Opening Day on Good Friday

[drudy23]

Surprised this hasn't made it here yet as it seems to have brought the city to a halt.

I'm Catholic and really don't see the big deal. Teams play on religious holidays all the time. Those that want to take part in religious stuff, feel free....there will be plenty of others to gobble up the tickets.

Sounds like Findlay Market is pissed because apparently Good Friday is one of their biggest sales days of the year and they usually close during the parade.

[MADXSTER]

Sounds like Findlay Market is pissed because apparently Good Friday is one of their biggest sales days of the year and they usually close during the parade.

Which is why they wouldn't be able to do the parade. Makes sense that they would be ticked off.

If this was NY...nm

[Kahns Krazy]

Why is opening day on a freaking weekday anyway? Wouldn't it be a much bigger party on Saturday?

[SM#24]

Beer isn't a meat and assuming it's a day game, you can still make the Good Friday evening service.

[X-band '01]

Which is why they wouldn't be able to do the parade. Makes sense that they would be ticked off.

If this was NY...nm

Didn't they move the Patriots-Jets gametime from 1 PM to 4 PM last year because of Yom Kippur? If a greedy corporate league like the NFL can make such a change, I don't see why MLB couldn't move Cincy's game from Friday to Holy Thursday.


Why is opening day on a freaking weekday anyway? Wouldn't it be a much bigger party on Saturday?

This year was the first time Opening Day came on a Thursday/Friday, but your point was one of the reasons why the Reds celebrated their first Saturday game as Opening Night - they had close to a sellout (if not a sellout itself) for their first night game which happened to be a Saturday night.

Then again, was there much uproar back in 1997 when the Women's Final 4 was hosted in Cincinnati (by Xavier, no less) on Good Friday and Easter Sunday? Smaller crowds, yes, but also a similar conflict in terms of holydays.

[DC Muskie]

I wouldn't go. Just me. I do agree on the idea that games are played on other holidays. Something different when it comes to Good Friday.

[vee4xu]

I am with Drudy inasmuch as I have no issue with the game being on Good Friday. I also am with DC inasmuch as I wouldn't attend. The events are mutually exclusive. Baseball is a secular event and Good Friday is a Christian religious event. I would choose to go to church instead of the ballpark. Just a personal thing. However, whoever would go to the game, Catholic or not, that is a personal decision and so be it. Now that the NBA has taken to showing at least two games every year (maybe not this year) and I think even the NCAA does not avoid playing bowl games on Christmas, there really is a course of dealing with sports games being played on religious holidays.

To me though there is a bit of difference between Good Friday and say Christmas. On Christmas I would have no problem going to Mass having Christmas dinner and then watching sports. In fact, I've done it. Christmas is a joyous occasion and one shared with family. Good Friday on the other hand is a somber event that culminates the 40 days of penance during Lent. Going to church on Good Friday (there is no Mass) to participate in the Stations of the Cross, reading of The Passion or going to Veneration is an all day process which includes fasting and abstinence.

So sports on any day is fine and the choice to watch it or attend a religious service on days where it is encouraged or required to do so is a personal one and to me not subject to judgment by me.

[GoMuskies]

Xavier is playing in Hawaii on Christmas Day this year.

[vee4xu]

Xavier is playing in Hawaii on Christmas Day this year.

Great point.

[bobbiemcgee]

Why is opening day on a freaking weekday anyway? Wouldn't it be a much bigger party on Saturday?

Maybe the owners are Amazing Jews.:o

[PM Thor]

The fact that it's on a religious holiday has absolutely no relevance. Findlay Market even stated it as such.

It's one of the biggest sales days for the market on the year. People swamp that place for their Easter meals, and to have it shut down on that day for the parade would be a pretty big hit economically to the market. I can see why they are a little freaked about it. That weekend is the vicarious launch to their season, and to have the parade shut them down for half of it wouldn't exactly be good for business.

And I love the market. Shop there all the time. Great fresh food, great people.

I HATE dayton.

[Strange Brew]

Guess this will be an opening day I won't watch. No big deal though, I can catch the recap locally or on espn the next day.

[GoMuskies]

I'm sure a lot of Cincinnati area churches will schedule Opening Day friendly Good Friday services to accomodate the baseball fans.

