How to Be an Unprofessional Professional - The MLB Version
so i just managed to do absolutely everything i hate about going to a Yankee game, and absolutely nothing else in between. we managed to make the trip to the Bronx, sit around and sweat a bit in the heat and get a bit grimey, then get back in the car and make the trip back home. no game, nothing else! here's the full story:
a couple of weeks back, i decided it was time to get to a Yankee game this year (if you know me, then you know exactly how passionate i am about this). i had tickets to a game on memorial day i think it was, and it rained so we decided not to go. so i looked up tickets and noticed a nice single-admission double header on Labor Day (today). the seats sucked and it was against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but tickets have been extremely hard to get this season and at least we would get a chance to get into the ballpark this season (to me, it's the most beautiful sight to behold). well, it's no news now that the Tampa area has been hit with another hurricane now turned tropical storm Frances. well, the Rays have been struggling all day to get a flight out of Tampa to play today's games. the games were originally schedule to start at 1, and then were moved to 3 as of yesterday as a courtesy to the Rays and the Commissioner's office. as of 3:30-ish, the Rays had finally chartered a two-hour flight out of Tampa and there is now one game scheduled to start at 7pm. so far this sounds like a reasonable story, but it's not the whole story. here comes the reason why i am extremely disappointed:
this past weekend, the Rays had a 3-game series with the Tigers in Tampa. however, Saturday and Sunday's games were both cancelled as of Friday night so that both teams could leave the Tampa area before the storm. the Tigers left, but the Rays decided to stay in Tampa and fly to New York on Monday morning. they were again ordered to leave Tampa before 2pm Saturday, yet they insisted on remaining in Tampa. therefore, there was no reason for them to miss a game today. the onus was completely on the Rays to arrive on time, and they failed to do so. instead of cancelling the games ahead of time, they insisted that they would still come, and as a result they left the Yankees, the Yankee fans, and the MLB offices in limbo the entire day as to when (and even if) a game would start. while i understand the excuse that the players wished to remain with their families during the crisis of the hurricane, it is still highly unprofessional that no definitive decision was made regarding today's events. the fans that decided to hang around for 4 hours for the 7:00 game are being rewarded with free hot dogs and coke, as well as a rain check along with the other fans that went home, but that is not enough for me. i want two free games of my selection, and i want disciplinary action taken on the Devil Rays, including (but not limited to) a forfeit of the first game that was missed today, and not a rescheduling as is planned for the moment. may the Devil Rays be damned from ever being in contention (unless of course i'm ever a part of the organization!), and i sincerely hope Frances annihilates your homes. **Edit: i will spare Tino Martinez and Lou Piniella because i just can't hate them!**
as for me, i'm not stopping here...i'm writing a letter to the Commissioner's office, expressing my extreme displeasure and demanding action to rectify the situation. this was unacceptable on every level possible.
on a brighter note, for the short time that i stood in front of Yankee Stadium, i witnessed a brawl between two black guys and a shouting duel between two ticket ushers...ah, gotta love the Bronx!!!
**Edit: i'm now watching the pre-game, and Yankees President Randy Levine is demanding an investigation by the Commissioner's office regarding a forfeiture of the missed game. Rays General Manage Chuck LaMar claims that they were not ordered to leave Tampa by Saturday morning, but i get the impression that he may have been stretching the truth.**
a couple of weeks back, i decided it was time to get to a Yankee game this year (if you know me, then you know exactly how passionate i am about this). i had tickets to a game on memorial day i think it was, and it rained so we decided not to go. so i looked up tickets and noticed a nice single-admission double header on Labor Day (today). the seats sucked and it was against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but tickets have been extremely hard to get this season and at least we would get a chance to get into the ballpark this season (to me, it's the most beautiful sight to behold). well, it's no news now that the Tampa area has been hit with another hurricane now turned tropical storm Frances. well, the Rays have been struggling all day to get a flight out of Tampa to play today's games. the games were originally schedule to start at 1, and then were moved to 3 as of yesterday as a courtesy to the Rays and the Commissioner's office. as of 3:30-ish, the Rays had finally chartered a two-hour flight out of Tampa and there is now one game scheduled to start at 7pm. so far this sounds like a reasonable story, but it's not the whole story. here comes the reason why i am extremely disappointed:
this past weekend, the Rays had a 3-game series with the Tigers in Tampa. however, Saturday and Sunday's games were both cancelled as of Friday night so that both teams could leave the Tampa area before the storm. the Tigers left, but the Rays decided to stay in Tampa and fly to New York on Monday morning. they were again ordered to leave Tampa before 2pm Saturday, yet they insisted on remaining in Tampa. therefore, there was no reason for them to miss a game today. the onus was completely on the Rays to arrive on time, and they failed to do so. instead of cancelling the games ahead of time, they insisted that they would still come, and as a result they left the Yankees, the Yankee fans, and the MLB offices in limbo the entire day as to when (and even if) a game would start. while i understand the excuse that the players wished to remain with their families during the crisis of the hurricane, it is still highly unprofessional that no definitive decision was made regarding today's events. the fans that decided to hang around for 4 hours for the 7:00 game are being rewarded with free hot dogs and coke, as well as a rain check along with the other fans that went home, but that is not enough for me. i want two free games of my selection, and i want disciplinary action taken on the Devil Rays, including (but not limited to) a forfeit of the first game that was missed today, and not a rescheduling as is planned for the moment. may the Devil Rays be damned from ever being in contention (unless of course i'm ever a part of the organization!), and i sincerely hope Frances annihilates your homes. **Edit: i will spare Tino Martinez and Lou Piniella because i just can't hate them!**
as for me, i'm not stopping here...i'm writing a letter to the Commissioner's office, expressing my extreme displeasure and demanding action to rectify the situation. this was unacceptable on every level possible.
on a brighter note, for the short time that i stood in front of Yankee Stadium, i witnessed a brawl between two black guys and a shouting duel between two ticket ushers...ah, gotta love the Bronx!!!
**Edit: i'm now watching the pre-game, and Yankees President Randy Levine is demanding an investigation by the Commissioner's office regarding a forfeiture of the missed game. Rays General Manage Chuck LaMar claims that they were not ordered to leave Tampa by Saturday morning, but i get the impression that he may have been stretching the truth.**