Home Opener Rained Out: Make-Up Tomorrow at 7:05

what a ***ing fiasco. i'd like to share a few thoughts about today with you readers out there.
today's game was not played because of either corporate greed by the yankees and or utter incompetence by whatever meteorologists they depend on.

the yankees had a somewhat soggy captive audience today for several hours today doing a brisk business selling souvenirs, food and beverages to an excited fanbase who had no doubts that there would be baseball played in the bronx today. certainly the weather reports on channel 4 and weather.com were encouraging. when i arrived at noon it was sprinkling a bit and never did the rain even approach what might even be described as drizzling. at aboout 12:30 it was announced that the game would be delayed about an hour because of a three hour rain-free window. first pitch probably 2:15 at the latest.
by about 1:15 there was no rain at all...perhaps a bit of mist at most. around 1:30 a grave warning was issued that perhaps there would be no ball today...keep eating and drinking and buying hats and we'll get back to you.
about 2:30 they announced that the game was canceled and the unhappy and puzzled crowd headed out into the cloudy but otherwise moisture-free atmosphere of the bronx.

if there was no scheduled day off tomorrow there is no way the game would been cancelled.
the sad part is, that the weather may actually be worse tomorrow.
PS it never rained at all.
FU Yanks.

helloooooo everyone . I'm still buzzing after that legendary SBXLII . Way to go G-Men . From what I understand , this(bogus rain-out) will bring very bad karma to the franchise . Combine that with the fact that it is very unlikely we will topple the Red Sox in the Division , and we are in for another championshipless season . What can save us from that is that GiRARDI WILL mature into a fine coach and that will keep us in the playoffs hunt at least . it has been nice to see the Yanks play in the Stadium all these years , and it breaks my heart to know we will no longer see them play there . I sometimes choke up when I think about it . But that is business . It should be a fun season , and I look forward to blog with you guys here in one of the better blogs in the entire league . Very joyful to be back .

Will forever say ,
first thing in the morning :
Go Yankees !!!

Mike, I am really sorry to hear about the unrequited opener and worse, your having to sit through it. I hope the Beck's were at least tasty and cold. I understand that too about tomorrow's weather, at least through the mid-afternoon. I also understand your anger and frustration, and don't blame you one bit. I popped back home briefly before my son's dentist appointment, and only saw that the postponed the game. I listened briefly on the radio online, and word was that it had stopped raining in Midtown before the game was called. Weird, poorly organized stuff.

[hands briskly rubbing eyes] sentinel?!? sentinel!! How are things, kiddo?!? Long time no see online. I'll have you know that I pantsed a troll last week who used multiple user names here to throw up hate speech. One of the names he used was a play on yours, with an extra "n" in the middle of the name. That person was a total coward, and got it good. On to more important things, how have you been? I hope all has been well. On the Yankees this year, I agree that Girardi will be a difference maker and for the better, though I loved Torre on the whole. On pursuing the championship, I have to disagree. While I too believe in karma, lots likely went into today's decision. I'm as suspicious of corporations as literally anyone, and I don't rule out their corporate selfishness for vending to supplement revenue. But the Yankees usually heavily consider weather patterns and information. They might have been badly advised in the beginning, making later decisions fall in line with the first. I don't think that's going to derail a run to the 27th championship, closing out old Yankee Stadium in style, one bit. We've got LOTS of ways to manufacture good karma all season long. That will happen, I have no doubt. Good to see you back, and come back soon.

Mike, I was at Gm. 2 of the 2006 ALDS (scheduled and rescheduled). Sat there for hours before it was called off. ESPN knew 1/2 hour before the people in the stands did. I know. I was sitting next to the auxiliary press box that night and we got the word off their TV monitors---literally a 1/2 hour before the official P.A. announcement. We had to wait for the P.A. announcement to know what time the game would be played the next day. So I got home at 2 a.m. (live 100 miles from NYC) and had to get up at 6 a.m. to meet friends to catch a bus into the Stadium (no, the original bus company ticket didn't have "rain check"). The bus we caught didn't even go to the Stadium. It went to Grand Central. Subway to and from the game. Moose can't hold the lead. Yanks lose. I get home (I was on vacation). There is a message on my machine to call work. I call the next day and find out about a downsizing. Yup, you guessed it. Since then a couple of temp. jobs while trying to get permanent work.

So, it could be worse.

Mike, a painfully poignant personal anecdote intertwined with a painfully poignant baseball anecdote. I've been through a very long strike, and I write about deindustrialization and downsizing. That's painful, and I'm sorry you've had such occupational instability heaped on you. Clearly you deserve better. Personally, I think you should write a book or do freelance, but of course it's easy for me to rearrange other people's lives and careers. I only say that with the confidence that I know you'd be up for it, and would thrive as a result. In a way, you already freelance, it's just a different stage.

