April 1, 2008
Fans Not Thrilled With Yanks' Postponement
Photo of Yankee Stadium announcement by peterkreder on flickr
Opening day for the Yankees on Monday became opening night on Tuesday after bad weather and -- it seems, more importantly -- the forecast of bad weather persuaded the Yankees to postpone a game that was set for 1:05 p.m. to 7:05 p.m. the next day. That has many of the people with tickets to yesterday's game unhappy.
The Sun tells of a couple who had flown in from Florida and couldn't stay for the makeup. There were also the usual sob stories about people who got out of work or out of school for no reason. As could be expected, many fans who paid well over face value for the tickets were less than thrilled after getting rained out without a steady downpour happening. That's understandable. The Yankees have played in worse conditions -- the 1999 home opener against the Tigers and the 2003 home opener against the Twins -- and their decision seemed married to the radar maps.
As Sebastian Junger put it in The Perfect Storm, even in today's computer age, predicting the weather is often just calling up someone to the west and asking him to look out the window. If the Yankees had done that, they would have realized that most of the Eastern Seaboard played games Monday. On the other hand, nothing is worse for a baseball team than starting a game only to have it washed out. With the benefit of hindsight, the Yankees probably know they made the wrong decision.
|
When will fans finally figure out that God hates the Yankees?
"On the other hand, nothing is worse for a baseball team than starting a game only to have it washed out."
Unless it's trying to play defense behind a groundball pitcher like Chien-Ming Wang on a soaked field. Or relying on a pitcher who is more about mechanics than power trying to pitch effectively in the rain. Or having a player injured in the first game of the season because he slipped because of bad conditions.
Sucks for the people who went out to see the game, but the right decision for the team.
I sat in the chilly rain at the stadium in my cheap tier reserved seats for nearly two hours yesterday.
Calling the game was the right decision, despite the fact that, as we exited the stadium, no precipitation could be felt. The field was soaked.
Puddles were clearly visible on the warning track. Do we really need an injury on opening day?
I spoke with a man who had come from Mississippi for opening day. Just to my right was a man and his teenaged daughter who had come from Pennsylvania.
Craigslist and Stubhub is loaded with ticket offers for tonight's game from fans who can't go back a second time.
It's baseball. It was March. Rain happens. Could've been snow. As we left the stadium and viewed the progress on the "new" Yankee Stadium, we couldn't help but wonder what genius rejected the idea of a retractable domed stadium.
I'd be pretty pissed off if I had paid a premium for tickets for yesterday afternoon because it was the season opener and the game was postponed and I couldn't get to the game tonight.
I have tickets for the Mets' home opener next Tuesday afternoon and will be pissed off if it's only drizzling and they call the game off.
wait - most of the eastern seaboard....the only day game close to here was Baltimore, and that started later in the day. They should have postponed until the evening hours when it stopped raining.
Harbinger of a season to come. They are gunna wish everyday was a rainout! 3rd place or worse in the AL east.
1. Glad I'm a Met fan.
2. Why haven't the schedule makers that be figure out that Baseball in the Northeast doesn't really work till May?
3. 2 words, RETRACTABLE DOME.
4. If you can travel from (Fill in the blank with the state of your choosing) USA for 1 day to see ANY team play, you should assume some of the risk and or all blame here.
5. What happens if it rains tonight?
It serves them right. The Yankees have ruined baseball for many fans of many teams so it's payback time!
Oh and the Yankees won't be wining a World Series anytime soon!
Let's go Mets!
Philadelphia hosted Washington at 3:05 yesterday and they got the game in...but I think that's it, Philly and Baltimore.
Good decision to postpone. Don't need those early-season injuries to sprout.
The Stadium was wet when it was opened up yesterday, and wetter when they called it. The drains were already clogging up in the upper deck ... and the field was a quagmire.
More of the real fans could come to this opener this evening as it happens after work ... hey it's spring baseball in New York.
We didn't get 6 inches of snow, eh?
we couldn't help but wonder what genius rejected the idea of a retractable domed stadium.
Anyone who enjoys sports.