Do fans of west coast teams get worried when their team goes east?

[Chip R]

I know every year our fans get all worked up when the Reds have to go on a west coast trip but I was wondering the other day if, say, Dodgers or Giants fans get all worried when they see the part of the schedule when their team has to play in NY and Philly and Florida. Anyone have any insights on this?

[westofyou]

Yes.

They worry about the heat in the summer and the cold in the spring and fall, they worry about smaller parks, they all worry about being distracted in the noisy east coast atmosphere during the big games.

[_Sir_Charles_]

Personally, I think the main reason Reds fans get worried over that is because of our historically bad results from the west coast.

[backbencher]

Yes, but it is not the same.

It is one thing to start a game when your body clock says that it is 4 or 4:30. It is something different when the game is starting at 10:30 pm, body-clock time.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by _Sir_Charles_

Personally, I think the main reason Reds fans get worried over that is because of our historically bad results from the west coast.

In Pennant Race by Brosnan he talked about the allure of going west, nice nightlife, nice sites to see. Implied that yes it was distracting and that affected the game.

You also cannot look away from the difference in how the game is played out west historically, the weather is a big factor, cooler and sometimes downright cold and the parks have always played much larger than the Reds parks. Pitching and small ball are pretty much a given, big OF's and taking the extra base, something the Reds have not always done in some of their slugging years.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by backbencher

Yes, but it is not the same.

It is one thing to start a game when your body clock says that it is 4 or 4:30. It is something different when the game is starting at 10:30 pm, body-clock time.

Right, first day west is always hard and going east is easy on the body for sure

[George Anderson]

Originally Posted by westofyou

Right, first day west is always hard and going east is easy on the body for sure

I think your kidding.

Are you?

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by George Anderson

I think your kidding.

Are you?

No, I know going to Denver means a day to get your wind, it's always a killer to hockey teams.

But if my body is set on a clock and I fly into California and have a 7:30 game my body is at 10:30 for that first night.

[George Anderson]

Originally Posted by westofyou

No, I know going to Denver means a day to get your wind, it's always a killer to hockey teams.

But if my body is set on a clock and I fly into California and have a 7:30 game my body is at 10:30 for that first night.

ok, got ya.

[Vottomatic]

The title of this thread made me sure that this was a BCubb post.

[FlightRick]

Something else I've wondered about: do fans of west coast teams get annoyed when their boys have to play out east, with local start times of 4 in the afternoon (and on weekends/get-away days, 10 in the morning)?

I know it's no big deal to adjust when the Reds play out west, since I usually don't hit the sack until after I've watched Ferguson, anyway... but how frustrating would it be to know that -- if your team is playing in a different time zone -- your best case scenario is getting home in time to see the 8th inning?

I'm assuming "pretty frustrating." I'm also assuming this is why my dream of a slightly more balanced schedule (not totally balanced, but also not 18 games intra-division and only 6 inter-division, since that now seems a lot more unfair given the 2 wild cards) will never be realized. For local TV contracts to have value, the teams have to play as few games as possible 3 time zones away. I'm sure there's a nominal effect on eastern time zone teams playing "late" games, but it's gotta be downright crippling to ratings when west coast teams play "day" (or "morning") games.



Rick

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by FlightRick

Something else I've wondered about: do fans of west coast teams get annoyed when their boys have to play out east, with local start times of 4 in the afternoon (and on weekends/get-away days, 10 in the morning)?

Hey' it's worse if your team is already in the east and you're in the west, when I worked at home it wasn't as bad, but out of the home it can stink. Especially considering that after work the last thing I want to do is sit down and watch TV. Sunday mornings are nice, game at 10 am, but the rest of the week can be a drag, I see a lot of west coast games though to make up for the the missed earlier games. Weekday businessmen games at 9:30 are nice on days with no meetings.

[oneupper]

Originally Posted by FlightRick

Something else I've wondered about: do fans of west coast teams get annoyed when their boys have to play out east, with local start times of 4 in the afternoon (and on weekends/get-away days, 10 in the morning)?

Nah. West coasters go surfing, biking or hiking instead of being cooped up watching some silly old ballgame.
DVR usage, however, is through the roof!

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by oneupper

Nah. West coasters go surfing, biking or hiking instead of being cooped up watching some silly old ballgame.
DVR usage, however, is through the roof!

No humidity is a major driver in making that choice

[vaticanplum]

Originally Posted by FlightRick

Something else I've wondered about: do fans of west coast teams get annoyed when their boys have to play out east, with local start times of 4 in the afternoon (and on weekends/get-away days, 10 in the morning)?

I know it's no big deal to adjust when the Reds play out west, since I usually don't hit the sack until after I've watched Ferguson, anyway... but how frustrating would it be to know that -- if your team is playing in a different time zone -- your best case scenario is getting home in time to see the 8th inning?

I'm assuming "pretty frustrating." I'm also assuming this is why my dream of a slightly more balanced schedule (not totally balanced, but also not 18 games intra-division and only 6 inter-division, since that now seems a lot more unfair given the 2 wild cards) will never be realized. For local TV contracts to have value, the teams have to play as few games as possible 3 time zones away. I'm sure there's a nominal effect on eastern time zone teams playing "late" games, but it's gotta be downright crippling to ratings when west coast teams play "day" (or "morning") games.

Oh yeah. I've spent time on the West Coast and it honestly made me wonder how people follow baseball closely, especially in the days before DVR (not that I'm a huge fan of watching recorded sports anyway).

I've talked about him quite a bit here lately, but probably the biggest baseball fan I know is a Baltimore transplant living in Seattle. He's looking at potential early afternoon games (for him) for the Orioles during the playoffs. He doesn't know what he's going to do.

I agree with you on the scheduling; it's one of many reasons I'm in favor of radical realignment (split the leagues down the middle of the country). It might lessen nationwide familiarity with teams across the board, but certainly no more so than pre-internet fandom, and I feel it would strengthen individual fanbases.