The old A.L. and N.L. stereotypes don't apply to today's game.(Baseball Season Preview)

Vive la difference. Whoops--with the Expos now in D.C., let's keep it in English: Viva the difference.

There. Much better.

The Expos now are the Nationals, the Anaheim Angels are the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Puff Daddy is P. Diddy--and from now on, I'd like to be called J-Smooth if it's not too much trouble.

A wise man once said that change is both inevitable and constant, and that appears to be the case regarding our national pastime. With interleague play, runaway free-agent movement and the morphing of A.L. and N.L. umpires into one central entity, lines continue to blur. Not too long ago there was a real and tangible difference between the two leagues--the N.L. was the "Senior Circuit" and the A.L. was the "Junior Circuit"--but c'mon, when was the last time the N.L. had a streak of All-Star Game wins, and when did you last refer to a league as a circuit?

As a broadcaster, I used to hold certain truths to be self-evident: The A.L. brand of baseball was slower and "less pure" because of the DH; the N.L. game was faster but required more mental gymnastics and the presence of Wite-Out in the booth to accommodate the multiple double switches sure to pop up ...