June 25-27 series moving from Toronto to Philly

Update (1:34 p.m.): This is confirmed by MLB. The move means the Phillies will get a nine-game homestand that opens against the Twins from June 18-20, continues against the Indians from June 22-24 then concludes June 25-27 against the Jays.

Update: (1:00 p.m.) According to David Murphy of the Daily News, The G20 summit in Toronto could force the Phillies June 25-27 series with the Blue Jays out of Toronto and into Philadelphia due to security concerns. An official announcement is expected today, according to Murphy, who notes that if the move is made, the DH will be implemented and the Phillies will be treated as the visiting team. The Rogers Centre is located near the epicenter of the city where leaders from the global financial markets will meet for a two-day summit. The move would mean three more home games for the Phillies.

Beerleaguer: Reader wonders if the Phils will wear these throwbacks. [Link]

Comments

[Matt]

Too bad for Toronto fans who'll miss seeing Halladay in person.

[Sophist]

TOR probably makes more money this way.

Read a report on Rollins today by Will Carroll

Jimmy Rollins (strained calf, ERD 5/18) Phillies fans can breathe a bit now. Rollins—who it should be noted didn't have a setback last week despite reports to the contrary—is now headed to Clearwater to start his rehab. He'll play in controlled extended spring training games, but should be in the lineup for the high-A Thrashers before too long. Rollins' calf is "pretty close to 100 percent" according to my sources and he's not having trouble with the "slide, slide, turn and run" move that was giving him some issues last week. Sources tell me that it's still tight under certain circumstances, but that they feel like the team medical staff can stay ahead of this. It's also going to involve Rollins not running as much, if at all, for the first few weeks. The team is more focused on having him in the field and at bat, so for now, they're perfectly willing to see Rollins' running come to a stop. If Rollins has no setbacks, he could be back in the Phillies' lineup by this time next week.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=10834

[EastFallowfield]

How long will they take to sell out?

Will they offer the tickets first to season ticket holders or stubhub?

[EastFallowfield]

We have to win the East by at least 4 games so we won't have to hear about how unfair it is.

Of course, it's interleague at home, we'll probably get swept.

[GBrettfan]

Willard Preacher,I speak French, but I'm not very good at being an A-hole. I could be condescending, I suppose. (But seriously, do they really have French speaking fans come to the Toronto games? It's not in Quebec.)

Seems pretty unfair that the Phils get more home games than anybody else, while the BJs get fewer. I would think a neutral site would be better, too. Or what about the old Expos stadium? It's probably a dump. Or a minor league stadium? Although that wouldn't have as much seating.

Even if they split the proceeds from the ticket and concession sales, I would think the Blue Jays make out ok, judging from how empty the stands looked in the MLB highlights of the past week. OTOH, it hardly seems fair to have to play in front of a loud crowd supporting your opponent in your "home" game. Then again, the Nats do it every time the Phillies come to town.

[RSR]

They should play in Buffalo, since Toronto keeps taking Bills games. The little ballpark there probably can't handle it though.

Is Olympic stadium still around in Montreal?

[CJ]

EFF: I'm sure the game is on sale right now and anyone who has a ticket for the game in Toronto will be given the option to transfer it to Philly, right?

[Chris in VA]

Do we have to say, "eh"?

[bay_area_phan]

So when Roy Halladay pitches in that series, will it still count as his first appearance in front of the Toronto fans since being traded?

[twitter.com/jtramsay]

Any chance the Phils will wear these throwbacks? http://www.mitchellandness.com/Products/Philadelphia-Phillies-1945-Jersey---Jimmy-Foxx__7229-420-45JFOXX.aspx

[GBrettfan]

Great news about Jimmy being almost healed! But I hope they feel very confident that he's ready to play before sending him back. I'm ok with restricting his running some, but that's easier to say than to do. If he gets on base and Polly or Chase get a hit, he's supposed to jog down the basepath?

Of course, being rusty from having his rhythm interrupted and sitting so long, he may not be on base much for a few weeks. So it could work out fine.

[GTown_Dave]

If the Phils wanted to be hardasses about it, why should they have to split the gate at all? Seems like the issue lies w/ poor planning by the govts. of Toronto &/or Canada. They should be responsible for making good the Blue Jays' losses & annoyances, not the Phils or MLB.

