Filed under: Brewers, Cubs, NL Central, MLB Biz, MLB Fans, MLB Media Watch
The NFL made a quick and decisive decision that because of Hurricane Ikeno football was getting played in Houston this weekend, canceling the Texans - Ravens game and shifting around bye weeks so we would never actually know the difference. This makes a ton of sense -- after all, no one needs a bye week more right now than the city of Houston and its football team.
However, because it's already mid-September and there's a playoff race going on, baseball probably didn't feel comfortable trying to find a later slot for the Cubs - Astros series that was scheduled in Houston this weekend. So they're gonna play in Milwaukee instead.
The Astros and Cubs will play a 7:05 p.m. CT game Sunday at Miller Park, a 1:05 p.m CT game on Monday and a third game on the 29th, if necessary. The Astros will be the home team.
The decision arrived less than 24 hours after Hurricane Ike, labeled as a Category 2 but only one mph short of qualifying for a Category 3, slammed into Galveston and made its way up to Houston, home to nearly four million residents.
Kudos to MLB for getting these games moved out of harm's way and letting baseball take place -- natural disasters will not short change Bud Selig! Tie All Star Games? Maybe. But natural disasters? No sir!
A trip to Milwaukee is a little problematic though. The Cubs are leading the Brew Crew by six games in the NL Central and Milwaukee is only 2.5 games ahead of Houston in the wild card race. So, while Houston will play the "home" team, I have a hard time believing that anyone in Brewer Park -- routinely full of Cubs fans when Chicago plays there -- will be cheering for the 'Stros.
Of course, no one's actually playing in Arlington Sunday, and it's a whopping four hours away from Houston -- as opposed to nineteen for Milwaukee -- so I suppose a double header then/there would just be too easy and fair of a solution.