[Kahns Krazy]

If people are praying the steps in the upper deck, it's going to be really hard for the beer vendors to get around. Think about that, MLB.

[American X]

Baseball is a secular event and Good Friday is a Christian religious event.

You trying to say Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?

[bobbiemcgee]

Instead of Hot Dogs, they're planning fish stix. Also, members of the 75-76 team will be depicted on the Stations of the Cross around the stadium.:eek:

[spazzrico]

"..the only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the Church of Baseball."

-Annie Savoy

[GoMuskies]

Instead of Hot Dogs, they're planning fish stix. Also, members of the 75-76 team will be depicted on the Stations of the Cross around the stadium.:eek:

Really just Pete Rose, let's be honest. With A. Bartlett Giamatti as Pontius Pilate.

[bobbiemcgee]

Really just Pete Rose, let's be honest. With A. Bartlett Giamatti as Pontius Pilate.

John Dowd as the guard with the spear in the side.

[Emp]

Why is opening day on a freaking weekday anyway? Wouldn't it be a much bigger party on Saturday?

Weekend games, especially in April, are much easier to sell tickets than an evening weekday game. Cincinnatians essentially will show up in a snowstorm for Opening Day midweek day game, so it is foolish, from the Reds (and MLB) points of view, to schedule it for a weekend.

Im wondering if the Reds are trying to wrest control of the parade away from the Market?

Im not in Cincinnati, but opening day 2012 is already announced??

[nuts4xu]

I assume we are not the first game of the National League schedule?

This is a bigger sin than having the game on Good Friday.

[SixFig]

You guys are all missing the big picture: we'll all be hungover from the Xavier National Championship Parade on Holy Thursday so it won't matter what goes on on Good Friday

[drudy23]

I assume we are not the first game of the National League schedule?

This is a bigger sin than having the game on Good Friday.

Not only are we not the first game...the team we play, the Miami Marlins (dumb), opens up two days before on a Wednesday.

However, the Reds having the first game was taken away a few years ago by MLB...we do, however, always get to open at home.

[Porkopolis]

Im wondering if the Reds are trying to wrest control of the parade away from the Market?

Im not in Cincinnati, but opening day 2012 is already announced??

The Reds aren't trying to take control of the parade at all. It is MLB who makes the schedule, not the Reds. The club gets very little input. As for Opening Day already being announced, the entire MLB schedule has been released already (it always comes out around this time).

[Fred Garvin 2.0]

Didn't they move the Patriots-Jets gametime from 1 PM to 4 PM last year because of Yom Kippur? If a greedy corporate league like the NFL can make such a change, I don't see why MLB couldn't move Cincy's game from Friday to Holy Thursday.



This year was the first time Opening Day came on a Thursday/Friday, but your point was one of the reasons why the Reds celebrated their first Saturday game as Opening Night - they had close to a sellout (if not a sellout itself) for their first night game which happened to be a Saturday night.Then again, was there much uproar back in 1997 when the Women's Final 4 was hosted in Cincinnati (by Xavier, no less) on Good Friday and Easter Sunday? Smaller crowds, yes, but also a similar conflict in terms of holydays.

And they traditionally had a huge dropoff from Opening Day to "Opening Night."

[Kahns Krazy]

Weekend games, especially in April, are much easier to sell tickets than an evening weekday game. Cincinnatians essentially will show up in a snowstorm for Opening Day midweek day game, so it is foolish, from the Reds (and MLB) points of view, to schedule it for a weekend.

Im wondering if the Reds are trying to wrest control of the parade away from the Market?

Im not in Cincinnati, but opening day 2012 is already announced??

The Reds sell very few tickets (if any) to opening day as a single game ticket. They package it with other games in partial season ticket packages. The value of opening day to the Reds is much more than one weekday game vs. one weekend game.

[Fred Garvin 2.0]

The Reds sell very few tickets (if any) to opening day as a single game ticket. They package it with other games in partial season ticket packages. The value of opening day to the Reds is much more than one weekday game vs. one weekend game.

this is true. they do the same with the Indians series. the trend is toward flex pricing. they wanna leverage those premier games to sell packages. season ticket sales is the center of the sports universe and especiallys so in a sport that has an inventory of 81 home games.

also, no idea why i'm punctuating like e.e. cummngs.

