I know some folks including Jeff Francoeur are wigging about the Phillies-Jays series being moved to Philly.
It’s not a big deal. Â It’s baseball. Â The advantage is batting last, which the Blue Jays will get.
In baseball, worry more about the opposing pitcher than the opposing crowd.
Doesn’t really concern me. I kinda like the unbalanced schedule myself. i don’t think the balanced one is really that balanced.
The Jays get to bat last, get the DH. those are the advantages. Big deal that the crowd will be there, they’ll probably be more pumped playing in front of a big crowd, despite their allegience.
If you complain about this, it’s also necessary to complain about the unbalanced schedule and the Mets having to play the Yankees 6 games, or having to go all the way to Puerto Rico for a series.
bottom line, just beat the Phillies when you play them and you’ll win the division.
If it were purely a domestic game, I think I would agree with you. But, by having it in Philadelphia instead of say anywhere else in Canada, the Jays are forced to travel (putting some wear on the team, though they are still in the same time-zone)and deal with Customs and slight disorientation. Also, since this series is the first to feature Halladay since his trade to the Phillies, it would have been a sell-out. Financial, and fan, disadvantage to Toronto. Also, it spreads the evil of the DH to a National League park .
It may or may not have been a sellout.
and it will be now. Blue Jays get the home cut of the revenue from this series.
I’ve actually thought it’d be a cool idea do swap the DH one year for interleague. Do the DH in NL and the no-DH in AL. Give the fans of one-team cities a chance to see the other side.
Personally, I feel like this would be an excellent opportunity to take advantage of Olympic Stadium in Montreal!! The Jays could wear throwback Expos hats for their fallen Canadian comrades, and perhaps the baseball enthusiasts that are left in Montreal, Quebec, The North Country of New York, Vermont, and Maine could pour in in support of the Jays!!!
Let’s Go Mets.
Of course, true homefield advantage for the Blue Jays would not only involve giving them the DH and letting them bat in the bottom half of the inning, but putting a roof over Citizen Bank Park to truly mimic the conditions at Skydome.
That said, the unbalanced schedule is inherently flawed. Teams that compete against each other in the same division should have schedules that are essentially the same. The DH rule is inherently flawed. It’s nothing more than a jobs program for players who can only play half the game. There’s no room in baseball for players who can’t play the field anymore. Either abolish the DH or ban the use of the word “baseball” to describe any game in which the pitcher does not take a turn at bat. It’s nothing more than creeping socialism.
why is philly playing toronto anyway? Arent the Mets playing the AL Central?
after a few years of strict al east plays x division the schedule has become a lot looser. The Phillys are playing the Yanks for the 2nd year in a row at Yankee stadium, the mets are playing the orioles for the 2nd year in a row at camden yards.
Bottom line whether they use a computer or people who do it manually the schedule is always screwed up…see the G20 convention flap
@bpalm i think the “loaded” schedule makes sense anyway. Phi-NYY, Mets-Boston all those types I’d force on the schedule every year.