neutral series site

"The Road to Oklahoma"

I was also listening to the broadcast this morning and I have got to say I had the exact oposite reaction. I think if they implamented some of the ideas they were discussing this morning (GM townhouse meetings, Hall of Fame Inductees, winter meetings) it would be a pretty cool event. I know the logistics would be hard to work out but I think it could work. My suggestion , however, is to not have a rotating location but to have an established World Series location. It needs to be a central location, good predictable Late October/Early November weather, preferably no established MLB franchise, and able to hold such an event.
The perfect place would be Oklahoma City, OK. It is consistantly in the 50s this time of year (Perfect Fall Classic weather), it is smack dab in the middle of this great nation (approx. 20 hr. drive time from every corner), and it already hosts the NCAA WS (which is always a ton of fun, at least that is what everyone I’ve talked to has said). I think it is a good solution and good be a great event. Also, think of the added drama for marketing…“The road to Oklahoma”

by Viva Vina on Oct 30, 2008 10:23 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Errr...

The College World Series is in Omaha, Nebraska,,,

"In this game, don't nobody know nuthin' about nuthin'." -- attributed to Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra

by The Ol Goaler on Oct 30, 2008 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Damn

you,re right… I am totaly embarrased now. Still works though, just a bit colder. Actually it is closer to placers like Boston and Seattle, so this might be better. Sorry about being an idiot though.

by Viva Vina on Oct 30, 2008 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This time of year Omaha...

is likely already seeing snow. Not a good place for outdoor sporting events in October unless they include snow or ice.

by cardzfanbub on Oct 30, 2008 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That is simply untrue...

Look at the usual climate of Ohmaha and the average temperature is right around 50 degrees in October and mid 40s in November (and I may only teach Highschool science but I don’;t remember too much snow in the High 40s), also look at the 10 day forcast right now in Ohmaha, temperatures are projected to have highs in the high 60s low 70s. And that is the first week in November. As far as an MLB stadium, I’m sure they would figure something out, if it means building a new stadium they would do it to bring this event every fall, and they could use it for the CWS and the many other evenbts it is hosting. They are already planning a new 35,000 seat building, if the decided on a neutral site now they could just expand the plans.

by Viva Vina on Oct 31, 2008 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No MLB Stadium in OKC

Bricktown Ballpark is nice, but it’s not a MLB stadium.

"The big possum walks late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Oct 30, 2008 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

NO NEUTRAL SITES!!!

You can solve most of the time/weather problems by starting the freakin’ games at 7:00 Eastern, just like MLB does during the regular season! Get rid of the artificial (non-travel) “off” days in the Division Series, and you shorten the length of the postseason.

I’d like to see day games on the weekends, but that ain’t gonna happen; TV wants “prime time”… (sigh)

"In this game, don't nobody know nuthin' about nuthin'." -- attributed to Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra

by The Ol Goaler on Oct 30, 2008 10:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yeah, it turns out that it's warmer outside when the sun is still out

i really want to see earlier post-season games. it shouldn’t be a pain to watch the whole game, and not every team wants to have a dome.

by mattybobo on Oct 30, 2008 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Where exactly is it sunny at 7pm?

And for that matter, where is it sunny at 6pm? Today’s sunset is at 5:49 pm.

And when did this phenomenon arise that it starts raining as soon as it gets dark? I’m pretty sure i’ve seen it rain during the daylight hours before.

I don’t get why people can’t accept that every once in a while you’re gonna get bad weather. If this had been Tampa vs. Los Angeles, would this even be a discussion?

Catherine whispered into my ear, her breath rich with faraway spices, that she desire to make love. She wanted to try shinshi shinshi. Now, I'd been begging her to try shinshi shinshi for months. She'd refused on the grounds that it was unclean. Finally, she was willing to accept her lover's body in places no one had ever trespassed. Specifically, the ear canal.

by Tackle Box on Oct 30, 2008 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

sorry, i was just talking about temperature

but i guess my dome comment was confusing. sorry about that.
i agree with you that rain will always be an unavoidable problem, i am fine with that. i just hate to see all these games start so late, for a few reasons. it’s harder to watch the whole thing, especially for kids or for people who work in the morning. the postseason takes place in October, not the coldest month but not the warmest one either. games in the afternoon would be warmer and easier to watch for many people, especially on weekends. there are some problems you can control.
you’re right that a tampa/LA series would be free of a lot of these problems, but obviously this wasn’t such a series.

by mattybobo on Oct 30, 2008 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, I apologize

Part of my comment was directed to you and part was directed at The Ole Goaler up there (and I think someone else, not exactly sure anymore since this same topic came up in todays main post as well….I think…..I’m getting confused now). I just got lazy and put it all in one basket.

