It’s that time of the year again when the hype over interleague play resumes. Like many innovations, interleague play was exciting and enjoyable when it first came on the scene but now that it is a regular part of the schedule it seems to only interfere with games that really matter.

Interleague games are not exhibition games. When the Tigers play the Reds this weekend those three games count every bit as much as when the Tigers play the Yankees, but really, who would Tiger fans really rather see? Would they rather see their team face the Pirates, or face the Red Sox? Because the Tigers play Pittsburgh three games and the Red Sox six games this season. How would you like to be the American League team that is hosting the Marlins? Those Oriole fans must be standing in line waiting for tickets to that series.

The first weekend of interleague play is for “rivals.”  Let’s take a look at these “rivalries” first by defining the word. According to Merriam-Webster.com, a “rival” is one of two or more striving to reach or obtain something that only one can possess.

“Something that only one can possess” like a pennant for example; which is why the Red Sox-Yankees is truly a rivalry. They battle each other in the standings, for fan attention, for players, for sponsors, for titles, for media attention, for money, for pride, for just about everything.

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Then there is the Florida Marlins/Tampa Bay Devil Rays pairing in which they battle to see who can draw the fewest fans in Florida. That is not a rivalry.

What about the battle between the North Side and the South Side of Chicago. The White Sox are the World Champs and continue to lead the American League and the Cubs are conflicted over whether Dusty Baker should be fired as they flounder in the NL Central. That is not a rivalry.

The Battle of the Bay, a match-up between the Giants and the A’s which is meaningful only because it enables the locals to boo Barry B*nds just like the rest of America. That is not a rivalry.

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The Subway Series, New York against New York, a battle that delights fans outside of the metropolitan area because now they can show their disdain for these two teams by ignoring only one game and rooting for them both to lose. A battle for the back page of the tabloids is not a rivalry.

The La-La Land Melee, the clash between the apathetic Dodger fans and the apathetic Angels fans to determine who gets to leave the ballpark earlier to avoid the traffic. You want to make this into a meaningful rivalry? Declare that winner of the series is the only team that can use “Los Angeles” as its appellation.

Then there is the Skirmish of the Lone Star State in which fans of the Houston Astros and fans of the Texas Rangers can watch their teams as they battle to determine who the bigger football fans are. That is not a rivalry.

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