Potential Orioles/Ravens schedule issue

[SteveA]

It is traditional (for the past 11 years) for the NFL Champion to host the Thursday night opening game at home.

An article on NFL.com seems to confirm that we will indeed get that home game:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000135879/article/baltimore-ravens-could-play-steelers-in-2013-opener

That would be Thursday, September 5.

The Orioles are scheduled to play a 4 game series with the White Sox on Sept 5-6-7-8. It is the only White Sox visit to Baltimore this year. The Orioles are in Cleveland on Wed Sept 4, and host the Yankees on Monday Sept 9.

So it seems like the Orioles' Sept 5 game will have to be moved.

You can play a football game in the afternoon and a baseball game at night at the complex, it has been done before the preaseason. That is because an NFL preseason or regualr season game is pretty much bounded at four hours or a little more even if it goes into OT. Also, fans show up early and tailgate for football, but tend to leave when the game ends.

But I can't see the Orioles moving the September 5 game to the afternoon. Baseball games can last a long, long time as we found out in Boston and Seattle last year. And football fans who use the same lot will want to show up and start tailgating, many 4 or 5 hours before the Thursday night game, which will likely start at 8:30. So it just doesn't work.

Seems like either the Orioles will have to accomodate by making the White Sox game part of a double header in the next 3 days (which of course would require players approval of both teams, especially if Angelos wants a two-admission doubleheader to preserve 81 home admissions).

Or else the Ravens would not be able to host the NFL opener on the 5th. (One possibility is moving it to Wednesday the 4th; it was moved to Wednesday this year so it would not conflict with President Obama's nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention). I'll note that the article linked above mentions only September 5, and does not mention a possible move to the 4th.

But something's gotta give. I don't see two games on the 5th at the Stadium complex.

[eddie83]

I thought about this as well. We have a night game in Cleveland the day before. No way can they do a DH. I did go to a Ravens pre season game vs NYG and an Orioles game at night vs Seattle in 2001 on the same day. I think the Ravens played at 12pm that day. Maybe the Ravens will go to Wednesday.

I doubt the person writing the article even thought about an Orioles conflict. The Orioles only have one off day in September. I guess a split DH on Saturday or the Ravens on Wednesday. I would think the Orioles playing a DH.

[isestrex]

I thought about this as well. We have a night game in Cleveland the day before. No way can they do a DH. I did go to a Ravens pre season game vs NYG and an Orioles game at night vs Seattle in 2001 on the same day. I think the Ravens played at 12pm that day. Maybe the Ravens will go to Wednesday.

I doubt the person writing the article even thought about an Orioles conflict. The Orioles only have one off day in September. I guess a split DH on Saturday or the Ravens on Wednesday. I would think the Orioles playing a DH.

If you think the NFL is going to budge on anything, you aren't aware of the "America's Most Powerful" chart

There's nothing Bud Selig can do. He'll complain all he wants but ultimately he'll be told to get his sport out of the NFL's way. That is... unless Oprah decides to come to the White Sox game in Camden Yards on a whim....

[UpstateNYfan]

I think the most logical solution will be the Ravens play on Wednesday. First game of the season, the starters only play a series or so in the last exhibition game, scouting and game plans have plenty of time to get done. So, it will be NFL Wednesday season opener.

[isestrex]

I think the most logical solution will be the Ravens play on Wednesday. First game of the season, the starters only play a series or so in the last exhibition game, scouting and game plans have plenty of time to get done. So, it will be NFL Wednesday season opener.

Pigs will freeze over before that happens

[VeveJones007]

Pigs will freeze over before that happens

Yeah. The O's and Sox will play a day game. Probably a 12:35 start.

[orayole]

Lol. Anyone that thinks the NFL will move the game is living in the Twilight zone. Just have the O's play in the afternoon. If there ends up being an overlap with tailgaters that's their problem.

[oriolefan123]

Why not start the series on Friday. Let the Ravens have their opening game on Thursday. Both Orioles and White Sox have a off day. Have a day-night doubleheader on Saturday September 7. Thoughts?

[MurphDogg]

Lol. Anyone that thinks the NFL will move the game is living in the Twilight zone. Just have the O's play in the afternoon. If there ends up being an overlap with tailgaters that's their problem.

The Orioles have priority. Their schedule is out first. It is on the Ravens/NFL to reach out and make it right. I think a Saturday day/night double header makes the most sense.

[orayole]

The Orioles have priority. Their schedule is out first. It is on the Ravens/NFL to reach out and make it right. I think a Saturday day/night double header makes the most sense.

The Ravens are the Super Bowl champs. They have priority over the 130th or whatever regular season baseball game.

[fearthenoodle]

Yeah. The O's and Sox will play a day game. Probably a 12:35 start.

Just not a possibility due to parking (and tailgating) issues.

[Crazysilver03]

A DH has a much higher probability of happening because of the expanded roster of September. I have a feeling that is what they will decide on if the football game isn't moved to another day.

[ShaneDawg85]

This first assumes that tradition continues. No, this isn't a bitter Baltimore fan coming out, because I make fun of those types quite often, just merely saying that there's the possibility that the Ravens don't open the season on Thursday night at home.

[VeveJones007]

Just not a possibility due to parking (and tailgating) issues.

Really? The baseball game will be over by 4:00 and the football game won't start until 8:15.

The O's will probably just give the same disclaimer like they did before the Indy car race the last two years. If you can, come in on the light rail and save yourself the parking hassle. I doubt the baseball game gets >20,000 anyway. The midweek series against the White Sox last year drew an average of a decent college basketball game.

[waroriole]

Is it just impossible to have both games around the same time?

The O's game at 12:30 probably works.