Catherine whispered into my ear, her breath rich with faraway spices, that she desire to make love. She wanted to try shinshi shinshi. Now, I'd been begging her to try shinshi shinshi for months. She'd refused on the grounds that it was unclean. Finally, she was willing to accept her lover's body in places no one had ever trespassed. Specifically, the ear canal.

by Tackle Box on Oct 30, 2008 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

no worries

my first comment was not very well thought-out and was pretty ambiguous. we’re all comrades here, right?

by mattybobo on Oct 30, 2008 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

totally.

Catherine whispered into my ear, her breath rich with faraway spices, that she desire to make love. She wanted to try shinshi shinshi. Now, I'd been begging her to try shinshi shinshi for months. She'd refused on the grounds that it was unclean. Finally, she was willing to accept her lover's body in places no one had ever trespassed. Specifically, the ear canal.

by Tackle Box on Oct 30, 2008 5:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

philly

is it not always sunny there?

I'd rather my sister be a prostitute than my brother a Cub fan.

by _pistol_ on Oct 30, 2008 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

nice

by spants on Oct 30, 2008 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

sorry for the awful joke

Speaking of Philly, here are some photos of the classy celebration they threw last night.
link (pops)

I'd rather my sister be a prostitute than my brother a Cub fan.

by _pistol_ on Oct 30, 2008 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

classy.

Catherine whispered into my ear, her breath rich with faraway spices, that she desire to make love. She wanted to try shinshi shinshi. Now, I'd been begging her to try shinshi shinshi for months. She'd refused on the grounds that it was unclean. Finally, she was willing to accept her lover's body in places no one had ever trespassed. Specifically, the ear canal.

by Tackle Box on Oct 30, 2008 5:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

untrue

I don’t have hard numbers to back me up but I’m tempted to call the weather service to do a study. You DO have a marked chance of increased precipitation when the temperature drops and there is no solar radiation burning off clouds in the higher atmosphere. The crystals remain, get heavy and start to fall. At a time of year when there are many cold fronts and the temp difference between night and day is huge — the ground is still radiating heat from the daytime and speeds up the process. As my old prof used to say, it’s the motherfuckin’ gradient. Move the game to when the gradient is steepest and you are upping the chance for precipitation.

Or if we don’t want to get into the sciences, check the record books. How many rainouts in the past 100 years? How many rainouts since the arbitrary prime time start?

I’m not kidding when I say it’s unnatural.

"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT

by Yadi2Second on Oct 31, 2008 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

or to remove the global warming argument

Compare number of rainouts in the first two rounds (mix of day and night) to the WS (all night), during the wild card era.

Further unless someone proves it to me, there is not a marked difference between weather in mid-October baseball and baseball in the first of November, in any number of MLB cities. Bullllllllshit. It’s literally night and day. Of course the media thinks it’s OH SO FARCICAL to move it into November, yet don’t blink that television is scheduling the last innings when most of their audience is asleep.

"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT

by Yadi2Second on Oct 31, 2008 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

there is a way

to shorten the length of the season with out cutting games. there used to be this thing called the double header…

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

by Dave Barry on Oct 30, 2008 10:37 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I wish--

baseball wants an event, and it wants to shorten the playoffs—how about day-night doubleheaders to open the division series? Put it on a weekend and turn it into “[event-name] Saturday”, appointment sit-on-the-couch-and-watch-TV-all-day TV.

by DanUpBaby on Oct 30, 2008 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

People (well, a lot of guys)

already watch tv all day on Saturday. It’s called College Football.

Catherine whispered into my ear, her breath rich with faraway spices, that she desire to make love. She wanted to try shinshi shinshi. Now, I'd been begging her to try shinshi shinshi for months. She'd refused on the grounds that it was unclean. Finally, she was willing to accept her lover's body in places no one had ever trespassed. Specifically, the ear canal.

by Tackle Box on Oct 30, 2008 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

oh, I know

my roommates are completely immobile every Saturday. But I really think you could counterprogram it during a week in the beginning of October, because most of the casual fans you’d lose to games that don’t involve Their Team aren’t going to watch games one and two of the NLDS anyway unless it’s something they need to know about to sound like they follow sports to their friends. And it won’t be that unless it’s an event.

by DanUpBaby on Oct 30, 2008 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That should be a last resort

There’s no reason to do this if they would simply start the games before 8:30 EST. I really don’t need a half hour of blabbing from Joe Buck and Tim McCarver — just play the g**damn game already. This year worked out great because we played 3 innings and the game was over with plenty of time for Phillie fans to celebrate the championship before they had to take their kids home to get them to bed at 2 AM EST so they could go to school the next day. It’s ridiculous to start games that late if your trying to target youth like all the commercials say that you are. The league may be trying to target youth, but the network is trying to target demographics, especially the 18-32 demo that will stay up to watch a baseball game until 1 AM EST.