Also, I'd rather wait another 2 weeks or whatever & have a J-Roll who is 100% & can run. Besides, if Castro is back he'll look like a bona fide All-Star compared to Exxon.

[EastFallowfield]

"Information on how to purchase tickets will be available shortly."

Phillies.com

Press conference at 3 in Toronto.

[GTown_Dave]

I just received an email from Phillies.com, which read, in part:

"Phillies season ticket holders will be notified of their options within the next 3-7 days. Individual Tickets will be on sale in approximately 10-14 days. Please continue to check Phillies.com for the most up-to-date information."

[Hugh Mulcahy]

If the Phils want to be hard asses about it, they should just sublease the park at a high rental rate and shift to Toronto the obligation to staff the park, for insurance, etc. Where else are the Jays going to go where they'll actually draw a crowd? I expect they'll work it out on fair terms. There's a recent precedent with that series moved from Houston (?) to Milwaukee in the last year or so.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

"poor planning" = bad decision to host the G-20 at all. Pittsburgh did it in September and it crippled the city for 3 days. The security requirements are ridiculous. Although, Pittsburgh does now have a ridiculous fleet of tank-like urban assault vehicles replete with water cannons, sonic weapons, net cannons and all manner of non-lethal crowd control devices. If 1968 ever comes back, the riot squad will be ready.

[bay_area_phan]

Average ticket price for a Phillies game is $33. Citizens Bank Park holds 43,500 fans. 3 extra games = $4,306,500 in additional ticket revenues to sign Jayson Werth.

[GTown_Dave]

Matt Gelb: "An MLB spokesman says the two clubs and MLB are working on a revenue distribution plan for the ticket sales/concessions."

No word on uniforms, though. I would really like to see the Phils wearing Road Grey at Home for some reason.

[HammRadio]

Phillies season ticket holders will be notified of their options within the next 3-7 days. Individual Tickets will be on sale in approximately 10-14 days. Please continue to check phillies.com for the most up-to-date information.

[HammRadio]

I just hope we don't boo "Oh Canada" or throw snowballs at Bryan Adams

[GTown_Dave]

"Although, Pittsburgh does now have a ridiculous fleet of tank-like urban assault vehicles replete with water cannons, sonic weapons, net cannons and all manner of non-lethal crowd control devices."

All of which can be employed to help rein in Ben Roethlisberger.

[EastFallowfield]

Jays should get to keep the equivalent of what they normally collect for a weekend series (non-Yankee version) and the Phils get the reast.

[GBrettfan]

I like the way you think, BAP! It'll take a lot more than $4mil, but that could help.

[Chris in VT]

Why shouldn't people throw things at Bryan Adams?

[bay_area_phan]

I was just trying to be glib with the Jayson Werth comment. Obviously, that money is going to be distributed between the 2 teams more evenly than it normally would. Nonetheless, the end result will be a not-insignificant financial windfall for the Phillies' owners. Not enough to resign Jayson Werth, obviously, but at least enough to resign Wilson Valdez.

[Kutztown Fan]

"Although, Pittsburgh does now have a ridiculous fleet of tank-like urban assault vehicles replete with water cannons, sonic weapons, net cannons and all manner of non-lethal crowd control devices."

All of which can be employed to help rein in Ben Roethlisberger.

Posted by: GTown_Dave | Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 01:47 PM

RIM SHOT!

[Account Deleted]

re: Sophist's post

Considering Victorino's success in the leadoff spot and Jimmy's potential running limitations, does this mean a possible lineup shift?

If not for Polanco and Utley at 2-3, I'd suggest a 3-4-5 of Rollins, Howard, Werth.

Anyone have a hypothesis on where Jimmy would hit if Victorino retains the leadoff spot (if only for a couple of weeks)?

[Bonehead]

Bat Rollins 6th.
J-Rol will be hitting 5th next year anyway, because of Werth's departure.

[Jim]

They should make one of the games "Canadian Heritage Night". Serve backbacon sandwiches and Tim Hortons donuts, have the MacKenzie Brothers throw out the first pitch. And when fans jump on the field, they can be chased by Mounties

[Joerunfordom.wordpress.com]

There are few guarantees in life, but one is the fact that JRoll will be back in the leadoff spot when Charlie puts him back in the line-up.

