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Major League Baseball faced its darkest days in the aftermath of the 1994 players' strike. At the beginning of the 1995 season, attendance was down, TV ratings were low, and there was a sense in the media that baseball had inflicted a serious wound on itself. The highest point of interest for that season was Cal Ripken's quest to break Lu Gehrig's consecutive games record. Otherwise, there is not much that stands out from that season that can be pointed to in positive way.

This feeling of dread carried over into the next two seasons. Attendance improved, but it was still below the levels of 1993 and the pre-strike days. The American sports media was having serious discussions about whether the sport was going to fade from most Americans' radars, buried deep below the NFL and Jordan's NBA.

Then, in 1998, baseball had a magical season that served as a renaissance. Suddenly, there was goodwill in the media, there were sellouts at ballparks nationwide, and there was an overall joy that attached itself back to the game. Baseball had come through its three years of darkness and was now bursting back onto the national sporting stage, and it has flourished ever since.

Now, what was it that caused this rejuvenation? It was, very simply, the great homerun chase of 1998. People were glued to their TVs everytime McGwire and Sosa came up to bat. Those two became national celebrities as they embarked on their quest to surpass not only Roger Maris, but each other. And they did it with joy; we never saw them sneer or trash-talk. It was fun, and it was exciting, and it made an impact. In short, homeruns saved the game of baseball.

So why on earth would Major League Baseball want to abolish the Designated Hitter? Taking the bats out of the hands of excellent hitters like Ortiz, Hafner, and Thome is a bad idea, worsened by the fact that they'd be replaced by hitters with averages in the .150 range. There's nothing worse than watching a National League game where two men get on with two out, then watching the pitcher come to bat and meekly striking out. Does anyone really want to see that?

So no, the DH should definitely not be abolished from the American League. In fact, baseball should go a step further and implement the DH into the National League. The people have spoken, and they're clearly saying they like offense. The DH means more offense. It's an easy decision.

Learn more about this author, Colby Cannon.
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