Tomorrow’s game between the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles will be a bit different on Wednesday not due to who will appear but who will not be present . . . any fans. Due to the rioting and robberies in Baltimore this week, the teams have decided to hold a game without fans in the stadium — a possible first for the MLB (if you discount most days with the Oakland As). The question is why with the National Guard deployed and days of police operations the city cannot even protect a small area in the tourist heavy harbor area. They appear to be working off the question from the 1971 feature film, Suppose They Gave A War and Nobody Came.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has not exactly covered herself with glory during this crisis. She started out with a quote so dim that it rivals Chicago Mayor Richard Daley proclaiming during the 1968 Democratic Convention that “The police are not here to create disorder, they’re here to preserve disorder.” As discussed earlier, Rawlings-Blake explained that she instructed police to not only give protesters room for the exercise of their free speech but “we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well.” However, she can be forgiven for a mangled quote. What is less redeeming is the actual performance of the city under her leadership.
The damage to the city is not just in the looted and burned buildings or many injured in the streets. Baltimore’s tourist industry is in shambles with these images of people being robbed in broad daylight and stores being stripped of every valuable item and then burned. However, the greatest damage will be the image of an empty stadium on Wednesday. The city should have pledged a division of police to avoid that image to be transmitted nationally of a city that cannot even protect a relatively small area at the very heart of their tourist sector.
Now, I am not one to complain about no one going to a White Sox game. I am a born and raised Cubs fan. However, Baltimore and the MLB is about to drive a stake in the heart of Baltimore’s national image as they yield to what the mayor has called a bunch of “thugs” on their streets.
Good luck finding a hot dog and beer for $10!
Nick – wouldn’t you think you would be able to draw your own beer? Hot dogs would be raw.
The players could care less, they STILL get paid. I love the game of baseball but I cannot and will not pay 10 bucks for a hotdog and beer. My point is I’m not taking out a loan to see a ballpark that my tax dollars paid for.
Talk about an overreaction. This is the kind of thing that’ll stick out in peoples’ memories for a long time. Squeaky, that was hilarious!
That’s the Orioles, the city took a big loss.
Nick – I think this whole situation was handled poorly. The people that suffered the most were the vendor who depend on those games. That is lost revenue for them.
I watched highlights of this game on ESPN. The players did not like the quiet. They felt the energy from fans missing. Damn shame. Baltimore won handily.
They should have moved it to another stadium in the state. There are a few minor league teams.
Don’t worry, the local Hilton has a deal on their suites tonight! $300 for a suite that you can see the field from! People can still watch the game!
Paul, If they play it as a day/night doubleheader, there is no lost revenue. The ballpark is emptied between games and 2 tickets are needed to see both games. If they play it as the classic doubleheader, something VERY rare nowadays, then there is lost revenue. Regular doubleheaders used to be part of the schedule. Every team would schedule ~5 or so. That ended w/ free agency and huge salaries.
I am surprised that MLB doesn’t have a rule for postponing a game for riots. They could just play it as a double-header. There is plenty of season left.
@rafflaw
Go WHITE Sox??? That sounds like racist code talk to me.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Baltimore’s reign of fear. And they should postpone the game on account of the reign. Makes no sense to play to an empty stadium. Baltimorons.
Go White Sox!
Or Camden Yards could be made into a modern day Coliseum. Those who wish to vent their spleens could enter and beat each other to sh*t. The stands would be full but the cowards that rampage through the city would probably not show up. Any body in the city getting caught destroying stuff would be tossed in jail or allowed to entertain the fans.
MLB could have hired the Hell’s Angles for private security. The Rolling Stones did it back in the 60’s. Only 1 guy was stabbed.
This is foreseeable fallout for lazy self-policing.
Police with guns and laws and obnoxious, impetuous behavior kill someone, when there was no cause to do so. While in a national frenzy of public outrage about police killing people for no cause.
I have absolutely no sympathy for Baltimore, as these are just all their sins coming to roost.
How else do they learn not to do those things?
For thuggish mentalities, this is the only way.
They should at least let the cops who have been on duty the past few days in B-more into the stadium to watch the game. Those guys (and gals) could use a little R&R.
Hmmm. Sooo, is this what they mean when they say, “No balls???” Anyway, it seems to that Oriole Park needs a new baseball song! Sooo, this is for those people who got stuck in there during the riots:
Sneak Me Out Of The Ball Park???
A Parody Song by Squeeky Fromm
Sneak me out of the ball game!
Sneak me out of the park!
Just get me a jacket that’s made for flak!
Let’s be safe and sneak out of the back!
For it’s duck, duck, duck from the brick bats!
And don’t let them hit your head!
For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out. . .
And you’ll wind up dead!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
So we only care about imagery and how the corporate media will use it as propaganda. Typical modern day us statesman.
Have the protesters killed anyone? I think there is still one person that died bc of this. He was young black and unarmed.
Sycophant… Sadly
I went to high school in Ct. back in the racially turbulent 1960’s. There were some great inner city basketball teams and players. Super John Williamson and Calvin Murphy are two of many. When a few of the powerhouse high school basketball teams would play each other, the gyms would be closed to fans. They were called “Fear Games.” Looks like we have regressed 50 years.
The game should be played somewhere else.