WWTBAM Bored

Major league baseball will be coming to England in 2019 with a two-game series between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Another series will be played in 2020, with teams TBA. Based on the current unbalanced schedule in baseball, where teams have nine or ten home games against teams in their division, but only 2-4 against other teams, I would expect the other series to be a divisional series as well.

While it's not surprising that baseball is coming to England (since we just had a series in Mexico last weekend), what is surprising to me is that the Red Sox, who will be the home team for these games, would give up two of their best home dates of the season against the Yankees. The NFL teams that usually are the "home team" for English games have typically been teams that haven't drawn well at home (usually because they are lousy), like Jacksonville.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/2344 ... ondon-2019

If they wanted to be equitable, each team will still have the same number of actual home park home games and road games. Designating one of the teams as "home" on a foreign field is required because someone must bat first. However, in a two game series, they should alternate who is home, because being home is advantageous not only because of the familiar field and home fans, but because batting in the bottom of each inning is an advantage as well.

I agree with you that if Boston is actually giving up two home park games it is surprising. There will be no home field advantage, just the bottom of the inning advantage. I'm sure there will be no loss of revenue, however BoSox fans lose out on the opportunity to see their team.

At one time, when the NFL was considering adding to its schedule, one of the ideas that was floated was that the teams would go to a 17 game schedule, with the 17th game being played on a neutral field like London or Mexico or a college stadium that didn't have a nearby team, and each team still having eight true home games a year. The idea didn't get very far due to the injury factor.

I was just looking at Retrosheet's list of neutral site games the other day, and noticed that between 1970 and 1995, every single Major League regular season game was played in a team's actual home park. That's 26 seasons. And Major League Baseball did quite well during those years adjusting for the way attendance was recorded then (turnstile) as opposed to now (paid tickets). Now they can't get through a single year without some gimmick series in a non-MLB park... whether foreign or domestic. Just another in the long list of reasons I'm souring on my beloved pastime...

lb13

BackInTex wrote:If they wanted to be equitable, each team will still have the same number of actual home park home games and road games. Designating one of the teams as "home" on a foreign field is required because someone must bat first. However, in a two game series, they should alternate who is home, because being home is advantageous not only because of the familiar field and home fans, but because batting in the bottom of each inning is an advantage as well.

Not a bad idea at all. Why the MLB geniuses didn't think of it is beyond me. Well, maybe not so beyond...some of these "geniuses" have floated ideas like starting any extra innings from the 11th onward with a runner at second, or having the team that's behind in the 9th be able to send any 3 batters they want up to the plate. With ideas like that taking up space in their brains, there's no room for a logical one.

I agree with you that if Boston is actually giving up two home park games it is surprising. There will be no home field advantage, just the bottom of the inning advantage. I'm sure there will be no loss of revenue, however BoSox fans lose out on the opportunity to see their team.

As a baseball fan, I find it unfair overall to the Sox. As a lifelong Yankee fan...well....

Vandal's not looking, is he?? He might beat me up...

littlebeast13 wrote:Now they can't get through a single year without some gimmick series in a non-MLB park... whether foreign or domestic. Just another in the long list of reasons I'm souring on my beloved pastime...

lb13

I'm waiting for the Celebrity Pinch-hitter series.

T_Bone0806 wrote:Some of these "geniuses" have floated ideas like starting any extra innings from the 11th onward with a runner at second, or having the team that's behind in the 9th be able to send any 3 batters they want up to the plate.

The Mets tried out this idea Wednesday, but the opposing manager and umpires nixed it.

Mets bat out of order in first inning against Reds

These "neutral field" contests aren't always bad for the fans of the competing teams. On the college football level, we have played several of the season opening showcase games scattered around. In fact, we are playing one this fall in Houston against Texas Tech. Our little group that tailgates together usually attend these neutral site games and have had a great time every time we go. We get to experience a city that we don't visit on a regular basis and the fan bases are pretty even in number so that both feel pretty much at home during all the festivities. To us, it is worth the travel and expense to see some new things.

lilclyde54 wrote:These "neutral field" contests aren't always bad for the fans of the competing teams. On the college football level, we have played several of the season opening showcase games scattered around. In fact, we are playing one this fall in Houston against Texas Tech. Our little group that tailgates together usually attend these neutral site games and have had a great time every time we go. We get to experience a city that we don't visit on a regular basis and the fan bases are pretty even in number so that both feel pretty much at home during all the festivities. To us, it is worth the travel and expense to see some new things.

My nephew is getting married that day. Caroline, my Ole Miss Rebel daughter, is trying to figure out the start time of the game vs. the time of the wedding to see if she can attend both.