Astros moving to AL renews debate over the designated hitter - Detroit Free Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Miami Marlins right-hander Carlos Zambrano had a sly grin on his face after crossing home plate Sunday.
Zambrano had just crushed a Joe Blanton pitch 418 feet into the stands, silencing the Phillies faithful.
"As a pitcher in the National League, you have to be able to bunt, run, hit. I take that seriously," Zambrano said afterward. "I'm proud of what I do."
Zambrano has experience swinging the bat, having spent all 12 of his seasons in the National League. But on Thursday, the Royals pitchers were taking their hacks as the team traveled to Pittsburgh.
Friday night's game required some lineup shuffling.
The Royals moved Billy Butler from the designated hitter spot to first base, switched Eric Hosmer from first to rightfield and slid Jeff Francoeur from right to center. Jarrod Dyson took a seat on the bench.
You may not be thrilled with Dyson's .266 average, but it looked pretty good Friday night when Luke Hochevar stepped to the plate looking for his first big-league hit (0-for-11 lifetime). And who knows how much Francoeur learned from his previous three innings of centerfield experience?
"We are built to have a DH in there, and we are not built to have our pitchers involved in the offense part of the game," said Royals manager Ned Yost. "That is a little bit of a disadvantage, because National League (pitchers) are. They're bunting all the time. They're hitting all the time. They're running the bases."
Not surprisingly, Yost has had Royals pitchers taking batting practice, and they've worked on laying down bunts and running the bases.
But is this fair to the Royals or the rest of the American League teams? It's bound to be a future point of discussion because when the Houston Astros move to the American League next year, there will be interleague games throughout the season.
Former Mariners second baseman Harold Reynolds, now an analyst on the MLB Network, thinks interleague games give NL teams an edge. He talked earlier this year about the Red Sox in particular.
"(Designated hitter) David Ortiz is allergic to his leather," Reynolds said. "Now he's got to go ahead and try to find some way to bring that glove back out there with him. Then you put Adrian Gonzalez (in the outfield), so you're putting two players in positions they are not expected to play in."
Reynolds makes a persuasive point.
However, there are those in the National League who see the designated hitter helping American League teams in the long run.
After watching the Tigers sign former Brewer Prince Fielder after Albert Pujols left the Cardinals for the Angels last winter, Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin noted the length of those deals.
Fielder, 28, got a nine-year contract and Pujols, 32, signed for 10 years.
"What's happening is that National League teams just can't compete on the length of contracts for guys like that," Melvin told reporters. "The Cardinals and our team were both willing to give those guys six years.
"But when the length of those deals got to nine and 10 years, we just couldn't compete ... not when AL clubs have the DH to protect themselves on the back end of contracts that long."
Another valid point.
Perhaps a designated hitter can shed some light on this matter. Particularly one who likes playing the field, like the Royals' Butler.
Turns out, Butler doesn't feel strongly one way or another.
"I play in a league that has a DH," Butler said. "I'd play first base on a team if there wasn't a DH. The DH is just like playing first base in the NL. You've got to have somebody playing there and somebody playing the outfield. Obviously, you're going to see the way our team is going to be shaped if we didn't have a DH when we're in Pittsburgh.
"We're going to put the best team on the field that is going to win a ballgame. That's the way it is. It doesn't matter if there's a DH or not."
Ultimately, to DH or not DH may be a moot point anyway. Four years ago, commissioner Bud Selig visited Kauffman Stadium and chatted on air with Denny Matthews.
That day, Selig said he had no intention of changing things, because he likes the leagues having a different approach to the game.
Butler agreed. His goals is always the same, whether the DH is abolished, expanded to both leagues or remains as is.
"You've got to go out there and win a ballgame each day," Butler said. "That's the bottom line."
Germans, Dutch to open their Euro 2012 account - Football
Published: 09 Jun 2012 - 03:16:52
Germany on Saturday take on Portugal while the Netherlands face Denmark, as the first matches in Euro 2012 are played in competition co-hosts Ukraine.
The tournament kicked off in the Polish capital Warsaw on Friday night, with Poland and Greece playing an eventful 1-1 draw and Russia flying to the top of Group A after thumping the Czech Republic 4-1 in the western city of Wroclaw.
Germany open their campaign in Lviv, western Ukraine, seeking to erase memories of their defeat in the final to Spain four years ago and their elimination to La Roja in the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2010.
The Mannschaft have a good record against the Seleccao, having eliminated them in the Euro 2008 quarter-finals and beating them in the third place play-off at the 2006 World Cup.
