Game 3 of the World Series starts in just a few minutes. Houston Astros' fan hopes are riding high on pitcher Roy Oswalt and the rest of the goateed (no more beards) team in a clutch game. There's no designated hitter for the games in this year's National League park, so Oswalt will bat ninth as usual.
MLB has forced the Astros to close the Juice Box roof, which seems high-handed (but what else is new...).
Commissioner Bud "Damnation, the ratings are down" Selig was interviewed briefly on Fox and said it was non-negotiable. The MLB web site reports the official weasel line, and Phil Garner's response:
The rules make it an open-and-shut case: The Minute Maid Park roof will be open for Game 3 of the World Series, though the decision leaves the host Astros ready to hit the ceiling.After consulting with Astros officials, Jimmie Lee Solomon -- Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations -- announced on Tuesday afternoon that the roof would be open when the Astros met the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in the first World Series game ever played in Texas.
"The rules for the retractable roof are clear," Solomon said. "We're just following the rules that are in place."
The rules in place for Minute Maid Park stipulate that the roof will be closed when game-time temperature is 80 degrees or higher, and open when the temperature is below 80 degrees. And, of course, if rain and/or winds are a problem, the roof can be closed regardless of temperature.
With game-time temperatures expected to be in the low 60s (it was 70 at 4:30 p.m. CT) and a cloudless sky, the decision was made to leave the roof open, even though overnight lows in the 40s are forecast.
"I think it is a disregard for the comfort of our fans, and that's the last statement I'm going to make about it," Astros manager Phil Garner said.
Besides petty harassment, the only other reason that comes to mind is their desire to let Fox's blimpcam get a workout.
Related:
• Laurence Simon is tracking bloggers who support either the Astros or the White Sox.
• Houston Astros - official site
• Houston Chronicle - full coverage