Mueller: Pirates-Dodgers Game Should Have Been An Afternoon Start
PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) -- There's no excuse for what transpired, or should I say, failed to transpire last night at PNC Park. I might be the last one to the party on this, as Dodgers starter John Garland had harsh words for the Bucs immediately after the game was called, and our own Paul Alexander called the team out during his wake-up call this morning, but it bears repeating: There was no reason whatsoever for last night's game to be played in the evening.
Thursday was a getaway day for both teams. The Dodgers were flying back to the West Coast to start a home series with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Pirates were heading to Milwaukee to begin a road trip. Logistically speaking, having a day game would have been much easier for both teams. The only conceivable reason for playing a game at night was the idea that it might attract more spectators and thus make an incrementally larger amount of money for the team. Sorry, but that is nowhere near good enough of an excuse. Having the game at night wasn't going to bring in millions more in revenue, and really might not have made much of a difference at all.
Had the game been in the afternoon, the weather would have cooperated, and both teams wouldn't be left wondering if they will make up this game at all. The Dodgers only make one trip to Pittsburgh this year, and while I'm not asking that the Pirates' staff display some clairvoyance with regards to the weather, they should have been cognizant of what the weather forecast was and how best to plan the game around that. This wasn't a game against a division opponent that can be made up with ease, it was a game against a far-flung team that the Pirates needed to make every effort to get in. They didn't, and if the main reason was that they were concerned with trying to make a few extra bucks, then shame on them.
