Keep Houston in the N.L. Send a letter to the Commissioner

If you missed yesterday’s post I am calling for all Astros fans to send a letter to Commissioner Bud Selig citing their reasons why the Astros should remain in the National League. Here is the address:

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball

245 Park Ave, 31st Floor

New York, NY 10167

This is the letter I am sending.

Dear Commissioner Selig,

The recent talk of realignment and adding playoff teams has become quite unsettling, especially for Astros fans. There is an old adage that I think needs to be applied here. If it aint broke, don’t fix it. What transpired at the end of the 2011 regular season is a perfect example of why the current format is just right. Both Atlanta and Boston needed one more win to force their way into a tie-breaker game. Both teams failed miserably down the stretch and had no business playing in the post-season. For both teams to choke as bad as they did is just epic. On the other hand, St. Louis and Tampa Bay both came back against the odds to get it done on the final day of the season. If the proposed “extra wildcard team” had been added this season we would have missed  out on all of the drama that occurred on that final day. There would have been dozens more meaningless games in September. Plus there would have been two undeserving teams in the post-season.

On the subject of moving the Astros to the American League, I fail to see the merit in this idea. Having fifteen teams in each league sounds better, but in reality it would be a debacle. The daily schedule would feature seven games in each league and one interleague game. Is that something you are prepared to deal with? Again, the system in place works splendidly. Change for the sake of change is a step backward. Houston has always been a National League city and should remain as such. Even prior to being awarded a National League franchise fifty years ago, Houston served as a farm team for the St. Louis Cardinals for another forty years. Ninety years of National League history cannot be overlooked. An overwhelming majority of Astros fans share my sentiments. Forcing the Astros to the American League would be wrong. Furthermore, it just wouldn’t make sense. Please, Mr. Commissioner, do the right thing and keep Houston in the National League where it belongs.

Sincerely,

Greg Thurston