Captain Philipp Lahm, though, says those results will count for little, with the difficult Dutch and solid, if uninspiring, Danes to come in the so-called "Group of Death".
"The tension is building slowly, we have been working for two years for this moment. It's time to get going," said Lahm, 28, who took over the captain's armband after the tournament in South Africa.
"We have a great squad, we just need to show what we can do."
Germany are likely to be boosted by inclusion of midfield talisman Bastian Schweinsteiger, despite worries over the calf strain he picked up in Bayern Munich's Champions League final defeat to Chelsea last month.
But they are understandably wary of giving Portugal's Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo any chances around goal after he blasted 46 goals in La Liga last season.
Portugal coach Paulo Bento, meanwhile, has urged his team to be brave after a string of poor pre-tournament results, including a 3-1 friendly defeat in Lisbon to Turkey and last month's 0-0 draw with Macedonia that hit confidence.
"Against a team like Germany you need to be organised," he said. "You need to have courage because if you only think about defending, then surely you won't be able to get a good result.
"You have to try to attack them but in an organised way. Above all we have to be strong, aggressive and cohesive, especially when we lose the ball."
Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk is approaching the Oranje's match in Kharkiv with caution, with veteran centreback Joris Mathijsen ruled out with a hamstring injury, and prior experience of Morten Olsen's Danes.
Van Marwijk, who guided the Dutch to the 2010 World Cup final where they lost to Spain, said he expected the Danes to play in the same style they had done in their opening World Cup game in South Africa where the Dutch won 2-0.
He told reporters he thinks the two games are comparable and there have been few changes in personnel.
"Like two years ago, I expect Denmark to be defensive and await the chance to counter-attack. All matches at major tournaments are difficult -- and the two teams know each other too well," he added.
The Dutch come into the match amid claims their players were targeted by racist chants from some fans watching their training this week in Poland and striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar reportedly unhappy over the selection of Robin van Persie.
Veteran Danish manager Olsen, who is the only man to have been capped by and coached a national side more than 100 times, has played down his side's chances in the group, casting the Scandinavians as underdogs.
The 62-year-old assessed the Dutch as "clearly the favourites".
"It is not me being pessimistic but realism," he said. "If we look at the talent of the Dutch, it is not lying to say they are the favourites.
"And it is not me bluffing. This will still be the case for us against Germany and Portugal... For us, our tournament will be a success if we progress from the group."
Related Germany News
Nursery raises cash for Zach Hilary’s lifesavers (From York Press) - The Press in York
Nursery raises cash for Zach Hilary’s lifesavers
8:53am Saturday 9th June 2012 in Fundraising fun 
THE nursery of a York boy who defied doctors to recover from a mystery heart attack is holding a fundraising evening to raise money for the hospital which helped save his life.
Two-year-old Zach Hilary, whose heart stopped beating for 39 minutes, was saved by the efforts of ambulance paramedics and his quick-thinking mother, Trudy, who performed mouth-to-mouth until the emergency services arrived at her home in White House Gardens off Tadcaster Road.
Now staff at York College Nursery have teamed up with Zach’s family to stage a fundraising quiz and dinner at the college’s Ashfields Restaurant on Tuesday evening, to raise money for the Children’s Neuroscience Ward at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI).
Mrs Hilary said: “He spent so much time on the ward with the nurses and they were just amazing.
“Sometimes I would go in and he would be at the nursing station on the desk with them.”
Liz Radford, York College childcare manager, said: “We were really concerned to hear what had happened to Zach and our heart went out to his family. We are so pleased that he is making a fantastic recovery and it’s wonderful to see him back at nursery.
“Having talked to Zach’s mum we wanted to do something to thank the Children’s Neuroscience Ward at Leeds. We are holding a fundraising meal at Ashfields Restaurant at York College on Tuesday June 12, which is open to anyone who wants to support the event. Just let us know by phoning 01904770344.”
The Press revealed yesterday how Zach’s parents were told he was unlikely to survive the night after he suffered an unexplained heart attack in January.
On Thursday the family were reunited with Yorkshire Ambulance Service medics, John Jankee and Amy Mackintosh, who helped save Zach’s life.
Yesterday,Vince Larvin, locality director for emergency operations in North and East Yorkshire praised the pair, saying they had played a “massive part” in Zach’s survival.
“Both Amy and John were in tears when they saw Zach,” he said. “I think it was good for them to meet up with the little fellow again.”
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