Hawkins said when interleague play first started, the players were excited to see different ballparks.

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Interleague play was a novel concept in the 1990s that has run its course.

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But the Subway Series isn't going anywhere, especially with interleague play now happening on a daily basis.

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Interleague play, begun in 1995, has already watered down the excitement of the World Series and the All-Star Game.

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Considering that interleague play started in 1997, it is hard to believe the White Sox have never been to Flushing before.

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The White Sox had never visited the Mets since interleague play began.

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But now, between interleague play and the amount of player movement among the 30 teams, most veterans have faced every other team by now.

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An analysis last year by Maury Brown, creator bizofbaseball.com and a Forbes blogger, shows, on balance, a very tiny attendance increase that can be attributed to interleague play.

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The first 2011 wave of interleague play arrives this weekend.

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Standard deviation also adjusts for periodic changes in scheduling balance over the years, such as the breakdown of each league into two (and then three) divisions, and interleague play.

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