With the Giants and A’s playing their second and final interleague series of the season, I have to say that I absolutely enjoy this format of play in Major League Baseball. Not many baseball people, mainly those who call themselves “purists”, like the idea of interleague play,but I seriously enjoy it. It’s kind of a break from the usual opponents your favorite team plays.

I like seeing teams I wouldn’t normally see unless my favorite team was playing deep into October or November. As a National League guy, I like seeing American League pitchers like Francisco Liriano and Trevor Cahill have to go grab a bat and get in the batter’s box. I like seeing odd matchups like the Royals and the Pirates. Where else would you see that but interleague play? I mean,it’s not like those two franchises will be going to the World Series anytime soon.

But the thing I like most about interleague play are the regional matchups like the Angels and Dodgers, the Cubs and White Sox, the Mets and Yankees, and the Giants and A’s series that is currently happening right now. These series are great for regional pride and I’m sure fans in New York,Chicago,and the L.A. area feel the same way.

I love it when the Giants beat the A’s in interleague play and getting to tell an A’s fan that my team beat their team. Sure,some of them will bring up the fact that they swept the Giants in the 1989 World Series (pretty much an only line of defense of their team these days), but I like to remind them that their team has yet to be in or win a 21st century championship. One thing I don’t like are these hats with half A’s on one side and half Giants on the other. Pick one!

I know that fans of the Giants hate the A’s and vice versa, that’s how it should be (you can’t love both teams, you have to pick one). I also love it when Giants fans fill up the Coliseum (or should I say AT&T Park East). If the A’s win,I feel pretty terrible because a team I’m not really crazy about beat my team. Like when they swept the Giants last May in Oakland, that ruined my weekend, as it should’ve. I don’t understand for the life of me why this format is bad for baseball.

The only people that don’t seem to like it are players and people who are a lot older than me who like seeing the same teams play each other all the time in one seperate league. I see enough of the Dodgers, Rockies, Diamondbacks,and Padres. Give me the A’s, Twins, Indians, and Tigers, but not too much. Because after all, interleague play is only good in small doses and is too much of a good thing.