2011 Schedule Leak - Opening Day Moved to Friday

[Vgmastr]

Reports are starting to leak on the 2011 schedule, and since 2010 doesn't look promising, might as well look to next year, right?

 

This report from ESPN Boston says that instead of having a Sunday night opener followed by Opening Day on Monday, MLB is going to have a Thursday night opener followed by Opening Day on Friday. The only problem I see with this is not being able to have the built in off day the following day in case of a postponement. I wonder if this'll mean only warm weather teams and teams with roofs will open at home. That said, it'll be nicer taking a vacation day on a Friday instead of a Monday.

 

Also, at the bottom of this report from Adam McCalvy, he mentions that Melvin has seen the schedule and the Brewers travel to New York and Boston for interleague series, while Tampa will make their first ever trip to Milwaukee. We have the home and home with the Twins as always. A bit strange that we go back to Fenway, as we just visited Boston in '08, while Boston hasn't been to Milwaukee since '02. This'll be the Brewers first time playing the Yankees at New York since the AL days, while the Yankees were in Milwaukee in '05. The Brewers also went to Tampa in '05, and the Rays have never played in Milwaukee. The Boston article says the Brewers will be in Boston June 17-19, which is a weekend series.

[InsomniacInkRoss]

The first 2 games of the Yankees series in '05 were 2 of the best games I can ever remember going too.

[hawing]

The first 2 games of the Yankees series in '05 were 2 of the best games I can ever remember going too.

Yeah. I remember going to game three of that series. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif

[NeedMoreFans]

Sweet! If Tampa comes to Milwaukee, it will give me the opportunity to see the only team play that I have not seen.

[Invader3K]

The first 2 games of the Yankees series in '05 were 2 of the best games I can ever remember going too.

Yeah. I remember going to game three of that series. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif

Me too. Worse yet, we went with a couple friends of ours who are Yankees fans (in fairness, the guy is originally from New York). I remember that third game being a complete slaughter of the Brewers. At one point, El Caballo was up, and I said aloud, "This would be a great time for a meaningless solo home run." Sure enough, Lee hit one out in that AB. Got to see A-Rod's 400th career homer, at least.

[logan82]

I like a Friday Opening Day. I would have thought MLB would have done something like that before. Seems like you can really play it up and make it into a bigger deal if people don't have to get up early the next day.

[Invader3K]

I like a Friday Opening Day. I would have thought MLB would have done something like that before. Seems like you can really play it up and make it into a bigger deal if people don't have to get up early the next day.

Yeah, I agree. I'd much rather make a three day weekend of it, at the start of the weekend.

[nate82]

Me too. Worse yet, we went with a couple friends of ours who are Yankees fans (in fairness, the guy is originally from New York). I remember that third game being a complete slaughter of the Brewers. At one point, El Caballo was up, and I said aloud, "This would be a great time for a meaningless solo home run." Sure enough, Lee hit one out in that AB. Got to see A-Rod's 400th career homer, at least.

That first game was the best game of that series with Jenkins robbing Jeter of a base hit in the top of the ninth. I believe that was the final out also.

[Invader3K]

Also, is it just me, or is the Interleague scheduling really haphazard and unpredictable? When's the last time we played the A's, for instance?

[trwi7]

The first 2 games of the Yankees series in '05 were 2 of the best games I can ever remember going too.

 

I went to the second game of that series. First time I ever sat in the club level and just a couple of days after I had my tonsils taken out.

[Baldkin]

Also, is it just me, or is the Interleague scheduling really haphazard and unpredictable? When's the last time we played the A's, for instance?

I think it rotates by division every season. So, 2008 we got the east, 2009 the Central, 2010 the West. Now, as for which of the 3 teams we play, I'm not sure how that is decided. I'm surprised Milwaukee gets the Red Sox and the Yankees and the Rays, though.

Really sucks to play 9 games vs the best 3 teams in baseball, when our division rivals will play the Orioles and the Jays.

[Vgmastr]

Also, is it just me, or is the Interleague scheduling really haphazard and unpredictable? When's the last time we played the A's, for instance?

I think it rotates by division every season. So, 2008 we got the east, 2009 the Central, 2010 the West. Now, as for which of the 3 teams we play, I'm not sure how that is decided. I'm surprised Milwaukee gets the Red Sox and the Yankees and the Rays, though.

Really sucks to play 9 games vs the best 3 teams in baseball, when our division rivals will play the Orioles and the Jays.

