NATIONAL LEAGUE NO LONGER `SENIOR CIRCUIT': BASEBALL AN AMERICAN GAME.Byline: MATT McHALE BASEBALL Friday night, and it seemed like everything was getting back to normal. The National League actually won six interleague games, including the Dodgers' 6-1 victory over the Angels in Anaheim. It ended a 15-game interleague losing streak. Certainly, it looked like the momentum could be shifting back after a season-long pounding by the ``other'' league. After all, between 1963-82, the National League lost one All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league. The players are often chosen by a popular vote of fans of the sport and the game often occurs at the halfway point of the regular season, although this is not the case for some all-star games . No chance. American League American League (AL) One of the two associations of professional baseball teams in the U.S. and Canada designated as major leagues; the other is the National League (NL). domination is here to stay. It hasn't lost an All-Star Game since 1996 and has taken 10 of the past 14 World Series. In the past two Series, Boston and Chicago have beaten St. Louis and Houston without losing a game. And since the league that wins the All-Star Game gets home-field advantage for the Series, there is a good chance this could continue for a while. Last week, the Cardinals became the first first-place team to be swept in back-to-back interleague series. The Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are a professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the White Sox have played in U.S. and Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are a professional baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Tigers have played in Comerica Park. beat them soundly. When Minnesota swept the Dodgers, it gave the Twins 15 wins in 16 games. They gained exactly one game on the Tigers in the AL Central during that stretch. Even the lowly Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium. entered Saturday 9-7 in interleague play Interleague play is the term used to describe regular season Major League Baseball games played between teams in different leagues, introduced in 1997. Before the 1997 season, teams in the American League and National League did not meet during the regular season. . ``I told Tony LaRussa, `Welcome to the American League, sir,''' said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen before clicking off AL Central pitchers Francisco Liriano Francisco Casillas Liriano (born October 26, 1983 in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic) is a left handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. Professional Career Liriano was acquired by the Twins as a throw-in prospect in a deal that sent A.J. , Brad Radke Verlander is a rookie who appeared briefly in 2005, but that's just Ozzie. And he failed to mention Minnesota's Johan Santana, maybe the best of the bunch. On the NL side, only the Giants, Marlins and Rockies have winning interleague records this year. As with most things, the explanation is money. Not just because the Yankees paid $208 million in 2005 salaries and more in luxury taxes than the NL's No. 1 team, the Mets, did in payroll. Money, of course, doesn't buy World Series happiness, but it does raise the level of all boats in the AL harbor. Detroit, the surprise team of 2006, is atop the loaded AL Central on the strength of a young pitching staff and manager Jim Leyland. But it also helps that free-agent signings Pudge Noun 1. pudge - a short fat person endomorph - a heavy person with a soft and rounded body Rodriguez, Magglio Ordonez and Kenny Rogers will be playing in the July 11 All-Star Game in Pittsburgh. The four teams that made the AL playoffs last season -- New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , Boston, Chicago and the Angels -- had baseball's four highest payrolls to start the 2006 season. Houston, which was swept by the White Sox in last year's Series, jumped into the mix by signing Roger Clemens last month to a prorated one-year deal worth $12 million. The Angels are the only team near the top that hasn't performed at a postseason level. Yet despite the buzz surrounding the Dodgers young talent, both teams are 18-18 since early May. The Angels are in last in their division, the Dodgers are battling for first in the NL West. Money seems to have hurt NL teams. Arizona nearly went bankrupt winning the World Series in 2001. Florida was forced to have fire sales after winning it all in 1997 and 2003. The MVPs of those two series -- Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling (Diamondbacks) and Josh Beckett (Marlins) -- wound up pitching in the American League. Those and other painful stories have made many NL teams timid about spending big money. The Mets are one of the exceptions, but much of their payroll is buoyed by the creation of their own television network. But the Dodgers, with a payroll of more than $100 million during the Fox years and who started the season around $98million, could shrink to about $70 million if the kids force out some of the older players. That might be good for the bottom line, but maybe not so good at interleague time. There has been some talk that commissioner Bud Selig might wind up getting rid of the home-field advantage for the World Series based on results of the All-Star Game. That could help strike a balance. But if the last few weeks are any indicator, the National League has a long way to go. matt.mchale@dailynews.com (818) 713-3622 CAPTION(S): 2 photos, 8 boxes Photo: (1) The Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox are a member and currently champions of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball’s American League. From to the present, the Red Sox have played in Fenway Park. , of the American League, sport a 14-2 record (through Friday) against their National League opposition this season. Jim McIsaac/Getty Images (2) Jonathan Sanchez Box: (1) DAILY NEWS/CBS 2/KCAL 9 SPORTS CENTRAL POWER RANKINGS - Matt McHale (2) THEY SAID IT (3) WHO'S HOT (4) WHO'S COLD (5) ROOKIE WATCH (6) NOTES (7) SERIES OF THE WEEK (8) PAYING OFF? - Associated Press |
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