Come to Think of it...MLB Greed Trumps Safety as Hurricane Ike Approaches

UPDATE: Shortly after I wrote this article, it was announced that the Friday and Saturday Houston-Cubs games were postponed.  Despite this action, I stand by most of my comments below.  Let me explain why.

First, does anyone really expect Hurricane Ike to hit the Houston area and then be ready to play baseball games the next day or two? What kind of logic is that? And, even if the hurricane misses, which we all hope it does, why impact the folks who spent hard earned money on tickets who may not be able to get back in time to attend the games?  By moving them to a neutral site, you can at least reimburse the ticket price for folks who can't make it.

Next, why impact a baseball race in which both teams are knee-deep in? To force teams to play on their days off, play doubleheaders which often result in a split, takes away from the integrity of the competition that has been building for six months.

Read on...

Major League Baseball ought to do the prudent thing and move this weekend's Houston-Cubs series to a neutral site—away from the approaching Hurricane Ike.

But don't expect the money grubbing powers to do that, however, as money and tickets sold take precedence over the safety of players and fans.

Yep, it certainly isn't news that in the sports world, just like in life, it's all about the money. And not just baseball, but every major professional sport.

Maximizing revenue with more skybox luxury suites, personal seat licenses, elimination of double headers, and of course, higher and higher ticket prices, dominate front office minds at a time when common sense ought to rule the day.

At least two Cubs players came out publicly to say that they'd rather not go to Houston this weekend.

Ryan Theriot, in particular, was blunt. "I don't want to go," Theriot said Wednesday. "To me, I understand why the Astros want to play those games there. They're right there in the wild card and playing well. That storm is going to turn, and if it does turn, and they evacuate the city, then what are you going to do? Now we're stuck."

And first baseman Derrek Lee said, ''Let's go to a neutral site, play three and get it over with,'' he said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. ''Why risk it?''

Why risk it, indeed. We all know the reason and it's spelled with dollar figures.

Oh, you'll hear some Houston management suits say that it unfairly takes away their home field advantage. While that may be true, don't believe for a second that is the main reason why they don't want to move the series.

This is the time for MLB to step in and let logic take over.

What's the worst that can happen if you postpone or move the series? The hurricane takes a different path and misses the Houston area and you'll have people grumbling that it was a knee-jerk reaction and caused unnecessary disruption to the games?

Well doesn't that pale in comparison to what could happen if the games go on and Hurricane Ike comes crashing in like a freight train from hell? Me? I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Hurricane Ike is approaching the Texas coastline and expected to reach land this weekend. It is expected to be a Category 3 storm with sustained winds over 110 mph when it hits the Texas coastline.

Yet the plan that is being considered is to simply change the time of the game on Friday from 8:05 p.m. ET to 2:05 p.m. ET. That doesn't make Theriot feel any better.

"Once it makes landfall, it could go one way or the other," Theriot said. "I know they have a dome and the rain doesn't affect you, but if you have no power and no cabs to get anything to eat and you're stuck, that's no fun for anybody."

And before you pooh-pooh Theroit's words as the rantings of a worry wart, consider that the Cubs shortstop is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The man knows what he is talking about.

Alas, it appears that the almighty dollar wins the day. The Sun-Times, citing an unnamed source, reported that playing the series at a neutral site was unlikely.

Instead, according to the source, Major League Baseball might take advantage of a scheduled off day for both teams Monday to use four days to get three games played.

Listen, it's just baseball, people. I know we sometimes are guilty of feeling like it's life and death, but in reality, it's just a sport and people's lives are at stake.

Moving the games should be a no-brainer. Come to think of it, maybe that's the problem: no brains.