USA Today: Bodley: Mediocrity, parity is winning combination for Selig

Bodley, Selig, Elias Sports Bureau, Abbott and Costello, The Muggsy Spanier Orch…oh, ok…they’re not mentioned. But what decade are we in?

Elias Sports Bureau’s Steve Hirdt says, “If you watch the games you see evidence of some bad baseball, but there’s always been bad baseball. Let’s face it, there’s no one great team among them. Take Arizona. They’ve scored 697 runs and allowed 715. That’s the team with the best record right now in the National League.

“The common thread for almost every one of these teams is a tired bullpen. It’s the way the game is played today — a steady parade of relief pitchers,” Hirdt adds. “When people talk about a lot of bad baseball to me, it’s a representation that the guys who used to be referred to as the bottom half of the pitching staff are now playing such pivotal roles their arms are taxed.”