Tom Brennan - COLD WEATHER CONSEQUENCES
Zach Wheeler tosses tonight, his first real game since 2014. Wow. Hooray.
Sad, though, that in early April, his first official post-injury game should be on cold, windy night, as I would certainly believe it is easier and safer for pitchers to throw in warmer weather.
Play day games in early April, people!!
Afer our season opener this past Monday afternoon, the schedule has ELEVEN STRAIGHT NIGHT GAMES in what can easily be frigid February-like weather in April.
My memory may be off on this, but I seem to recall Jerry Buchek hitting a homer on the first night game of 1967, a cold night, on April 27. They waited 3 weeks to have the first night game.
But, because of TV money, they now start night games 3 weeks earlier than that.
Average temperatures this time of year climb a degree in the NY area every 3 days, roughly, so it is still often wintry at night in early April.
I do recall in around 2012 or 2013, Jenrry Mejia pitched in Buffalo on a blustery, 35 degree night - and tore his ACL.
Matt Harvey took baseball by storm for most of 2013, before his elbow tear. Could his having to pitch in back-to-back 33 degree games in Colorado and Minnesota have started the elbow tendon weakening? We'll never know.
Top pitchers are a valued commodity - why risk that by playing "Winter Ball?" Just my take. Also, I am not sitting in any stands in cold night weather in April.
What's your take?
6 comments:
Thomas I TOTALLY agree but of course ALWAYS follow the money. I remember while I still lived in the area going to opening days in 70's in a parker with a hood, long-john's and plenty of hot chocolate and still froze my butt off IN THE DAYTIME.... can't imagine going at night. I'm an old dog who still has his 73' TEN dollar WS ticket for game 5 and it was an experience but I was much younger then and also didn't have a 60" HD TV screen and directv which has spoiled me.... hell I still remember $5 concert seats and as Mary Hopkins once sang "Those Were The Days my friends"!
It's very cool here in South Carolina and it could dip into the 30s tonight in Columbia.
You can pitch in this kind of weather. You just have to dial it back a little and keep the pitch count down
@ Mack: everyone is different. My hands as a pitcher would be freezing. A lot depends, for a pitcher, on that. I remember once as a 13 year old playing basketball in windy 9 degree weather, 3 on 3 game; didn't mater what I wore, I was freezing. One of the other guys had no jacket and a sweatshirt, and he was totally soaked thru, with steam coming off him. We were (no pun intended) polar opposites. Wheeler is a Georgia boy, isn't he?
@ Gary: if I were going tonite (I'm not), I'd be wearing thermals, sweater, winter jacket, hat. I have bad cold tolerance (inherited from me Mum), so I'd definitely dress like that and drink a lot of hot cocoa.
Reminds me of my dad's lament (c1965): "Baseball should be played on grass, during the day...and not west of St. Louis."
I would have liked your father, Hobie
Some players do play while on grass...at least until they are suspended
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