Hurricane Warning
By ThrowsLikeAGirl
Today your local weatherman will tell you that the only impact Hurricane Frances will have on the New York/New England area is a little residual rain. Not true. Storm clouds are gathering in the AL East – and a few roofs may be blown off before it’s all over. Here’s why:
Yesterday’s scheduled double header between the Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays in New York was shortened to one game – played later in the evening. The Tampa players had chosen to stay in their Florida homes with their families to ride out the slow-moving but potentially deadly storm. They had – according to today’s report in the New York Times — consulted in advance with the Players Association about this decision. "I told them not to go to New York before the hurricane hit and their families were secure. Then they had an obligation to make a reasonable effort to get here in time." Gene Orza, the union’s chief operating officer told the Times’ Murray Chass.
Hurricane Charley was a fresh and gruesome memory — having trashed the Tampa area just last month. Who can blame the players for wanting to remain with their families and homes to see them through a storm that was predicted to be even more dangerous?
Who indeed. Well, Tampa neighbor and well-know "sensitive guy" George Steinbrenner is completely sympathetic with the Devil Rays’ difficult situation – except he wants the missed game forfeited to him anyway.
When the Rays players finally piled out of their buses at Yankee Stadium — after a long weekend of worried wives and kids, hurricane wind, rain, flooding and power outages, stalled traffic and a harried, late flight out of Florida — Yankee fans greeted them at the gates: with jeers and boos. An hour later, they took the field and the Yankees, who had spent the afternoon napping, working out or watching TV at the stadium – easily defeated them 7-4.
But through it all, Steinbrenner and his front-office goons lobbied hard with the Baseball commissioner’s office for the forfeit. Although the Devil Rays will face some kind of a disciplinary fine for not showing up on time, right now the missed game will be tacked on to another game to be played this week during the series – and Baseball is not (at least not YET ) giving the Yankees the forfeit. Apparently there are a lot of hoarse voices in Yankeeland this morning after the reported yelling and screaming that went on about this.
In a tightening divisional race between Boston and New York, a win that the Yankees didn’t have to earn — a win that could make all the difference — is just the kind of freaky occurrence that traditionally ruins it for the Red Sox. Could it be that the Curse of the Bambino is teaming up with the Curse of El Nińo?
We shall see. Surely, the Yankees will not let this one go without a huge fight. Bud Selig - stock up on the Maalox – it’s going to be a long day.
In the meantime, the sun is poking through the clouds here in New England. The Sox are keeping up their momentum and their confidence – and it looks like it’s going to be a lovely September.
