MLB this season made it mandatory for all teams to install metal detectors for pregame screening, and Commissioner Rob Manfred yesterday said that the new protocol is the "direct result of edicts from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security," according to John Lott of the NATIONAL POST. Manfred yesterday attended the Blue Jays' home opener, where "many Blue Jays fans, especially those with seats in the upper deck, were conspicuously absent at gametime." The upper deck "began to fill" by the second inning. Asked whether he was concerned about the fans' frustrations over the new delays, Manfred said, "We always are concerned about every aspect of the fan experience. It is the single most important issue that we deal with on a day-to-day basis" (NATIONAL POST, 4/14). In Toronto, Joe Warmington notes thousands of fans, thanks to security measures, "had to wait out in the rain." It was a "perfect storm in Toronto with almost 50,000 people at the first game and a rigid response to the situation." Warmington: "This goes down for me as one of the worst ways I have ever seen fans being treated in this town" (TORONTO SUN, 4/14).
HEAVY METAL: In Pittsburgh, Michael Fuoco notes the first use of 44 metal detectors at PNC Park's five gates "didn't cause long lines -- and missed first pitches -- despite a record regular-season crowd of 39,933." Even 15 minutes before the 1:35pm ET start, there were "no lines to get inside as fans breezed through the screening." As the National Anthem played and there was a "crush of late arrivers, lines grew to 25 people deep, but even at that, it took only about two minutes to get inside" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 4/14). In Denver, Laura Keeney noted many Rockies fans "were frustrated" on Friday's home opener "before the game even started." Newly installed metal detectors at Coors Field "caused a backlog of purple-clad fans, causing waits of over an hour to get inside." Consequently, some security officials "ignored the detectors ... to quickly get people inside" (DENVER POST, 4/11).
