West Coast Road Trips - No Thank You
As the Phillies limped their way from Arizona to San Francisco last night it dawned on me… West Coast road trips blow! I mean, I’ll find a way to watch the Phillies in a Vietnamese death camp with bamboo reeds sticking out of my fingers… but it doesn’t make the experience pleasant. Never mind who wins or loses… the God damned game doesn’t start until 10:15… who the hell is watching that? I mean, I know it’s more convenient for West Coast viewership… but you completely lose half your audience that way… and how does that help anyone? I’d love to believe that there are Phillies fans from coast to coast… but let’s face it… there aren’t that many. I believe Red Sox Nation has the “I love baseball and I wished I lived on the East Coast so I could be part of a more exciting fan base” constituency all wrapped up. Lame.
Further, the players always look so spent. By the time I nod off - usually around the 4th or 5th inning - I swear, they are all yawning more than I am. I mean, is it a stretch to ask West Coast networks to start games at 5pm or 6pm when an East Coast team is in town? …or, God forbid, play 3pm day games? I realize this would not accommodate advertisers… but it sure would make fans happier. Well… East Coast fans anyhow.
And for all of those cynics who might say that this a “purely East Coast - ist” view of baseball morals and standards, I say look at the Cubs. They didn’t even play night games until the late 80’s. Hell, I remember when it was a big deal that they were adding lights to Wrigley. I was like 10… and WGN had this big promotion going all Spring promoting it. (side note: I was born in Colorado in ‘78… we didn’t have a Major League baseball team at the time… so I rooted for the Cubs and - *gasp* - the Braves since they both had nationally accessible stations and games. My family moved to Philly in ‘89… I became a Phillies fan in ‘93… I liked Mitch Williams… until of course Joe Carter took him deep and broke my heart.)
Recently, the Phillies have had a few 3pm starts. It’s been great. I listen to the game from desk… and I manage to catch the last couple innings after work. All in all, a win / win! And if they started games at 3pm on the West Coast, then we get a 7pm, normally scheduled start… and everyone wins. I will be submitting my proposal to Selig this week.
