Does MLB have a "weather issue" that it needs to address?

[cephasjames]

Gets moved to OT Debates in 3... 2...

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by cephasjames

Gets moved to OT Debates in 3... 2...

That's why I said the whole thing got off topic. The opening post for discussion was "does the league need to shorten the season because so many early games get cancelled thanks to bad weather." Not anything about climate change or destruction of the environment. It went from a sports discussion to a political debate to a conflict over religion.

And I include myself among the guilty.

[bwburke94]

So what's with "Schedule mix-up: 2" in 1901?

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by bwburke94

So what's with "Schedule mix-up: 2" in 1901?

Back in the day when schedules were created by hand, sometimes mistakes were made. This usually involved one club being scheduled for two different cities on the same date, or one club being scheduled to host two different opponents on the same date.

In the case of the 1901, in the AL for July 3, Boston and Baltimore were scheduled to meet—but the schedule had a game between them in both Boston and Baltimore. The Boston at Baltimore game was cancelled, and the Baltimore at Boston game played. (The two clubs met again the next day in Boston in a holiday doubleheader.) Similarly, Philadelphia and Washington were scheduled to meet, but a game in each city was listed. The match-up at Washington was postponed, and the game in Philadelphia was played. (The two clubs played the next day in Philadelphia in a holiday doubleheader.)

[pilight]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

Ya we've had teams that are "north" for at least 120ish years (and maybe further back then that.....think Detroit had a team in the 1880s, and that's not exactly a tropical paradise in April).

Yeah, but the season used to start in mid-April instead of late March. Move opening day 10-14 days later and the problem will be no worse than it was back then.

[Antonin]

Originally Posted by Galeg

So this season the Indians opened their season on the west coast against Seattle. Fans were pretty snippy about it since they were very late games for us, but the team loved it because it was one less time zone changing flight (they have ST in Arizona). Why not just have the teams most likely to have cancellations plays most of their Southern/West Coast games early on?

The Indians should NEVER have any home games until the last week in April.

I hate the late game times when they begin the season on the West Coast but it's just cruel to play baseball in Cleveland in the sleet and snow. I love my city, but baseball down by the lake in mid-April is depressing.

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by pilight

Yeah, but the season used to start in mid-April instead of late March. Move opening day 10-14 days later and the problem will be no worse than it was back then.

Again, this year has been an aberration. Postponement rates were much higher in the past; even in the 1970s it was over twice as high as compared to the 2010s.

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by pilight

Yeah, but the season used to start in mid-April instead of late March. Move opening day 10-14 days later and the problem will be no worse than it was back then.

Was tbis when it was 154 games?

[pilight]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

Was tbis when it was 154 games?

No. In 1980, when there were 162 games the season started in April 9th, 11 days later than this year. In 1990, the season again started on the 9th. The over-expanded playoffs pushed the season start back into the too cold period.

[Le Grande Orange]

2018 MLB postponement update

March/April: 27
May: 7
June: 4
July (1st through 12th): 0
Total: 38

Below is a table showing the number of postponement for each section of the regular season (March/April, May, June, July, August, September/October) for the 2009 through 2018 seasons.

     M/A May Jun Jul Aug S/O  Total
-----------------------------------
2018  27   7   4   0  --  --   38
-----------------------------------
2017  12  15   1   2   6   3   39
2016  11   7   1   2   2   3   26
2015   6   5   8   4   1  14   38
2014  18   5   4   2   3   3   35
2013  18   8   6   3   0   2   37
2012   8   2   2   0   2   7   21
2011  17  15   2   2  11   4   51
2010   2   7   3   1   3   5   21
2009  12   8   6   3   2   6   37

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

The problem is playing so many early series in the north. Start the year in domes, Florida & Cali. You can't be shocked Chicago & Cleveland have freezing rain & wind before tax day. That was the norm before everyone started crying about the environment. Give the northern teams maybe 1 series out of the 1st 4 or 5 at home.

This. April in the northern tier states are a 50-50 proposition for decent weather, at best.

[dsvitak]

When I was a kid, I loved to go to the Giants and A's games, as part of a scheduled double header. Buy one ticket, get two games, with an hour between them.

Double headers were part of MLB for a hundred years, and only the greed of the owners caused them to go away.

Throw in 5-6 Sunday double headers, and you chop off a full week from the season.

[Le Grande Orange]

With the 2018 season only a few hours away from ending, and with all of today's games underway (and the distinct possibility that Monday will see two tie-breaking playoff games held), it looks like the final tally of postponements for this year will be 54.

March/April: 28
May: 7
June: 4
July: 5
August: 2
Sept./Oct.: 8

Of that total, 52 were originally scheduled games while 2 postponements were of make up games.

54 postponed games is more than the average number of 36 from over the last ten seasons. But the number can spike upward in individual seasons. In 2011, for example, there were 51 postponed games, almost as many as this year.

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

My first thought is that the Detroit Free Press apparently hasn't done any research.

Yes, it's been (seemingly) unusually wet and cold so far this April in many locales. But the postponement troubles in MLB this season pale into insignificance compared to the past. The percentage of originally scheduled games which were postponed from selected previous seasons:

1919: 14.6%
1925: 10.1%
1926: 11.1%
1927: 13.3%
1928: 12.7%
1929: 11.6%
1930: 10.0%
1931: 12.5%
1932: 10.4%
1933: 13.1%
1934: 11.1%
1935: 14.4%
1936: 9.0%
1937: 10.8%
1938: 12.5%
1939: 10.1%
1940: 13.1%
1941: 8.0%
1942: 10.4%
1943: 8.6%
1944: 7.5%
1945: 12.3%
1946: 9.8%
1947: 11.9%
1948: 9.3%
1949: 5.8%
1950: 9.3%
1951: 7.2%
1952: 10.0%
1953: 8.0%
1954: 5.8%
1955: 6.3%
1956: 6.5%
1957: 4.2%
1958: 5.8%
1964: 4.3%
1969: 4.1%
1975: 4.0%
1982: 2.7%
2004: 2.0%
2008: 1.7%
2009: 1.5%
2010: 0.9%
2011: 2.1%
2012: 0.9%
2013: 1.5%
2014: 1.4%

Basically, MLB has gone from having one in ten (or more) games postponed to one in fifty (or less).

Daytime baseball, with afternoon showers are pretty much a thing of the past. Plus, prior to 1936, there were no lights, and darkness was a concern.

PLUS, there were a ton of double headers on the scheduled. I remember back in the '60s, my dad would take us to a Giants DH, and a DH with the Oakland A's.

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

Daytime baseball, with afternoon showers are pretty much a thing of the past. Plus, prior to 1936, there were no lights, and darkness was a concern.

PLUS, there were a ton of double headers on the scheduled. I remember back in the '60s, my dad would take us to a Giants DH, and a DH with the Oakland A's.

As a general note, while Retrosheet's files appear accurate in regards to originally scheduled games which were postponed, I think they are not as accurate in recording of make up games which were postponed. I checked a few seasons for which I have thorough day-by-day details, and make up game postponements were not listed in the corresponding Retrosheet file. I'm going to have to contact them at some point about that.

Retrosheet's files, incidentally, do record the reasons for each postonement. Night games were the predominant time for baseball post-WWII,

[Le Grande Orange]

Oh, and it looks almost certain now that major league baseball history will be made Monday, as for the first time, two tie-breaking playoff games will played.

[knightdreamer2k]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

Oh, and it looks almost certain now that major league baseball history will be made Monday, as for the first time, two tie-breaking playoff games will played.

Yeah a lack of competitive games on the last day.