The Baseball Guru - HOW BASEBALL HAS CHANGED (Since 1994 Strike) by Dan Schlossberg

[The following material is reprinted with permission from Dan Schlossberg's Baseball Gold: Mining Nuggets from Our National Pastime, a $14.95 paperback published in March 2007 by Triumph Books. Copies may be ordered from www.triumphbooks.com.]

HOW BASEBALL HAS CHANGED (Since 1994 Strike)

By Dan Schlossberg

Major changes in baseball since the 1994-95 player strike:

- Interleague play - New rivalries kindled in several cities

- Realignment - Milwaukee moves from AL to NL

- Three-division format - More winners, including wild-card

- Expansion - Arizona and Tampa Bay added in 1998

- New ballparks - More than a dozen have opened

- Talent pool - Many more players arrive from Far East

- Publicity - Every game is found on TV, radio, or Internet

- Parity - Revenue sharing, luxury tax make teams more equal

- Power - Explosion of 50+ homer seasons, increased offense

- Minors revival - Better ballparks, cheap seats spark comeback