How 'bout this weather?
Gotta love football weather. In a frigid Chicago rain, the Bears beat the Falcons yesterday, 14-10, on a late touchdown by...
Oops, it was a baseball game, and the Cubs beat the Braves. And Joe Maddon made no attempt to hide his displeasure that the game had been played at all.
Today, with another Tribe game rained out and postponements all over the place, I found myself watching Pirates-Marlins (I know, what the hell is wrong with me). The Pirates play-by-play guy made a good point. "You can wonder about the first week of the season, why so many Northern teams were at home. But it's April 15. Nobody can play their first 15 games on the road." True. There's no way MLB could schedule in anticipation of this winter weather reaching all the way to the middle of April. But it does have me wondering something. In the "new stadium era" from 1992 until now, why did the White Sox, Indians, Reds, Tigers, Twins, Yankees and Mets build new stadiums with no retractable roof? Why were the Brewers the only ones smart enough to put a lid on their new place? You could possibly ask this question of the Orioles and Nationals as well.
(Disclaimer: of the aforementioned teams, the only one I have been able to visit is Miller Park, and that was on a mild July day where the roof was open.)
In particular, the Twins and the Ohio teams puzzle me. I was born & raised in the Dayton area, so I am very familiar with the radical day-to-day changes Ohio weather can throw at you in the spring and fall. And if you were to pick ONE place where a baseball game could get snowed out, Minneapolis would be the obvious choice.
Some people hate retractable roofs with a passion, ranting endlessly about how ugly they are and how aesthetics are so important. I believe these people need immediate medical attention. Maybe it's because I'm an old geezer in my late 40s, but I value functionality over looks when it comes to inanimate objects. Plus, the one new park I have been to in person looks just fine. I had a good time on my visit there. I got to see the not-so-rare feat of K-Rod gag away a 2-0 ninth-inning lead and the home team take the loss. I got to hear some very colorful metaphors from frustrated, Miller beer-laden fans. With no dog in the fight, I was able to sit back and enjoy the experience. I doubt my experience would have been any less if it was raining and the roof was closed. No one complains about the Astros spending most of their home games under a closed roof, away from the Texas head and bugs.
Some things I know and accept could never happen. The Red Sox and Cubs could never build a new yard with a lid on it. If the Federal government sent a troop of engineers to Chicago & Boston and told the teams, "Your building is uninhabitable. You can A) build a new stadium or B) disband you team." It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if both of them chose B. I bet the year 2400 will bring new attempts to renovate Wrigley Field & Fenway Park. That's just the way that goes. But the rest of these teams north of the Ohio River / Mason-Dixon line and east of the Mississippi River need to add a step the next time they build a new ball yard.