Possible Rain-out Poses Scheduling Problem

To paraphrase the Carpenters, rainy days and off-days always get me down.

You’ll excuse me for feeling gloomy after last night’s triumphant 10th inning, but the forecast and sky outside my window are screaming:

A rain out-would pose some interesting scheduling issues for the Orioles. The Dodgers aren’t likely to return to Camden Yards for some time, so any games would have to be made up this weekend, in the form of a double-header. The (double?) trouble with that is the Earl Weaver ceremony, scheduled for 6:00pm on Saturday, would make a double-header a logistical nightmare. As such, it would probably push the possible double-header to Sunday.

Another alternative would be to move the Earl Weaver ceremony to another date, allowing a double-header to be played on Saturday, should the need arise. This might be a touchy subject for some. There will probably be some in Birdland who will view moving the ceremony as a slight to the legendary manager. I think if there is one person who would understand a scheduling change to get a baseball game in, it would be Earl Weaver. I have no problem with moving the ceremony, but a move would also give the organization a chance to “fix” another scheduling problem.

In our last episode, we discussed the fact that the Weaver ceremony had been moved from a free, 2:00pm event, to a 6:00pm event that  required a ticket to that night’s game. I argued that this made the event less friendly to seniors – a segment of the population less likely to attend a game, and more likely to have a connection to the Earl of Baltimore.  Maybe the rain gives the O’s a mulligan, and they take advantage. Admittedly, this makes less business sense, and what organization would do something for the fans that didn’t maximize earning potential? Certainly not this one.

Perhaps the weather will cooperate, and this becomes a moot argument.

Hey, anything could happen – our DH went 2-4 with a HR last night!

UPDATE (2:40 PM):   I don’t quite understand the hoopla here.  Doubleheader on Saturday would be fine.  Hold the game at 1:00.  Game ends by 4:30-5:00.  Open all the gates and have the ceremony at 6:00.  You have the thirty minute ceremony and clear the stadium once more.  All fans with tickets reenter the stadium and game starts at 8:00 to be shown on MLB network.

What you should be concerned about is our bullpen if our Starters don’t get deep into the games on the doubleheader.  Oh and the fact that it guarantees that Matt Wieters won’t play on Sunday when we are there.   -Scott