[vee4xu]

I assume we are not the first game of the National League schedule?

This is a bigger sin than having the game on Good Friday.

Word. I am not even a Reds fan and I think it's blasphemy that they are not still the first game of the year. That is a lost tradition that should have been maintained. Baseball is god on earth and should be left to tradition like the Bible.

For the record and on another note, I think that Pete Rose is not one of God's better attempts at human creation, but it is also blasphemy that he is not being adored in the heaven of baseball players, Cooperstown, NY.

[BandAid]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ne5Lb2SiFHg/Spbijr2fmXI/AAAAAAAAkXQ/0NY7PrrP-Lo/s400/indy02.jpg

Only the penitent man shall pass

http://www.bikudo.com/photo_stock/84046.jpg

[paulxu]

I think it's blasphemy that they are not still the first game of the year. That is a lost tradition that should have been maintained.

The first sign of the apocalypse was the introduction of the DH.

[X-band '01]

this is true. they do the same with the Indians series. the trend is toward flex pricing. they wanna leverage those premier games to sell packages. season ticket sales is the center of the sports universe and especiallys so in a sport that has an inventory of 81 home games.

also, no idea why i'm punctuating like e.e. cummngs.

Many teams have tiered pricing for rivalry games and certain teams that are good draws.

The Giants and Cardinals take it to another level with dynamic pricing; prices for each game change on a daily basis based on ticket demand as well as the opponent. The Reds have talked about possibly switching over to dynamic pricing for 2012, but I haven't heard any official announcement as to whether or not that's going to happen.

[spazzrico]

The first sign of the apocalypse was the introduction of the DH.

At least Astroturf is gone.

[Fireball]

I actually like the idea of the Reds opening on a Friday. It makes for a great opening weekend of watching baseball, and I've always hated the off day for the Reds the day after Opening Day. You get all hyped up for baseball and the first game, and then there's the letdown the day after with no Reds game.

That being said, I completely understand the issues with Finday Market, and I would think that MLB would work with the Reds to help preserve the traditional Opening Day festivities here. Of course, this is Bud Selig we're talking about, and he does whatever he can to crap all over Cincinnati.

As far as Opening Day being on Good Friday, I have no issues with it.

[X-band '01]

Opening Day Update - Cinti Enquirer (http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111115/SPT04/311150089)

Catholics no longer have to worry - Opening Day has been moved up to Thursday the 5th (Holy Thursday). It also appears that this will work for Findlay Market and the Opening Day Parade as well.

[LutherRackleyRulez]

1st pitch @ 4:10 PM....

going to be lots of loaded fans by then!!!:D:eek:


Will Albert P. Mark B. & Jose R. be playing for the Marlins????

The Marlins new unis suck!!!


http://www.sun-sentinel.com/media/photo/2011-11/66030361.jpg

[X-band '01]

That's okay Luther - how pissed can all 3,000 of the Marlin fans really get?

On the other hand, imagine if they do convince Pujols to sign with them for 2012.


Sent from my iPhone

[SixFig]

1st pitch @ 4:10 PM....

going to be lots of loaded fans by then!!!:D:eek:


Will Albert P. Mark B. & Jose R. be playing for the Marlins????

The Marlins new unis suck!!!





http://www.sun-sentinel.com/media/photo/2011-11/66030361.jpg



Gay fish ya'll

https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQt000riBYysE81_1J_AmoaSpAWWH1NN 9M8ejWxfGC6ShbEkgWd

[xeus]

Opening Day Update - Cinti Enquirer (http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111115/SPT04/311150089)

Catholics no longer have to worry - Opening Day has been moved up to Thursday the 5th (Holy Thursday). It also appears that this will work for Findlay Market and the Opening Day Parade as well.

Prior to the first pitch, in the spirit of Holy Thursday, Bob Castellini will be washing Joey Votto's feet.

[Jumpy]

That was a classy move by the Marlins. I'm not exactly sure why MLB needed the permission of one of it's teams to change another's schedule, but at least the Marlins were nice enough to concede.