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2B Daily News – Thursday, July 18, 2013 MLB BASEBALL DH debate at 40: No sign Cuban player tells newspaper of slowing down By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer The designated hitter turned 40 this year. Fittingly, it's having sort of a mid-life crisis. Never before has the imbalance between the American and National Leagues regarding Rule 6.10 been more of a potential problem. The designated hitter rule has been controversial from day one. It's been criticized and even confusing since it was born. So it's only natural that Major League Baseball's once-bold experiment will continue to exist unevenly and indefinitely. The DH debate won't die. ''A little controversy between the leagues is really not all bad,'' Commissioner Bud Selig said before the All-Star game in New York on Tuesday. Selig cast one of the votes for using the designated hitter in AL games starting in 1973, when he owned the Milwaukee Brewers, then an AL franchise. He acknowledged this week that further geographic changes to divisions could force MLB to either scrap the DH altogether or install it for the NL, but that's a future possibility and not an imminent plan. When Houston switched to the AL West this year to even out the leagues at 15 teams each, daily interleague games became a necessity of the schedule. ''At the moment,'' Selig said, ''we are not going to change it.'' Perhaps the most polarizing of this sport's many quirks and imperfections, the designated hitter came to be when AL teams sought to boost their then-lagging product. The decision was made during a time when the two leagues were far less integrated than now. The gimmick not only worked to increase scoring and attendance but created a way for some of the game's greatest hitters to extend their careers — and make a lot more money. Orlando Cepeda even credited the rule for boosting his Hall of Fame credentials, after Boston signed him for the 1973 season following a long career with San Francisco. ''That was one of the best years, because I was playing on one leg and I hit .289,'' Cepeda said earlier this season. ''And I hit four doubles in one game. Both my knees were hurting, and I was designated hitter of the year.'' Designated hitters last year had the secondhighest average salary by position at $8.1 million, behind first basemen at $8.6 million. That's the main reason why eliminating the DH to bring the AL back on line with the NL is almost unfathomable. Boston's David Ortiz, who recently passed Harold Baines on the career list for hits by a DH, is making $14 million this season at age 37. The designated hitter has also helped teams keep their best players in the lineup while giving them some type of rest. Minnesota All-Star catcher Joe Mauer is a prime example. When he needs a break from crouching behind the plate, manager Ron Garden can keep his potent bat in the lineup at DH. OPEN (Continued from page 1B) out and hit a 4-iron and it bounces over the green. That, to me, is pretty neat. Because we play everywhere around the world — an airborne game where you have to hit the ball straight up in the air and make it stop. Here it's different. A draw will go one distance, a fade will go another, and they're so dramatic. And I just absolutely love it.'' True, adjusting to links golf can just as easily take place at Muirfield, where the British Open starts Thursday. Defending champion Ernie Els came down from Castle Stuart and has stayed at Muirfield, wrapping up his final practice round Wednesday just after 6 p.m. But there are no tricks at Muirfield. There are hardly any blind shots. Most of the bunkers are in plain view from the tee. That's one of the reasons that Muirfield is a favorite of so many players, who use words like ''fair'' and ''honest test,'' which aren't always heard on other links courses. ''I think of all the Open venues, it's probably one of the least ESPN (Continued from page 1B) ly. Olbermann quit abruptly in January 2011 after eight years as a prime-time host at MSNBC, and his later tenure at Current TV lasted a year before he was quirky ones,'' Donald said Wednesday. ''It's quite straightforward. Obviously with the weather conditions, it's playing firm and fast. It's going to be about controlling your golf ball this week. And the weather looks good. The course is set up just the way the R&A would like it. It's bouncy. It's a little bit of a breeze out there. Firm conditions are a good protector of the golf course, and we certainly have that this week.'' The forecast is dry for the week, with perhaps some mist on the weekend. Even though officials had the course just the way they wanted it early in the week, they have turned on a few sprinklers in the evening to keep it from getting overcooked. ''I think it's no exaggeration to say that in my time at the R&A with direct involvement in The Open Championship, which goes back to 2000, factors have combined this year to make this the best course set up we've ever had in that period,'' R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said. ''The course is just as we want it. It's hard. It's fast. It's in wonderful condition. The rough is just right. I think the players are enjoying it.'' It all starts to unfold ''I get a lot of questions about the DH, how we use it and all that stuff, but basically the way I see it is I'd rather see David Ortiz hit than some pitcher,'' Mauer said, intending no offense to his own teammates. ''So we'll see. It is what it is right now.'' Most of Mauer's AL peers predictably express support for the DH's existence, even if a