Red Sox beat A’s a week early
DMZ · March 25, 2008 at 9:07 am · Filed Under General baseball
I’m all for expanding the game’s reach internationally, but having the Red Sox and A’s play a live game a week ahead of the season’s actual start is ridiculous. The Red Sox won.
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Why? I thought it was pretty cool, but I’m not a baseball purist. I enjoyed waking up this morning to catch the last couple innings, even if MLB.tv crashed my computer AGAIN, this time in the bottom of the 10th inning with 2 outs and 1 on. Is anyone else having so many problems with the new Silverlight plug-in? It is such crap.
I’ll echo “why” as well. Are you concerned about the precedent such stretching of the season sets, or that the teams involved are slightly handicapped since they have less time to prepare for live action than other teams?
I woke up at 3 AM and there was a baseball game. Works for me.
Besides.
THE MARINERS ARE IN FIRST PLACE (kind of)!!!!! Rejoice!
#1 – I haven’t had a problem with it yet. Seems to be working just fine.
Was at 10AM for me, so I enjoyed it.
Was actually a phenomenal game, too.
Must have been a quick game, the early morning re-run was over by the time I woke up.
Well it’s pretty unnatural for the players and really throws off their timing with spring training. These guys are serious creatures of habit. If it was the Ms going over there I probably wouldnt be too happy – its a lot of extra travel wear and tear and also weird to be in a live game a full week before everyone else. I think it’s fun for the fans but really sucks for the teams involved as players.
I don’t think Derek’s problem is with ‘stretching the season’ but with the fact that no one else starts for almost a week and there are still spring training games going on. It just feels weird. It certainly doesn’t feel like Opening Day.
Are you concerned about the precedent such stretching of the season sets, or that the teams involved are slightly handicapped since they have less time to prepare for live action than other teams?
I could also see the possible psychological advantage of starting the ‘normal’ part of the season up a game and a half over the division.
I think what I dislike is that it robs the excitement of opening day, since it’s at an hour most people can’t catch. There’s this sort of week-long limbo where the season has started, but it will be (nearly) a week before you can really care about your team’s games again.
Actually, thinking about it, I don’t know that going 3-0 in the early series would be any more of a high than going 3-0 with a normal start. Perhaps with the jet lag and interruption it might actually be less of a mental advantage.
I think it sucks. It’s a pure marketing move, and has nothing to do with baseball. Afterwards they get a big gap in their season? That’s not baseball. They have to travel 7,000 miles to and from a game? That’s not baseball. They are playing out of season to every other team? That’s not baseball. The teams play TOGETHER.
Speaking of stupid scheduling, look at the Nationals schedule. They play a single home game in their shiny new park against the Braves…then leave town for a week. Stupido!! I’m in town all week and to catch a game in the new park I have to spring for seats to opening night. Which I did, sucker that I am.
M…L…B!!! *shaking fist at sky*
It’s a pure marketing move, and has nothing to do with baseball.
Just like night games and the extinction of the scheduled double-header. Marketing is important for the continued success of the league.
The main problem I have with it is that it kind of screws over fans as far as being able to watch their team’s first two games. Looking at the time zones, it seems like this concept would work a lot better if you had a couple of west coast teams play a pair of weekend noonish (local time) games in Japan. On a weekend, the Japanese fans could still make an afternoon game, and it would be a fairly typical evening start time on the west coast.
I can’t believe that counts in the standings. Its just ridiculous, not to mention that the rosters for each team were compromised by players who could not make the flight.
Anything for a buck, I guess.
I think the worst part is that they play two games that count and then have to play three more spring training games before their next regular season game.
Yeah. That’s just mad.
Wow. I didn’t realize they actually went back to spring training. That is just a little silly.
Actually if the M’s had this option, I would think of it as a good deal. You get to pitch Bedard, Felix, Bedard, Felix for games 1,2,3,4. Wouldn’t that be cool.
Actually if the M’s had this option, I would think of it as a good deal. You get to pitch Bedard, Felix, Bedard, Felix for games 1,2,3,4. Wouldn’t that be cool.
That’s looking at the glass as half full 🙂
So do they have to set their 25 man roster before all the other teams? The whole going back to spring training part of the schedule is what makes is particularly nutso.
I was mostly just pissed off because Direct TV was having problems with their signal at 4:30 A.M. this morning. Glad to see the A’s already in the bottom half of Divison standings.
There’s no reason for it to be a full week early, though. MLB admitted that they “gave in” on the dates of these games to accommodate the local ballparks.
They originally were shooting for Friday and Saturday, then giving Oakland and Boston until the following Wednesday night to play again.
Another thing that doesn’t make sense about it is that they conflicted with Japan’s games as well. Read Bobby Valentine’s comments for a feel of what I mean. The most ridiculous thing is having them come home for three more exhibition games, but I also think it’s lame that Oakland has three “home games” in a Tokyo stadium filled with Sox fans.
Watching the game now, just flashed “Cubs and Reed Johnson agree to a 1-year deal” on the ticker at the bottom of the screen.
Anything that hurts 2 of the 13 teams that we compete against works for me!
I got up before 6 AM to watch this. And I’m very much not an early riser. But, hey, it’s the Sox. I had to.
I understand that they need to have a few off days to readjust to west coast time but I agree with an earlier poster that it will be bizarre to play 2 games in Tokyo that count then 2 in LA that don’t. WTF?!
And, yes, it’s not fair smb but it’s two games not three.
You’re right, my mistake. The Sox play home games in Seattle, too–look at the stands when they’re in town. It’s a bummer.
Yeah, I was at a M’s-Sox game at Safeco in 2006 – it was like 50-50 on the fans. Kinda sad. But the cool thing was it was the last game of the series and we swept them – and I was at the game a few days before that and we knocked off the Yanks. Good times.
But I concur, starting the season a week early in Japan is simply rediculicious.
I feel bad for Oakland. These two games count as “home” games when everyone in the crowd is pulling for the Red Sox because of Matsuzaka and Okajima.
I think it is ridiculous because what do the Japanese people care that it is a regular season game? It doesn’t make it any less meaningful if they just counted it as Spring training. Why didn’t the Padres vs. Dodgers games in China not count towards the regular season? Oh yeah, because it would have been just plain dumb.
I am fine with teams going overseas for exhibition games, but regular season games makes no sense. Yay for Oakland losing the first game, but they are going lose plenty enough it isn’t going to make a difference in our division title hopes.
Don’t feel bad for Oakland, they sold their home games. They made out fine in the deal.
I don’t feel bad for Oakland either. They’re going to be smart and rich in a brand new stadium packed with home fans soon enough.
I watched a repeat broadcast — well, the first couple and last couple of innings — and it looked like a great game. And for all the Red Sox bias, the fans were obviously into the game and could teach American fans a thing or two. It’s good for baseball. Anything that increases interest in MLB in Japan helps the Mariners. Anything that hurts Oakland in the standings helps the Mariners. What’s not to like?
As much as I hate to cheer for the Red Sox, it