Today In History: Designated Hitter Rule Adopted

On January 11, 1973, the American League adopted the Designated Hitter rule, whereby an additional player is used to bat for the pitcher. 40 years later, the rule is still controversial among baseball purists. The American League uses the D.H., while the National League still has pitchers trying to hit. Some would argue that using the D.H. takes a lot of strategy out of the game, while others contend that the careers of many of the game's best hitters are prolonged.
Personally, I am a bit torn between both styles of play. The first Tiger to play the role of D.H. was Gates Brown. Willie Horton was able to play a few extra seasons as a D.H. for the Tigers and Mariners. Players like Jim Rice, Don Baylor, Hal McRae, Harold Baines, Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield, Edgar Martinez, David Ortiz and Victor Martinez have been able to stay in the game longer because of the Designated Hitter rule.
While I certainly appreciate the skill involved in being able to lay down a sacrifice bunt (none of the Tiger regulars seem to be able to do it) to put a runner in scoring position, the sluggers I mentioned previously are in scoring position when they step up to the plate. The D.H. rule has been around for 40 years. I think it's too late to make it go away.