lot of them would rather play a position than sit around between at-bats. The power of the players' union, protective of this lucrative and prominent job, is another undeniable force for the DH. And despite the complaints from dads with sleepy kids at long games, fans usually enjoy seeing runs cross the plate. The cumulative AL batting average has beaten the NL's mark in each of the first 40 seasons of the DH. The last time the NL hit above .270 was 1939. The AL has 11 seasons of .270-plus batting during the DH era. There are purists who have a hard time forgiving MLB for the installing the DH, though. Remember the movie ''Bull Durham,'' when Kevin Costner's character Crash Davis launches his crude rant about the qualities and superficialities of life. ''I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing AstroTurf and the designated hitter,'' he said. The NL guys, naturally, tout the purity of the no-DH game and the additional substitution strategy it provides. Many pitchers simply find it fun to try to hit — even if it means sometimes looking silly swinging meekly at strike three. Yes, DH conflicts keep on coming — even in spring training. The home team is supposed to decide whether or not to use it and sometimes managers disagree. Cincinnati's Dusty Baker wanted to use ShinSoo Choo in that role for an exhibition game in March as a precaution for his tight right quadriceps, but Arizona's Kirk Gibson insisted on keeping the pitcher in the lineup so he could let starter Brandon McCarthy take some swings. Baker and Gibson argued before the game about it at home plate. Gibson prevailed because the Diamondbacks were the host team. When the games count, of course, the DH is used in AL ballparks and pitchers bat in NL venues. This year, that will force Detroit manager Jim Leyland to leave designated hitter Victor Martinez out of the lineup at Miami on the final weekend of the regular season while the other teams in the league use their DH as usual. If the AL Central or wild-card races are still unsettled then, that's the kind of potentially pennant-altering wrinkle that could someday prompt a change. ''I think that we need to get a unified set of rules, and I believe that we will get there some day,'' the 68-year-old Leyland said. ''I don't know if I will be there to see it, but I think we will get there. I don't care which way we go, but I think that without question we need to do it.'' Thursday morning when Peter Senior of Australia hits the opening tee shot. Among the early starters are Els, Rose and Brandt Snedeker in one group, with Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama a few groups behind. The afternoon groups include Woods, Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen, along with Masters champion Adam Scott, Donald and Matt Kuchar. Tom Watson won at Muirfield in 1980 by four shots over Lee Trevino, which was a rarity in one respect. That was the only Open in the last six times at Muirfield that golf's oldest championship was decided by more than one shot. Els won in a record four-man playoff the last time in 2002. Muirfield is seen as a thorough examination that requires solid contact in any weather, which might explain why only the best players seem to win here — Els, Nick Faldo twice, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Walter Hagen, Trevino. Snedeker tied the 36hole record at the British Open last year at 130 — the same score Faldo had at Muirfield in 1992 — and eventually tied for third. That was at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, and he sounds like he loves Muirfield even more. ''There are defined areas where you need to hit it. How you get the ball in that defined area is up to you,'' Snedeker said. ''It's a great mix of holes. I chart what I hit in the practice round, and I've hit every club in the bag every day. You're hitting driver on some holes. You're hitting 5iron off the tee on some holes. It's just a really cool mix. And depending on the wind, they can all play completely differently. ''I think it's a great test,'' he said. ''There's no letup out there whatsoever.'' What happens from here is difficult to project. Woods is trying to end a zero-for-16 drought in the majors. Rose is trying to become only the seventh player to win the U.S. Open and British Open in the same year. Els believes he has a chance to win again, which would put him in rare company — Old Tom Morris in 1872 is the only other player in his 40s to successfully defend his title in a major. ''There's so much to look forward to the way everything has shaped up for this Open Championship,'' Scott said. ''Very exciting week ahead.'' taken off the air and ous channels expands its responded with a lawsuit, overall audience. And settled out of court. starting next month ESPN will have competition in His new ESPN show the 11 p.m. slot from new will often air opposite his cable channel Fox Sports old one, ''SportsCenter'' 1's nightly highlights and on the main ESPN netanalysis show. work. The company has found over the years that ESPN President John broadcasting competing Skipper called Olbermann programming on its vari- a ''one-of-a-kind person- ality'' in a news release announcing the show. ''These shows will be appointment viewing for that very reason,'' Skipper said. ''Keith brings a blend of editorial sophistication and unpredictability — you can never be sure what you'll get.'' he's defecting DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Cuban pitcher Misael Siverio told a Spanish-language newspaper he has defected to the United States and is going to try to make it to the major leagues. Siverio was part of the Cuban national team that traveled to Iowa for an exhibition game against a collegiate all-star team from the U.S. But he apparently left the delegation at some point after it arrived in Des Moines on Tuesday afternoon. ''Leaving behind your country is not easy, but this was a decision that I gave a lot of thought,'' Siverio told El Nuevo Herald in Miami. ''Of course, my dream is to play in the majors, and from now on I will start taking the first steps to make it happen.'' Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida also welcomed the 24-year-old Siverio to the U.S. in a post on her Twitter account on Wednesday. A message was left by The Associated Press seeking comment from the Cuban-American Republican. Siverio was not listed when Team USA released an updated roster for Cuba on Wednesday. Team USA CEO Paul Seiler told the AP that, from Cuba's perspective, Siverio is no longer a member of their delegation. Seiler and Antonio Becali, the head of the Cuban delegation, declined further comment. The Cubans are in Iowa to play a team of American college stars in the opener of a five-game set spanning three cities. The set starts Thursday night in Des Moines at the home of the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, marking the first extended series between the two countries in American ballparks since 1996. Siverio is the latest in a long line of Cuban players who defected to the U.S. Now he hopes to follow in the footsteps of a group of major leaguers who are playing prominent roles for contending teams. Yoenis Cespedes won the Home Run Derby on Monday night during the All-Star festivities at Citi Field in New York. The 27-year-old outfielder is in his second season with Oakland, which leads the AL West by two games over Texas. Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless inning in the National League's 3-0 loss to the American League on Tuesday night. Chapman, one of 18 Cubans on major league rosters at the start of the season, has 21 saves and a 2.79 ERA in 42 games. Of course, there's also Yasiel Puig, who is off to a sensational start with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 22-year-old center fielder is batting .391 with eight homers and 19 RBIs in 38 games. Siverio's defection overshadows what American and Cuban officials are hoping will be a celebration of a decadesold rivalry brought back to life. The countries played each other in international friendlies from the late 70s until the mid-90s. Cuba also has played World Baseball Classic games in the U.S. and faced the Baltimore Orioles in Camden Yards in a memorable exhibition in 1999. The matchup between Cuba's national team and American college players resumed last year in Havana, with the Cubans taking three of the five games. The teams will play a pair of games in Omaha on July 1920 before one game each in Cary and Durham, N.C. ''It was just a great opportunity to re-ignite what both ourselves and the Cuban federation believed is the two best baseball playing countries going at it,'' Seiler said at a press conference Wednesday, hours before news broke of Siverio's defection. TOUR (Continued from page 1B) the stage in third place, 10 seconds behind Froome, who is 4:51 ahead of Contador's Saxo-Tinkoff teammate, Roman Kreuziger. Mollema is fourth, 6:23 back. ''I definitely get the feeling that the Spanish guys are racing absolutely full gas every day, and they're not going to slow down just because I have the advantage of four minutes,'' Froome said. ''It's going to be a race all the way to Paris.'' Froome, wearing an aerodynamic black helmet with a thick yellow stripe down the middle, coughed into his right hand as he prepared to start. When the 5-second countdown finished, he puffed his cheeks and rolled down the ramp. The day after narrowly avoiding a crash when Contador fell in front of him on a long downhill, Froome started cautiously on a circuit. The road was slippery because of afternoon rain and featured two short, sharp climbs and two quick descents. ''The first downhill was dangerous and very technical, so I didn't want to take any risks,'' Froome said. He was 2 seconds behind Contador at the first time split. It looked like Contador's day, with Froome 11 seconds behind when reaching the top of the second climb. But Froome made up the deficit on his new bike. ''The first bike was more adapted to climbing,'' Froome said. ''The second bike was a little faster.'' Riders face mammoth climbs before the evening finish Sunday on the Champs-Elysee. The 107-mile trek Thursday from Gap to L'Alpe d'Huez features two HC ascents of L'Alpe d'Huez — one of the Tour's most famed climbs. Both of the ascents are known as HC (Hors Categorie, meaning they are so tough they are considered beyond classification.) There's also a treacherously fast descent from the top of Col de Sarenne — which makes Froome nervous after nearly falling on Tuesday. ''Safety definitely comes first. It's a dangerous descent as it is, so if it starts raining, I would hope that the race organizers take the decision to make it only one time up the Alpe d'Huez,'' and change the finish line are, Froome said. ''Just in terms of the safety of the riders, I think that has to come first.'' There are two more HC climbs and two Category 1 ascents on Friday, and an HC finish on Saturday. The route Wednesday started with a 4-mile ascent and the first descent featured several hairpins. French cyclist JeanChristophe Peraud fractured his right shoulder training in the morning and landed on it again when he fell late on in the stage.