Hurricane Ike has apparently come and gone and while it didn’t cause nearly the destruction that Katrina did, Houston’s still a mess. It caused plenty of havoc with pro sports. The NFL had to some schedule adjusting for the Houston Texans and Major League Baseball postponed two Cubs-Astros games. Now, the folks down in Houston said that Ike didn’t do any damage to Minute Maid Park (where the Astros play) so in theory, they could’ve played the postponed games there like they were originally supposed to. They’re not, and I understand that. Frankly it’s the right call. But that’s the only right call MLB made here.
Yesterday it was announced that the games would be played at a neutral site…in Milwaukee. Upon seeing that on ESPN, my brother-in-law said “That’s hardly a neutral site.” Milwaukee is a pretty short drive from Chicago and when the Cubs play there, they always have a ton of fans show up. It’s a home game for the Cubs. End of story. You want to play it at a neutral site, that’s awesome, but play it at an actual NEUTRAL site. Play at Seattle, New York, Boston, Miami, Tampa, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Kansas City, hell pick one. Just don’t pick a ballpark that’s a short drive away from either team’s home park. But of course, Bud Selig did. Why Milwaukee? Well, when Selig became the interim commissioner, he was the majority owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. His daughter ran the team until 2004 when the Selig group finally sold the team. I’m fine with people being “homers,” but c’mon. But hey, it’s OK because it’s not like the playoffs could be on the line…oh wait they totally are since the Astros are chasing the wild card birth.
If the Astros lose both games (they lost one tonight) they have a very, very legitimate gripe.
