Ah, Interleague...

So here we go, the yearly ritual of the "Natural Rivals" weekend. Man, there's nothing like watching those mortal-enemy cities Phoenix and Detroit go at it on the baseball field. I hear both cities practically shut down because everyone's at home watching baseball, to see which team wins the world-famous I94-to-I80-to-I76-to-I25-to-I40-to-I17 Series. Man, just the mere thought of Nate Robertson staring down Royce Clayton makes my armhairs stand on end...

I generally like Interleague, but of course being a Red Sox fan, the imbalance drives me nuts. Ever since the Natural Rivals Weekend has begun, the Sox have gotten the short end of the stick, facing the perennial NL East Champion Atlanta Braves, while the Yanks get to face the lowly Mutts, who are generally bottom-dwellers (though they won the Wild Card 5 seasons ago). With the Braves at 23-17, and the Mets just 1.5 games back at at 22-19, I think this is the least imbalanced it's ever been. Of course, neither the Yanks nor the Sox are currently leading the division. Instead, both teams are looking up at the Orioles...who get to play the last-place Phillies (19-23). Ugh.

Someday, this natural imbalance will tilt in the Red Sox's favor, and it will all come out in the wash. It can be a long time to wait: with the way baseball's economics has been shaping up -- with an long-term owner either willing or unwilling to spend big bucks on the team -- such a process tends to be slooooow. Luckily, with the new Mets leadership, there are indications that such changes in the NL East may be occurring. Now all we need is for the Phillies to start meeting expectations, and...