[Kiko Garcia]

western NY fan here who was looking forward to seeing the Phils in TOR...oh well

[CJ]

Some comparisons 2009 vs. 2010 through teams first 32 games (unless otherwise noted)

Chooch:
2010: 354/481/488 2 HR, 11 RBI (Played in 27 of 32)
2009: 257/409/371 0 HR, 2 RBI (Played in 13 of 32)
2009: 305/430/500 2 HR, 10 RBI (In his first 27 games played in 2009)

Werth:
2010: 348/424/688 7 HR, 26 RBI
2009: 288/394/541 6 HR, 21 RBI

Utley:
2010: 302/434/578 8 HR, 18 RBI
2009: 278/414/574 10 HR, 23 RBI

Howard:
2010: 278/324/459 5 HR, 21 RBI
2009: 262/338/492 6 HR, 23 RBI

Victorino:
2010: 250/295/493 7 HR, 25 RBI
2009: 252/296/424 4 HR, 20 RBI

Ibanez:
2010: 243/344/398 2 HR, 16 RBI
2009: 336/403/672 10 HR, 26 RBI

[Sophist]

Tells you to be wary of early season numbers.

Vic batted .397/.449/.524 in games 33 to 47 last year to get his line back to .297/.344/.455 from that early season number CJ posted.

[Sophist]

It also looks like Howard is getting slightly more disciplined at the plate (although his K rate is a bit much). While his season BB% sits at 5.6 (down 5% from last year and 10% from 07), he was .275/.301 two weeks ago and is now .278/.324.

In that time he's had 63 PA, 5 BB (7.9%) and 22 SO (38.6%), 4 XBH (7%).

In 79 PA prior: 3 BB (3.8%), 12 SO (15.8%), 9 XBH (11.8%).

Slight improvement.

[GTown_Dave]

More Ticket Info (via Zolecki):

"Here is some ticket information for the series, according to Phillies vice president of sales and ticket operations John Weber:

The Phillies will contact season ticket holders within the next three to seven days. Full season ticket holders get first crack at tickets. Sunday season ticket holders will have a shot at tickets for the June 27 game. The Phillies also will have presale opportunities for their 17-game season ticket holders.

"Hopefully we'll be on sale for individual tickets to the public in about 10 to 14 days," Weber said. "Hopefully our fans will see this as a great opportunity for another weekend series."

Weber said they are working with the Blue Jays because these technically are their home games.

"We're going to help them out as much as possible," he said. "If their fans are trying to come out, we're going to help them out as much as we can. It is their home game."

The attendance figures from the series will be added to the Blue Jays' home attendance totals, which means at the end of the season the Phillies technically will have played 81 home games.""

Yep, Phillies Get 3 More Home Games

[MG]

Jim - It if was 15 years ago and the Phils were desperate for attendance, I am easy see "Canadian Heritage Night" for one of the Blue Jays games.

[UD Hens]

Why not have Rush play live after the game. They are out on tour this summer anyway.

[RodeoJones]

I have to second EFF - please let the Phillies run away with the division so the Nationals fans don't have a reason to complain at the end of the year.

Did you see what I just did there?

[UD Hens]

* after "a" game, not "the" game...

[jlw]

They should play this at a neutral site. It is unfair to the rest of the NL East.

[ozark]

Away game for the Phils. They bat first (like game 5 resumption in '08) with a DH.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Revenue trumps fairness. However, a neutral site could still generate significant revenue - provided it's located close enough to Philly. Citi Field, Camden Yards, Nationals Park . . .

[jlw]

"Away game for the Phils. They bat first (like game 5 resumption in '08) with a DH."

In name only. You still have your home fans and avoid having to travel. Plus, you play in the dimensions of your home park 3X more than any other team, and that is as much a part of home field advantage as batting first and the DH.

[Cipper]

Off topic, but just read the Phils are 16th in the League for Stolen bases with 10......

Anyone see something wrong with that?

[Sophist]

What home field advantage exists in baseball is probably largely thanks to batting last. This setup retains that. Toronto will bat last.

[R.Billingsly]

In a previous post I said something about a neutral site like Houston and Chicago did. Didn't they play in Milwaukee for a game (or series) because of weather issues in Houston. Why can't they do that?

