Sunday, April 8, 2007

Baseball Needs a New Schedule Guy

Whomever does the scheduling for Major League Baseball needs to be fired!  Sure, there is the freakiest cold front in the history of mankind killing the east coast right now ... but this isn't the first year [nor the last] that cold temps will make a mockery of the baseball world.

Today in Cincinnati, where I live, it was colder for the Reds game [30 degrees] than it was for any of the Bengals home games this past season.  And they play in December!  That game was supposed to be played at 7:00pm ... but they moved it to 1:00pm because no one was going to come and sit in the freezing cold tonight. 

No one can predict the weather, but the schedule guy needs to work on his craft.  Why have games in Cleveland, Chicago, New York and Cincinnati right now?  Why not try to schedule home games in either warm weather places or domed stadiums? 

I mean, right now the Twins are playing at the White Sox.  Why not switch that series to Minnesota?  It isn't that big of a travel deal and at least those games won't be snowed out of the Metrodome.  Why did the schedule guy schedule a dome team to play in Chicago in the first week of April?

And spare me the "well, it's not fair to have a team on the road that long" argument.  It's weak.  There are 9-10 game road trips all season long.  Let those cold weather teams take them early [and late].  I'm sure none of those guys mind spending the first week or two in a warm cozy venue than standing outside in 30 degree weather.  I mean, these guys just spent the last 5 weeks in either Arizona or Florida. 

Also, Toronto [a domed team], Boston, Baltimore, Oakland, NY Mets, Pittsburgh, Cubs, Dodgers and Arizona [another domed team] have yet to play at home.  Technically, Cleveland hasn't either ... but that's because their games keep getting snowed out.  Why not have the opening 6-10 games in Texas, Houston, Florida, Tampa, Atlanta, LA, San Diego, Arizona, Minnesota or Milwaukee? 

Meanwhile, those warm weathered teams must take their road trips during the summer months when it is boiling hot in their hometowns. 

It's not like it's something that doesn't happen.  For years, the NFL wouldn't schedule a day game for the Arizona Cardinals during September because it was too hot.  That's why the Cards seemed to make their way onto Sunday Night Football in Week 2 every year.  Now, with a dome, it's not a big deal. 

I understand that it's not possible to have every game in a warm weathered place ... but Cleveland should wait to have their home opener around the 2nd week of the season. 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I personally enjoy watching baseball in the snow, but I'm a New Englander.