It was pretty obvious that the Astros were not happy to be playing a home game against the Cubs in Milwaukee last night. They wore their road grays and looked rather listless in getting no-hit by Carlos Zambrano in front of a crowd of mostly Cubs' fans. Many have wondered why the games weren't rescheduled for closer to Houston. Owner Drayton McLane gave a bit of an explanation after the game:
"There was just no other choice," McLane said. "We wanted Phoenix, Tampa Bay, Arlington, Atlanta, you name it. There was nothing else."
He said the games couldn't be played after the season because there wasn't enough time to play all three and still start the playoffs in time to satisfy Fox television.
I have this theory that the root of all evil in baseball can be traced back to Fox. I understand the desire to make these games up as quickly as possible, but to make the Astros play two road games in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane while they're locked in a pennant race is pretty unfair.
One NLDS matchup starts on Wednesday, October 1st while the second starts on Thursday the second. The season ends on Sunday, September 28th. Three games could be played as necessary Monday and Tuesday and the Cubs could draw the series that starts on Thursday the second. It's certainly possible that all three games won't even be needed. The Cubs might not be happy, but they'd probably get over it.
And of course I know this isn't Joe Buck's fault, but can't we blame him for it anyways?