[R.Billingsly]

Cipper: Yes and no. As long as they are winning games, it's not a big deal. But it would be nice to get the running game going. Not having Rollins hurts those numbers a tad too. If he were to add 5-6 bases in the time he was out, they may move up a few spots on that list.

But, I agree that the running game has been almost non-existent this season.

[R.Billingsly]

What home field advantage exists in baseball is probably largely thanks to batting last. This setup retains that. Toronto will bat last.

I think C.C. and Johan would beg to differ.

[jlw]

"What home field advantage exists in baseball is probably largely thanks to batting last. This setup retains that. Toronto will bat last."

There are other factors. Ground rules. Travel. Last turn at bat is important, but, not the most important.

[Sophist]

jlw - The dimensions point would be more persuasive if the Phils played in an unusual park. In the past few years, the Phillies haven't enjoyed a home field advantage if you look at record alone. Again, the largest part of home field advantage is batting last.

We should also all recall what happened the last time the Jays came into CBP: a 3-game sweep.

[Sophist]

Billingsley - *largely* thanks to batting last.

[Cipper]

Sophist: I believe Halladay got a save in one of those games too...

Billingsly: Your right, didn't even think to add in Jimmy's probable numbers.

[Voice of Reason]

I don't think it's fair for the Phils to host three extra home games (call them road games if you will, they are still home games. And even if they lose the games, it isn't fair in the long run -- traveling and pulling into another city are just some of the travails of a long, 162-game season). it's absurd that MLB doesn't have a better answer for this -- why not the Expos stadium, or a minor leagure stadium in ottawa, or someplace in canada that would give the jays the semblance of home-field advantage.

I want the phils to win it all, but i want them to win it fair and square.

--

as for Victorino's success in the leadoff spot: i think vic is doing great, but i'd still rather see him 7th and ruiz 8th. rollins is the leadoff guy until further notice. and that's what makes the phils so dangerous -- an offensive machine from 1 to 8. i think vic might even be more successful in the 7 hole, with more runners on base than he might normally see, following the pitcher or leading off innings following a pitcher. and he hasn't shown the base-stealing talent yet that j-roll has at top of order this year. no knock on vic at all, but keep his talents where they help the team best: rbi guy at tail end of order.

[jlw]

Can't take one teams isolated home w-l record into account nor a historical event that's not evidence of a future occurance Dimensions don't just mean unusual layouts, they mean weird anomalies (wind patterns) as well.

This series provides a slight HF advantage to the Phils and throws the schedule out of balance. It's really just not particularly fair. That's all.

[Willard Preacher]

As my mom has told me since I was a little one: "Life's not fair. Deal with it."

I've spent the vast, vast majority of my 32 year existence pulling for a crappy excuse for a baseball team, in a football town. I'll take a break here and there (and relish the greatest era in the history of America's losingest franchise).

[Sophist]

jlw - the historical event was just a remainder for the Phils fans who read the site.

The isolated w-l record is relevant because some teams enjoy greater home field advantages than others for the reasons you sighted. If the Phils had some benefit due to familiarity wouldn't it show up in their record? The Phillies at CBP have not been one of these teams. Whatever benefit there is is slight and likely further minimized by the brevity of the series and the fact that the Jays bat last.

Should probably also consider the alternatives in all this, assuming playing in the Rogers Centre isn't one of them. Any alternative has its own problems. If the game were, say, in Buffalo, there would be a lack of balance as well.

It's all pretty minimal. It's only three games.

[bay_area_phan]

sophist: How is batting last really an advantage? Both teams still get the same number of ABs so, if there's an advantage to batting last, it's mainly psychological. And if there's a psychological advantage to batting last, then why couldn't there be a psychological advantage to having an enthusiastic crowd behind you?

[EastFallowfield]

Big League Stew looks at the alternatives that didn't work for the Phils/Jays series.

[jlw]

'As my mom has told me since I was a little one: "Life's not fair. Deal with it."'

Way to use a facile platitude. Life isn't fair, that's blatantly obvious. However, within things that are controlled with the intention of "balance" (ie- a baseball schedule) the idea of parity is supposed to be protected to ensure an equal chance for all to win under the same conditions. I personally hate interleague play and wish the balance schedule would come back. I'm truly sick of the Met/Yanks series, the Cubs/Sox, As/ Giants and the Dodgers/Angels as it's taken away from better natural league based rivalries. (Like Pittsburgh Philly or the Mets and the Cards)

"It's all pretty minimal. It's only three games."

