Owners and Selig Didn't Use a Gun, but Close

The legal definition of extortion fits pretty close to what Major League Baseball has done with Jim Crane and the Houston Astros.  Newspaper leads are flatly stating that Crane's purchase of the Astros would not have been approved had he refused to move the team to the American League in 2013.  The fact that he is now reportedly being paid up to $70-million for the move likely softens or erases that legal definition, but to fans it makes little difference. 

Overwhelmingly the Astro fan base is opposed to the change.  Houston has a total NL history including its minor league affiliations prior to 50 years as a National League member. Most also cite they disdain for the desinated hitter rule.  Furthermore moving to the AL West causes start time problems with more road games.  The word is circulating, however, that it may not be as bad as orginally felt since a balanced schedule may be in the works starting in 2013.  That would provide essentially the same number of games against every team in the league instead of division heavy schedules.  That makes sense if baseball is adding two more wild cards.  The more similar each club's schedule is, the better is is for legitimate wild card teams.  As an example, with the unbalanced schedule this season, the Cardinals took the wild card out of the six team NL Central.  They had the very weak Astros to pick on in more games than the Braves from the AL East who narrowly missed out. With a balanced schedule the Cards probably wouldn't have even made the post season, let alone win the World Series. In past years the NL Central supplied several wild cards including the Astros in their NL championship season of 2005.  They had the hapless Pirates to rack up extra wins against.  A balanced schedule does not offer a chance to teams to pick on their division patsies. Everyone in the whole league (minus interleague foes) would be in a more even state.

Interestingly, MLB will be reducing the number of games between their flagship Yankees and Red Sox with a balanced schedule.  So, I guess the Astros weren't the only club to give something up even if totally changing leagues is a bit more than just playing fewer games against a rival. The Astros might not see the Cubs and Cardinals any longer except in occasional interleague games, but the Cards and Cubs wouldn't see each other as much either. 
It can be argued that the National League is the superior league and has been for the majority of baseball's long history.  Those that point out the AL having more World Series champions are missing the point.  The New York Yankees have been the best TEAM in baseball's history and they play in the AL. But the LEAGUE has never had any long period of dominance.  For many years in the 30s, 40s, 50s it was the Yankees and the seven dwarfs in the AL.  The AL is more balanced now, but the spectre of the Yankees still hovers over everything in that league every year.

AL fans and NL fans can argue that point forever.  One thing is indisputatble.  They don't play the same game and have not since 1973 when the AL in a desperate move to draw fans introduced the Designated Hitter.

When it was begun the AL was drawing more than 4,000 fewer games per game than the NL.  The Yankees were not good which was probably the biggest reason.  But offense was down as well so the AL made the move.  The NL had more stars.  The DH helped the AL bounce back.  But it outlived its usefulness years ago.  Otherwise why did the NL outdraw the AL by nearly 3000 fans per game in 2011..about 8%..even with the national networks pushing the Yankees and Red Sox on viewers every chance they got all season long?

The game is not the same in the two leagues and National League fans prefer the game as it is played in their loop.  So do the players in all of baseball.  Other than the players who earn their living as primary DH's a vote of the rank and file in major league baseball would prefer there was no DH.  Why?  That is pretty simple from one segment.  Pitcher's would rather have one less strong hitter to face and many of them actually like to get to the plate.  Position players don't like the DH because if they are not regulars in the lineup they rarely play.  In the National League backup players are much more important on a daily basis.

Everytime a position player who has performed in the AL and NL joined the Astros I always asked about both leagues.  Not a single one ever said they prefered the AL.  The reason was always that in the AL bench players could go weeks before seeing any action at all.

You won't ever find a manager who has worked in both leagues who prefers the mostly "push-button" AL.

Over time the Astros and their fans (though reduced early on)  will adjust to the AL.  Once they become a factor on the field again fans will be back.  It may take a few years.  Those years could be rough at the gate, on television (with expected less out of market availability starting in 2013) and on the field.  Sometime games with the Rangers will mean something in a pennant race.  Hopefully by the time the Astros are back the Rangers won't be on a slide down. 

It is still baseball even if it is a different form of  baseball in the AL. 

If the DH were no longer a factor Astro fans would have less problem with switching leagues.  The loss of great franchises like the Cubs and Cardinals as divisional foes would be lessened. 

During Bud Selig's career in baseball including his time as Commisioner we have seen the dissolution of the American and National Leagues as separate entities with their own presidents and front offices. Selig merged the umpires. He has moved to teams-- the Brewers to the NL from AL and next the Astros from the NL to the AL. His next move should be to figure out a way to eliminate the DH whose time passed in major league baseball years ago.  National League fans, most major league players and even most owners would approve--especially those in Houston.