What is happening to my NL?

I am a fan of the National League. Originally because it is the league the Braves are in, but as my knowledge of the game and how it is played developed, I have sided with the NL's strategy as well. A lot of people would argue that American League games are more exciting, with more power hitters and hard throwing pitchers. I can understand that, but I consider this to be an opinion appropriate for a casual fan, or someone who doesn't really get into the details of the game.

If you are the kind of fan who likes to see more than just a simple display of power, if you love the hit-and runs, sacrifices, stolen bases, etc., the nasty curves and off speed pitches that completely confuse the batter, you are for the NL, where there is a much greater element of strategy to the game. For instance, the pitchers bat in their spot in the lineup, unlike the AL that has a designated hitter for them. This means if the manager wants to put a good hitter in to hit for the pitcher, he has to take the pitcher out of the game. A lot more thought is required in this case as opposed to having the DH bat in that spot no matter who is pitching the next inning.

So, back to my original topic, I have a theory, I should say I agree with a theory, because it is not new, that the NL has fallen behind the AL in the last several years because they have not stuck with their original strategy. I think this started around the strike in 1994. Baseball lost a lot of fans at that time and I think the idea to bring them back was to make the game exciting with power hitters, chasing the record and what not. We saw all kinds of players bulking up legally and illegally trying to be that big home run hitter, and it actually changed the way the game is played. The NL suffered because the change was new to them and they haven't been able to keep up. The AL has clearly been the better league since the mid 90's. That point was emphasized last night when they extended their streak to 13 All Star games without a loss (12 wins, 0 losses, 1 tie).

What the NL needs to do to compete against the AL is not to hit home runs like them, but to out think them. (kind of like how a moderate Republican is not the right strategy against a liberal Democrat. We saw how that failed in the last presidential election.) Play better small ball. Squeeze plays, bunts, sacrifices, stolen bases, etc. Draw the walk, hit singles and doubles, just get on base and let your teammate drive you home. It will work, and it is way more exciting than the all or nothing power hitting style of the AL.

I guess the reason for writing all this is that while I like the fact that the All Star Game actually means something now, with home field advantage in the World Series going to the winning league, it sucks that the advantage has gone to the AL in this first year since that change.