Agreed. However, still represents an advantage that 29 other teams will not have and that is why it should be avoided. Minimal and none are both very close and very far.

[R.Billingsly]

Sophits: My comments were said in jest, although there is some truth to it.

But, I think that the home field in baseball is the most important of all four major sports. They all have the crowd noise, travel, etc., but where baseball differs from the other games are the following:

In b-ball, football, hockey, the field/court/ice are all the same dimensions. The goals/uprights are the same size and in the same location. The rules are the same. There is no need to be familiar or have to adjust to the arena. In baseball, in addition to the crowd noise and travel, there are different ground rules, different dimensions to parks, different angles in the outfield and the home team bats last. All of those are important.

But, your point about batting last is well taken. It most likely is the most important determination between home/road. But other factors are surely important as well.

That is why I think the neutral park -- where each team has to travel and play in a park they are not accustomed is more fair than playing a "home game" at an opponent's park. Although, as Hugh said at 3:43 "Revenue trumps fairness."

[jlw]

To be clear, I'm a Met fan. My problem here is with neither the Phils nor the Jays. They are stuck working within a narrow set of confines and outcomes set by the glorious stupidity of the commissioners office who lacked the foresite not to schedule a series in the same city as the G20 despite the constant disruptions the G20 causes everywhere else.

[R.Billingsly]

Well, jlw, the revelation in your 4:09 post nullifies everything you posted up until that point. I now disagree with you completely.

(I'm kidding.)

[jlw]

R Billingsly: I'd say football is easily the most crowd advantage driven. How many times a game can a crowd cause an opposing offense yardage by making it too loud for the opposing offense to hear the snap count?

[Sophist]

I don't mean to deny the benefits of playing at home that aren't related to batting last. There has been some interesting work over at BP.com on this topic. It's just that if you tried to quantify the level of unfairness in this setup, it would be pretty small given how small home field advantage is in baseball (both generally and for the Phils), the small number of games being played under these conditions, and the fact that what's arguably half the advantage (batting last) is given to the Jays here.

[Kutztown Fan]

For those of you who think it's unfair that the Phils will have more home games than any other National League team, think about their inter-league schedule. Is it fair that they have to play the best teams in the American League (Yankees, Twins, Boston - kind of) while other teams get to play the Royals, Mariners, and Orioles? If the league were to be TRULY fair, each team would play the same amount of games against every other team. But MLB doesn't do it that way.

If the Phils were losing home games, I'd be more pissed that I missed seeing the game in person and the team missing revenue than I'd be worried that they have 3 less home games. They can win on the road as well as at home.

[jlw]

I meant to say "foresight"

[bay_area_phan]

I guess batting last is an advantage in the sense that you know exactly what you have to do & can plan accordingly. For example, if it's a tie game & a man reaches 1st, you probably bunt, since you know you only need one run. As a practical matter, though, I don't see that as a very big deal. If it's a tie game in the 9th, I think almost evey team would play for 1 run, whether they're the home team or the road team.

To me, the biggest advantage of playing at home is simply familiarity and, in particular, familiarity with the hitting background. Historically, players' offensive stats have been considerably better at home. Batting last cannot possibly explain that phenomenon.

[R.Billingsly]

jlw: I agree. But that is the only inherently biased component to a home, rather than away, football game. Other than crowd participation, everything else remains equal. That was the main point of my post -- baseball has many other factors other than travel and crowd noise. The other sports do not.

[jlw]

"For those of you who think it's unfair that the Phils will have more home games than any other National League team, think about their inter-league schedule. Is it fair that they have to play the best teams in the American League (Yankees, Twins, Boston - kind of) "

What about the Mets who have to play the Yankees six times per year?

The issue is with interleague play all together. It's poorly administrated.

[MG]

Jays get to bat last and they are playing with the DH which always seems to hamper the Phils in Interleague play because of the limited production they get out of the DH.

I would be willing to bet the Phils are definitely in the bottom 3 in production they have gotten out of the DH spot in Interleague games. Probably due in part to the terrible numbers Burrell put up as a DH here but I can't remember one Phils' hitter who had decent DH numbers.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

@R. Bill. "Didn't [Cubs and Astros] play in Milwaukee for a game (or series) because of weather issues in Houston[?]"

