inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 3, 2006, in Oakland, Calif. Orioles' Danny Ardoin was out at first base.(AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Mark Ellis is upended but the A's will prevail.

The Florida Marlins, led by 1^st year manager, Joe Girardi, are one of the big surprises of baseball, competing for a playoff berth in the admittedly mediocre National League. But with six rookies in the starting lineup, and three rookie starting pitchers, Girardi has kept this team together and rebounded from 20 games under .500 to a 68-68 record so far.  Led by the middle infield

tandem of Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla, either one of these players could be named rookie of the year (Uggla made the all star team but I think Ramirez’s season has been more amazing -.287 ba, 13 hr, 49 rbi, 104 runs scored, 44 stolen bases from the lead off position in the lineup). Uggla has been no slouch either,  hitting .290 with 21 hr and 79 rbis with 92 runs scored.

Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla (6) makes a play on a ball hit by Milwaukee Brewers Vinny Rottino while second baseman Hanley Ramirez watches during the second inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 3, 2006, in Milwaukee.(AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Hanley Ramirez looks on as Uggla makes the play. These are two really good players who, if they play together for some time, should be a memorable middle infield tandem. Ramirez has potential to be one of the best shortstops in the game.

Blue Jays manager, John Gibbons is either a slave driver from the ‘old school’ or simply a ‘hands on’ manager as he has had physical confrontations with two players this year.  The latest with Ted Lilly took place on television as he removed lhp Ted Lilly from the game after squandering an 8 run lead.  Lilly refused to give him the ball, and Gibbons had to take it from him, they exchanged words, and then apparently exchanged blows in the runway to the clubhouse.  Lilly apologized for his inexcusable behavior and Gibbons had no comment.  One wonders how this will play out, how much the front office will support Gibbons and whether they truly believe this is the correct way to manage a team, in these very politically correct, non confrontational times in which we live.

The Oakland A’s are putting on another of their classic late season surges, winning 28 of their last 36 games and burying the Angels in their division.  With one of the worst batting averages and on base percentages in the league, they have dominated lately with good defense, TIMELY hitting (if not consistent) and decent pitching (including free agent to be Barry Zito at 15-8 with a 3.57 era) from both the starters and relief corps.  Frank Thomas’ resurgence, with 28 hr and 84 rbis is welcome and I believe I wrote at the beginning of the season if he can have a decent season, the A’s will win their division.  That seems to be playing out, as predicted by others as well.