When the Los Angeles civil unrest was going on after the Rodney King verdict, three Dodger games were cancelled. When the opposing team came back through, they played three double headers in a row. MLB management let each team expand their roster for the series mainly so they could have extra starting pitchers.
Definitely not. But they should have either figured out the logistics to move it or cancelled it. Sports are entertainment, and if there are no people to be entertained, it’s dumb to play it out. It elevates the importance of W/L records and standings above the importance of the fans.
Did they have a seventh inning stretch? Did they play Take Me Out to the Ballgame or God Bless America? In fact, was there any organ or piped in music at all?
That the multi-millionaires pay for their own playgrounds, for a start.
I thought it was somewhat surreal that the stadium announcer was giving the “now batting” announcement to nobody.
There was a seventh inning stretch, and they played “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” per tradition. There was music before the game started. In the few innings I watched, I didn’t hear any other music or announcements of any kind, but as JAQ notes, they announced the batters. So maybe there was more music that I missed.
I agree with you here, but unfortunately that ship sailed long ago.
It actually made sense. The Orioles broadcast showed that the press box was full to the brim. Apparently, everyone wanted to report on the game with no fans. So I’m sure those folks appreciated the PA announcements.
That sounds really nice.
I would love to go to a game with none of the fluff.
Fans would be pretty pissed off at the end of the season if the missing game caused their team to miss the play-offs, or rescheduling it at the end of the season screwed up their rotation for the play-offs.
Fair enough. I should have said reschedule, not cancel. You’re right, missing the game completely can throw things off. But games being cancelled completely isn’t that rare, usually when there’s a rainout toward the end of the season and the game wouldn’t make a difference in standings.
I can kind of understand the announcing of the upcoming batters. That PA announcement actually has an active role in the game. Once someone (think pinch hitter) is announced, he is officially in the game. If the manager decides to switch batters after a pitching change, that original player is “burned” or used, and is no longer available to play.
If nobody ever came to watch them play, would anyone play baseball just for fun? Football? etc.
Of course - people play pick-up games every day, and there are intramural leagues everywhere that aren’t spectator-driven. Playing the games is fun!
There are stories about how many actual major league players wouldn’t play if they weren’t being paid for it, and how many are simply not interested in watching games they’re not in. A lot of them simply walk away after finishing their last contract and almost never step in a ballpark again.
A few years ago, and the Orioles would have already been out of contention, but things are different now.