Yes, they moved the series to Miller Park from Houston due ot a hurricane. Astros complained bitterly about the "neutral" site because, due to proximity, Miller Park was full of Cubs fans.

Before MLB is blamed for creating a conflict with teh G-20, who scheduled their event first?

[Sophist]

Comparisons to other sports are difficult to make because the favored team wins much more often. MLB has the lowest HFA of any professional sport (by the percentages: NBA 60%, NFL 58%, NHL 55%, MLB 54%)

BAP - It's not purely psychological (I'm guessing at the sense in which you use that word); it's tactical. The team batting last has a strategic advantage (amplified when close and late) of knowing just how many runs they need to score to win. The team batting first does now know how many runs they need to score.

Posted from a BP.com article:

Home Win Probabilities by inning when the score is tied and there are no outs and no one on in the top of the inning:

1st: .540
2nd: .533
3rd: .533
4th: .525
5th: .529
6th: .522
7th: .520
8th: .521
9th: .522
XTR: .520

Batting last is arguably half of HFA.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=9372

[EastFallowfield]

Peter Gammons: "I could see Kevin Millwood going back to the Phillies."

[jlw]

G20 Summit location was announced in December. MLB schedule came out before then.

And during that time they couldn't find a suitable alternative....sheesh

[Hugh Mulcahy]

well, at least you can't blame MLB for creating the problem. That's on Toronto / Ottawa.

[EastFallowfield]

Don't want to hear much complaining from NY, as there wasn't much coming from there when the football Giants got an extra home game a few years back.

Getting one extra NFL game is equivalent to the Phils getting 10 extra home games.

As for the Mets playing the Yankees so often...there have been years where the Phils played the Red Sox six times and the Red Sox were better than the Yanks those years.

[Sophist]

Since CBP opened, the Phils have the lowest home field advantage in all of baseball.

[jlw]

"Don't want to hear much complaining from NY, as there wasn't much coming from there when the football Giants got an extra home game a few years back."

Most Mets fans are Jet fans. We didn't even have our own stadium and less has gone right for us than anyone, in any sport, ever.

And like I said, the issue isn't with the teams, it's with the stupid premise of interleague play. Which really needs to end.

[CJ]

Re: Alternate sites

Orioles and Mets have home games that same weekend. Yankees Stadium is open as is Nationals Park. But would either of those really provide that much less of a crowd advantage for the Phils?

[GBrettfan]

Why do they have to move it at all? Does the summit impede folks getting to the stadium? I know there is more security when the US Pres. attends a football game, but he still goes and so do the fans. I realize he's one leader, not 20, but still.

Presumably Toronto offered to host the summit prior to learning the baseball schedule, but still, there's been plenty of time to work on this.

[Sophist]

GBrett - I recommend you familiarize yourself with past G20 summit protests. It's not pretty.

[HammRadio]

Given the fact that Philly rarely gets breaks of this magnitude... I'm willing to benefit from this one.

This however does not make up for Joe Carter...

[Cipper]

G20 probably offered money to MLB to move the game since Halladay coming back to Toronto would get more press coverage than a bunch of sleezy politicians.

[GBrettfan]

I do remember hearing about protests. They're bad enough to preclude a ball game? You're right, Sophist, I'll have to go back and read about them.

[curt]

The only thing "fair" about the existing system is that everyone plays the same number of games. Remember, the Cards could beat us for the wild card slot after playing Houston 16 times a year, KC 6 times a year, etc. Vastly more unfair than a few extra "home" games.

And speaking of the Cards, what's with the 8 games we have to play them this year?

[Hugh Mulcahy]

The protests pale in comparison to the wide demilitarized zone they create to keep any potential protester, observer, or plain ordinary joe from going anywhere near the summit.

[curt]

Ummm, play Houston 18 times a year....

[Kutztown Fan]

The Mets have to play the Yankees 6 times.

Yeah, that sucks for the Mets, and it could have wild card ramifications. End inter-league play. And while we're at it, end 18 Yankee/Red Sox games per year. I'm tired of seeing every one on ESPN.

But back to the matter at hand - If Toronto and MLB knew this summit was happening before the schedule came out, then why are they just doing something about it now? Is this another thing we can pin on Bud Selig. (If not, can we do it anyway?)