"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller

by fourstick on Oct 30, 2008 11:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Games get rained out

it happens. It’s not the end of the world. If they’re so concerned with playing in November/late october, start the season a week earlier.

Also, the world series in a netural site would just end with the world series becoming a horrible corporate disaster where you have a bunch of accountants and corporate lawyers that get tickets as perks, and there would be no real fans at the games. Half of the joy of this series was watching the ridiculous people with blue mohawks in Tampa, and listening to the loud Phanatics screaming through the icing rain.

This would be the worst moronic Selig-style overreaction to a non-problem in his entire tenure. Well, except maybe for the six division format addressing the lack of regional rivalries or something. Still, I really can’t see any benefit to this for the fan at home, or for the fan of the team. The only arguments in favor are for the business end of MLB.

They say that it's never too late, but you don't get any younger...

by Valatan on Oct 30, 2008 12:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

exactly..

call me old school, but i like shitty weather games sometime. The fans in philly didnt care that night. Im pretty sure most fans wouldnt care. Its the series, they were about to win. I’d take a chance with pneumonia to see stl win again. not gonna lie, got a little depressed lastnight seeing another team win.

10.27.06..greatest day of my life

by steveo61086 on Oct 30, 2008 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

heh

to your avatar…

this line is dedicated to '09

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Oct 30, 2008 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

well said

i honestly am surprised anybody is seriously debating a neutral-site world series. what better way to say “f you” to the fans of either team. obviously it’s not easy for anybody to score world series tickets in the first place, but that would just make things ridiculous. fans deserve to have games held in their town, period.

by mattybobo on Oct 30, 2008 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

your really surprised a former used car salesman

is looking for a way to make more money?

I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!

by gdm426 on Oct 31, 2008 2:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

no neutral sites please.....

it is ridiculous to have neutral sites for baseball playoffs or the World Series. I have to admit, some years I really don’t have much interest in the series. Those are usually years when the teams playing I either don’t like or don’t root for, so I don’t really care. This year, for me, is a perfect example of a series I did not watch for lack of interest. I know a lot of other fans who felt that way this year and if they move the series or playoffs to a neutral site how many fans who don’t have a dog in the fight would show up due to a lack of interest?

How many fans in say , LA, would want to see a Minnesota Twins/NY Mets series game? Seems like it is just wasting the time and money of fans who love their team to have to travel across the country to see a team they could just spend a few hours at most traveling to see at their home field. Having said that, I personally feel Selig will try this…… unfortunately. I keep praying his days as Commisioner will end soon.

"It ain't braggin' if you can back it up."
-Dizzy Dean

by thegashousegang on Oct 30, 2008 2:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Houston: Neutral Site?

Minute Maid Park has a retractable roof. It’s far enough south to where it would not be cold in late October and early November. Houston is a very populous city with a lot of hotel rooms. It’s in the middle of the southern half of the United States. It’s more centrally located than Phoenix and St. Petersburg.

"The big possum walks late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Oct 30, 2008 2:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Houston's Problem

The Astros could be in the World Series. Then, the site wouldn’t be “neutral”.

"The big possum walks late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Oct 30, 2008 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

another problem

the NL club would have a huge advantage. NL teams would be pretty accustomed by now to the strange dimensions, the hill and flag pole, the obstacle course between second and third base, the shark tank in right field, the ferris wheel (though that would make for some great camera shots) and the chimpanzee groundskeeping crew. the AL teams would have to make some adjustments.

by mattybobo on Oct 30, 2008 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yet another problem

October is still hurricane season – and as we got reminded this year, hurricane’s can and do hit Houston.

by Knighttime on Oct 30, 2008 11:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

don't forget that damn ferris wheel

just say no to HTown & all other neutral sites

I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!

by gdm426 on Oct 31, 2008 3:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

neutral site = bad idea

this line is dedicated to '09

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Oct 30, 2008 4:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Maybe we should have the first two weeks in April

played at neutral sites as well, ‘cause the weather frequently stinks then, too. This is just a dumb idea and it needs to go away. They aren’t going to shorten the regular season or play more doubleheaderss, they aren’t going to let fewer teams in the playoffs, and they will continue to have a ridiculous number of off days during the post-season to accommodate TV.

Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...

by giveml on Oct 30, 2008 4:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Not at Neutral sites but,

They should be played in the southern home parks or indoor stadium. Cubs games shouldn’t be played at Wrigley with 30 degree temps. Play those first few series in Houston or Atlanta or Phoenix Or Milwaukee, etc. That is an easy fix. I support the neutral site because I think it would be a fun event, not because it solves the weather problem, weather will always be a problem, I say we just make it a level playing field.

by Viva Vina on Oct 31, 2008 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

So,

the Cubs, Twins, Tigers, Indians, and a few other teams would start the season with a 2 to 4 week road trip? Goodness…

btw, attendance would suck for a neutral site event in most cases. This isn’t 1 game like the SuperBowl. It’s 4 games minimum and 7 if things work out right. How does a fan base plan for that? Hell, how does a fan base pay for that? Heck, you wouldn’t even have much corporate support since you’d be taking a whole damn week to play the thing. At least the SuperBowl is on the weekend.

Catherine whispered into my ear, her breath rich with faraway spices, that she desire to make love. She wanted to try shinshi shinshi. Now, I'd been begging her to try shinshi shinshi for months. She'd refused on the grounds that it was unclean. Finally, she was willing to accept her lover's body in places no one had ever trespassed. Specifically, the ear canal.

by Tackle Box on Oct 31, 2008 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not to mention

as much as I hate the Cubs, it would be wrong for them to be playing in another stadium during the postseason. That stadium is tied to what it is to be a Cubs fan.

They say that it's never too late, but you don't get any younger...

by Valatan on Oct 31, 2008 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

neutral sites...

Wow,

This has to be the worst idea that has ever been bandied about by sports journalists. I can’t imagine the WORLD SERIES being played in front of 15,000 fans that don’t give a f***.

Nick Stavinoah = John Gall

by The Ghost of Todd Burns on Oct 31, 2008 2:47 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

indeed.

Meanwhile, Fox gets off scott free for scheduling games that run so late that people on the west coast don’t even watch the whole thing.

the enemy's gate is down.

by SleepyCA on Oct 31, 2008 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think you mean East coast...

Catherine whispered into my ear, her breath rich with faraway spices, that she desire to make love. She wanted to try shinshi shinshi. Now, I'd been begging her to try shinshi shinshi for months. She'd refused on the grounds that it was unclean. Finally, she was willing to accept her lover's body in places no one had ever trespassed. Specifically, the ear canal.

by Tackle Box on Oct 31, 2008 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

especially east coast

but i’m definitely west coast, and i’m one of the most rabid baseball fans ever, and yet i saw the end of maybe 5 post-season games.

the enemy's gate is down.

by SleepyCA on Nov 1, 2008 1:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What time do you get up in the morning?

Even the latest games were over around midnight or 12:30 here. That’s 10/10:30 on the west coast.

If you can’t stay up that late, then I don’t know what to tell ya because it ain’t gettin’ much earlier than that for ya.

Catherine whispered into my ear, her breath rich with faraway spices, that she desire to make love. She wanted to try shinshi shinshi. Now, I'd been begging her to try shinshi shinshi for months. She'd refused on the grounds that it was unclean. Finally, she was willing to accept her lover's body in places no one had ever trespassed. Specifically, the ear canal.

by Tackle Box on Nov 1, 2008 1:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

early

A

the enemy's gate is down.

by SleepyCA on Nov 1, 2008 2:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

eh

but i saw 150ish STL games this year; it shouldn’t be that much harder to see the last few end-of-season games.

the enemy's gate is down.

by SleepyCA on Nov 1, 2008 2:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm sure it there was a different NL team in the WS

a certain team that wears red, you probably could have found a little extra motivation, right?

Catherine whispered into my ear, her breath rich with faraway spices, that she desire to make love. She wanted to try shinshi shinshi. Now, I'd been begging her to try shinshi shinshi for months. She'd refused on the grounds that it was unclean. Finally, she was willing to accept her lover's body in places no one had ever trespassed. Specifically, the ear canal.

by Tackle Box on Nov 1, 2008 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

guys, i have it figured out

the real solution, instead of a neutral site, is for the playoffs to begin only after daylight savings ends. everybody “falls back” and gets an extra hour, right?
…
wait a minute…
nevermind.

by mattybobo on Oct 31, 2008 1:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The greatest moment in my adult life...

was watching the cards win the series at busch stadium and celebrating all night downtown. Granted, if the cards won the series in detroit I would’ve celebrated just as much. But it happened here and I witnessed it. . I can’t imagine that MLB would ever strip that experience away from literally every single baseball fan.

Nick Stavinoah = John Gall

by The Ghost of Todd Burns on Oct 31, 2008 3:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

They won't

You’ve got nothing to worry about.

Catherine whispered into my ear, her breath rich with faraway spices, that she desire to make love. She wanted to try shinshi shinshi. Now, I'd been begging her to try shinshi shinshi for months. She'd refused on the grounds that it was unclean. Finally, she was willing to accept her lover's body in places no one had ever trespassed. Specifically, the ear canal.

by Tackle Box on Oct 31, 2008 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs