[NU Sports] 2009 schedule

[Dennis W. Brandt]

<Major League Baseball demonstrates the challenge in schedule-making
<From about 1954 to 1980, a guy named Harry Simmons made the schedules (by hand) in the commisioner's office
<From 1981-2004 a husband/wife team from Martha's vineyard started out by hand, then brought in computers
<Since 2005 baseball has farmed it out to the 'Sports Scheduling Group', outside of Pittsburgh, a bunch of PhD's


And it could all be easy again if MLB would cure the disease of interleague play.  I don't care how many people it puts in the stands.  It creates unbalanced schedules that can give advantage or disadvantage to any team.  It also has eliminated some natural rivalries such as the Phillies and Pirates, who used to hate each other, but now only play six games a year, while the Phils played eight games against the Dodgers.  It also has ruined the All-Star Game, the only game of its type worth watching in professional sports, and cheapened the World Series.  While we're at it, get rid of the DH.