[GBrettfan]

Ok, I just read about the planned security, and I can understand fans avoiding Rogers Centre due to the hassle it would pose. Apparently you will need to be registered to get into the security perimeter for work, for example.

[EastFallowfield]

jlw, that's your perception. I've known a lot of Met fans who are Giant fans. I used to think Mets and Jets went together until I ended up in the NY area.

Here's the difference in the Mets and Phils schedules that I could find, with current standings...

Mets: 3 more than Phils with Yanks (2nd place), 3 with Orioles (last), 3 with Tigers (2nd), 2 more with LAD (next to last), and one more game vs Brewers (under .500), Pgh (last), Cubs (next to last) and SF (2nd)

Phils: 6 vs Red Sox (next to last, but over .500), 3 vs Blue Jays (3rd place), 2 more vs STL (1st place), 1 vs SD (1st place) 1 vs CIN (2nd place), 1 vs COL (3rd place, under .500).

Of course, the Mets fans could turn Yankee stadium into a Met friendly place if they snap up enough tickets, Phils did a good job of that in 2009.

[EastFallowfield]

The baseball schedule was made before the summit was announced.

[jlw]

"jlw, that's your perception. I've known a lot of Met fans who are Giant fans. I used to think Mets and Jets went together until I ended up in the NY area."

Both exist. As someone who is a Met/Jet fan, grew up on LI, I'd still say that the large majority of Met Fans are Jet fans.

And interleague play was put into effect to get some rivalries (mainly the intra city ones) to spur interest in baseball after the strike. The novelty is gone. Subway series hasn't even sold out yet.

Just got back to the balance, intraleague schedule. It's competitively balanced and makes the WS and ASG more fun.

[CJ]

GBrettfan: Have you ever seen a city during a G20 summit? It looks like WWII-era Poland.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

And we're complaining about this?

[Voice of Reason]

regardless of whose fault it is, the games should be played in canada somewhere. it makes sense to have them played away from the rogers centre, which seems to be deep inside the security zone where leaders of the g20 nations will be assembled. no need to entice terrorists anymore to target the area by adding 45000 baseball fans. but why move the games out of canada altogether? okay, it sucks for toronto, but it also sucks for the rest of the NL east and the rest of the NL< phillies-wise, and the AL, too, based on the fact that the jays could be giving away games here.

again, even if the phillies lose all three games, they still get an advantage in that they don't have to travel, and get what amounts to a 9-game homestand, instead of having to be on the road that much longer. wear-and-tear-wise, it's a huge advantage for the phils, and thus upsets the carefully constructed and monitored balance of a 162-game schedule. this is like ohio state getting kutztown state to make an appearance at its stadium, and calling it a "fair part of the regular season schedule." (okay, that analogy is slightly, off, but...)

...it does lead me to another point. college football's playoff system is similar to the "last licks" advantage of baseball. (just trhowing that out there to add to the discussion comparing HFA in other sports.) difference being that last licks alternates on every possession.

[HammRadio]

sample size... sample size...

but the Phillies have equal home (10-6) and away (10-6) records this year.

If we win the WFS this year... I'll heartily wear a T-Shirt marked 2010*.

[Willard Preacher]

With interleague play, the All-Star game determining HFA, and the lack of a salary cap min/max, and the fact that the Kansas City Royals even still have a team, I think it's reasonably safe to say that Bud Selig and MLB aren't exactly looking at "fair" as being among their top priorities...

Let's not kid ourselves, this gives the Phillies an advantage that no other team has this year. As stated, the revenue will trump "fair" every single time. It's a business first. Unless you want to find a common off-day and put together a triple-header, there aren't a lot of other options that won't leave money on the table.

I just feel bad for Dobbs or Ben Fran, or whomever will have to DH in Philly. They better be hitting!

[Max]

So when a Phillies fan inevitably streaks onto the field, does this mean he/she is subdued by Canadian Mounties?

[Willard Preacher]

@VoR - "again, even if the phillies lose all three games, they still get an advantage in that they don't have to travel"

Umm, have you ever been to CBP during a Phils losing skid? Let's just say that the Phaithful may be a bit more of an advantage to the opposition in such circumstances.

[Sophist]

The schedule hasn't been carefully constructed for balance in a few decades.