Seeing this four-game series wiped out is creating all sorts of headaches for everyone involved. Right now, likely scenarios include the two teams giving up precious off-days in mid-summer to fly thousands of miles out of their way and play doubleheaders. MLB takes a loss, Cleveland takes a loss, Seattle takes a loss ... and the players' union will probably go berserk.
But, given the near-certainity that the Indians, at least, will be in a playoff chase, not making up these games is not being contemplated, according to everything I've read today.
I do like the improvisation that has Cleveland playing home games in Milwaukee this week, with $10 tickets.
Some noteworthy cold-baseball items:
— "It's stupid. It's crazy,'' Indians pitcher C.C. Sabathia said. "We should definitely be starting somewhere else, definitely on the West Coast or somewhere with a dome so this doesn't happen.''
— Commissioner Bud Selig thinks it would impracticable to start the season with games only in warm-weather cities and ballparks with domes.
"Games have been snowed out for 130 years. Like with everything in life, you need luck,'' he said. "It's an impossible situation because no matter what you do, the clubs don't want long road trips. You just do the best you can. This is very unusual. We're getting late-February weather.''
"Those warm-weather clubs, they don't want 25 April dates,'' Selig said. "Second-guessing about the schedule is just ludicrous. There is no other solution, and we have 130 years to prove it. I used to be one of those owners who was unreasonable.''
— Temperatures weren't the only thing way down: Home runs plunged to their lowest level since 1993, with the average dropping from 2.4 in last season's opening week to 1.8 this year. It hasn't been that low since a 1.6 average 14 years ago, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"It's freezing. Who can hit a home run right now?'' said Baltimore Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada, a former AL MVP.
— Cold didn't stop Tampa Bay's Elijah Dukes, who hit his first two career homers at Yankee Stadium. He connected for his second while wearing a ski mask with a slit around the eyes just wide enough to allow him to see, looking more cat burglar than slugger.
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