The Yankees really do need to improve that side of public relations--with the paying public, ahem. I'm a strong proponent of the importance of understanding class and its place in social relations, and I can't help but think that the Yankees have been indifferent, at best, with how they've handled recent rainouts and Stadium crowds because they're increasingly dealing with people who have the means and the time to do what they like. That is, for the big-buck element to whom the Yanks are increasingly pandering, such concerns as travel, time, and personal priorities matter little since the almighty dollars continue to flow. For the "average" fans who comprise most of the fan base but decreasingly the in-stadium paying customers, such treatment from the Yankees is a terrible affront, a slap in the face for those who do more for the franchise than they can possible know, such as blog about and discuss them every day.

Pitiful, but I'm grateful to you and Mike for sharing your experiences here at The Heartland.

Social class and baseball--sounds like a good topic for Yankee Fan Club Radio. There's a lot that can be done with that--discussing seating, the prevalence of luxury boxes, rain delays, merchandising, identity--lots to consider.

well i wish i was as eloquent as jason, but mike i'd like to echo his sentiments.

jason, honestly i probably shouldn't have vented, but i still find it hard to believe they would turn all those fans out into the street.
perhaps they are using the ex-"strength and conditioning coach" from last year as their meteorologist.
as i write this...the rains finally start to fall.
10 hours after scheduled first pitch.

I guess the main reason yesterday's game was cancelled was because the Yankees didn't want to risk any player getting injured....It did start to rain about 10:40 a.m.; and, a light rain and steady mist continued until about 2:00 p.m....So, the field was wet, and a player could have easily lost his footing - possibly causing a major injury!...

The ironic part is, before any game begins, it's the home team's decision to, "play, or not to play". But, once the game starts, it's the umpires who make that call. If the game did begin yesterday, I think the umpires would have surely let the game go on, and let them play [unless there was a downpour - which, of course, there wasn't]....

It is interesting, as I commented on my Blog [in a comment to Jason], I was watching a rebroadcast of the Yankees 1996 home opener [on YES, yesterday], and they played [and completed] that game as a steady snow fell throughout the whole game....So, maybe if it snowed yesterday, or the field was attacked by a swarming army of "Cleveland Midges" the game might have been played....

Anyway, I do sympathize with you Mike [and all the other 50,000+] who attended the game yesterday... It's a hassle enough just getting to and from the Stadium...so, the worst thing that can happen is to have the game cancelled [before it even starts] after sitting in the stands for about two hours [or more, in some cases]...

Also, why did the Yankees reschedule the game to start at 7:05 p.m. tonight? At least schedule it as an afternoon game [again]!!! One reason could be because they had a "Welcome Home" event planned for last night, in Manhattan!....

Oh, well! "Opening Day" becomes "Opening Night" !!! If the Yankees win, I think we will all be happy!!!

Hey, Jason!

Great idea to "cross-post" while "live-blogging" tonight's "Opening Night", Blue Jays vs. Yankees, game!...

It will be the first joint "live-blogging" event by the "HDLR" and "BY&L".....All are welcome !!!...See you all at 7:00 p.m. [EST] tonight !!! ....Here at "Heartland Pinstripes", and at my MLBlog, "Baseball, The Yankees, and Life"........Jimmy

http://baseballtheyankeesandlife.mlblogs.com/

Sitting here at almost 9 a.m. in Eastern PA, it's still raining. The forecast for today is for more rain. The nighttime rescheduling is with the hope that the rain actually ends sometime this afternoon. They are buying more time. Tonight's forecast isn't encouraging. As for tomorrow, sunny, but tomorrow night's game could be C-C-C-COLD. I don't know about N.Y., but I see a forecast of overnight lows around 29 for my area (100 miles from N.Y.) for Wed. night.

Then guess what? The forecast for Thurs.-Sat. calls for Isolated Rain, Rain likely, and Few Showers. Different ways of saying the same thing. Hmmm...and today was supposed the be the only off-day for the Yanks until April 21st. That April 21st date is the only off-day for the Yanks ALL MONTH.

Thanks for the kind words, Jason and Mike. I'll get by somehow. Might have to switch to a different field, however, and that is hard when you've been doing the same thing for 23 years. Now I know how some athletes must feel.

Remember what David Cone once said? "An athlete dies twice." The first time when his or her career ends and he or she has to enter the real world, and the second time when (as George Washington said on his deathbed) "we pay the debt we all must pay."