Those are the breaks though. Last time we played the East we got the Jays and Orioles at home and went 5-1 in those games. What hurts our variety of opponents is the fact that the NL has two more teams, so while each AL team gets six interleague series, most NL teams only get five. Also, our home and home with the Twins, not all teams have an interleague rivalry. In fact, I think the Brewers/Twins is the only one where the two teams aren't in the same state. That said, how they pick the teams and locations in strange. Like Invader said, we haven't played the A's since '02, and with Tampa visiting next year, Oakland is the only team left that has never played at Miller Park. We've gotten the Angels three times in interleague, but the last time they've been to Milwaukee was '02. The Mariners came to Milwaukee in '04 and '10, but the Brewers have never played a game at Safeco. In fact, with the Brewers going to the new Yankee Stadium next year, Safeco will be the only current stadium the Brewers have never played in.

[Baldkin]

The Mariners actually play the Diamondbacks (I still don't know how that one came about... other than both being in the Western time zone & they share a Spring Training facility) and the Nationals play the Orioles.

[ilovebeer]

I was hoping that the Yankees and Red Sox would be coming here next year, that would help the attendance next season

[BrewCrewForever]

The first 2 games of the Yankees series in '05 were 2 of the best games I can ever remember going too.

Yeah I went to two of the games that series. Just can't remember which ones they were, remember A-Rod hit his 400th in one of them and Sheets pitched in one. Both were a blast.

 

If Tampa Bay is coming to Milwaukee I will for sure go to one of those games since I am a big fan of Longoria/Garza. And if they really go to Boston for a series I am going to have to find a way to get to one of those games, I was disappointed I couldn't go in 2008. Always wanted to go to Fenway and who better to see there than my team.

[owbc]

I really enjoyed seeing Ichiro play this year. Count me in as a big fan of Interleague Play, although I wish we would only play the Twins one series/year.

 

Anyone remember Opening Day in 2002? I think it was a Friday night game. Glendon Rusch hit a 3-run bomb to beat the defending champs.

[jeffy]

The Mariners actually play the Diamondbacks (I still don't know how that one came about... other than both being in the Western time zone & they share a Spring Training facility)

 

Actually it appears to be the Padres that are paired with Seattle...just as odd, though.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...ay#Geographical_matchups

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/a...s_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

 

Also Arizona is actually in the mountain time zone, but apparently does not do daylight savings time, so that is why they are on West Coast time in summer.

 

http://www.timetemperature.com/tzus/time_zone.shtml

[hawing]

I really enjoyed seeing Ichiro play this year. Count me in as a big fan of Interleague Play, although I wish we would only play the Twins one series/year.

 

Anyone remember Opening Day in 2002? I think it was a Friday night game. Glendon Rusch hit a 3-run bomb to beat the defending champs.

Once again OWBC and I think alike. I'm really ready to move on from the home-and-home thing with the Twins. Every other year at MP is fine with me. For me it's partly that Twins fans have become irritating (sometimes on a par with the Cubs fans who tend to visit), but even more than that I'd rather see a wider variety of interleague opponents.

 

And that Opening Day 2002 game...I didn't attend, but I remember the Rusch home run. It gave me a temporary case of "chicks dig the long ball" fever and resulted in my rooting for Glendon much longer than his performance warranted. (I got over it eventually.)

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

Blasphemy! Twins-Brewers is 5 automatic wins for the Twins annually http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ** i love how my reverse jinx helped the Brewers sweep for the first time in years! **

Don't compare Twins fans and Cubs fans. The Twins actually win on a regular basis. Cubs fans have to deal with E-Coli in the Chicago River.

[hawing]

Don't compare Twins fans and Cubs fans. The Twins actually win on a regular basis. Cubs fans have to deal with E-Coli in the Chicago River.

Yeah, sorry, TBWS. Though it doesn't represent the total fanbase for either team, there's a subset of visiting Twins fans that give Cubs fans a run for their money, obnoxious-wise. Our friends in guest relations declared a Twins series of a few years ago the worst of the year for fan problems - worse than the Cubs.

[dlk9s]

Sweet! If Tampa comes to Milwaukee, it will give me the opportunity to see the only team play that I have not seen.

There's also a distinct chance for a no-hitter.

[davego]

I'm with Hawing on that one. The Twins fans that seem to travel to MP are a younger group. Tending to be a bit less...reserved. My experiences @ Metrodome and Target Field are nothing like what we tend to see @ MP.

[Invader3K]

Personally, I haven't had any major problems with Twins fans at Miller Park. A few rowdy jerks here and there, but Cubs fans are still by far the worst.

[Vgmastr]

Bump to say the 2011 schedule has been released, you can see it here. The Brewers actually open on Thursday, March 31 in Cincinnati then have an off day on Friday. The home opener is on April 4 against the Braves. As speculated, the interleague schedule is home against Tampa, at Boston and the Yankees, and the usual home-and-home with the Twins. With the opener being on a Thursday, I'll just have to make it a five day weekend so I can watch it on TV and then go to the home opener the following Monday. Only five games are scheduled for the 31st, everyone else opens on the 1st.

[Mass Haas]

Thanks for the bump, but let's start with a clean thread here, posted at the same time. We'll paste your comments there.