Bud Selig's decision to play a "neutral site" game in Milwaukee was one of the most horrendous decisions that he has ever made.
First of all, when Cubs fans from Chicago can make the round trip in under two hours, that is not a neutral field. Because of the location, the Astros had to make a three hour flight and report to the stadium a mere two hours before the start of the game on very short notice.
It wasn't like the Astros got to relax on Friday and Saturday. Unlike the Cubs, the Astros players were preparing for and riding out a category three hurricane.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Many of the players had trouble communicating with their families because of the lack of phone service in Houston. I am one of the biggest Houston Astros fans on the planet, so naturally I was disheartened with Carlos Zambrano's no hitter.
I thought that his stuff was amazing. He had a 98 mph fastball that he was locating on both sides of the plate and an awesome split finger pitch. He deserved to pitch that no-no, but he did have a few things in his favor.
He had to have been lifted with the so-called "neutral" crowd chanting: "Let's go Z, Let's go Z" every pitch. Big Z is a great pitcher, but it is my personal opinion that the lengthy travel and worrying about their families caused the Astros' no hitter and not Zambrano.
Moving the game to Milwaukee was a horrible decision by Bud Selig. The Astros were never anywhere close to being the home team.
comments (2) write a comment »
write a new comment
2 months ago
It wasn't all Bud Selig's decision. Drey McLane had a hand in poo-pooing neutral sites like Atlanta, Miami, and Tampa when evacuation to these places was still an option. If they were serious about playing the series, they should have moved the Astros on Wednesday after their game with the Pirates, so that they would have time to get the players' families out and put up in a hotel in the neutral city. Honestly, that's best case scenario, but I don't think they should have played the games at all. Playing in Milwaukee was in effect two extra home games for the Cubs, and the logistics of moving the Astros out of Houston after the storm was too much for them to handle I think. I do put part of the blame on Selig, but I also put a good chunk of blame on Astros ownership for balking at alternative sites because of alleged "ticket receipts". They wanted the game played in Houston and that's part of the reason they kept dragging their feet. Just poorly handled all around.
2 months ago
Bud Selig should have allowed the Astros to play the games after the season was over if needed. Houston fans will not forget Bud's irrational decisions and his complete disregard for Astros fans, players and players families. Bud should have spent Friday night and Saturday in Houston and explained his decision to Astros fans as he volunteered at a POD site following the Hurricane. This decision is just another insult to injury and lets not forget the roof debacle in the playoffs. We certainly no how fair play is so important to Bud (aka: IKE II).
write a new comment