MLB has postponed tonight's White Sox-Orioles game at Camden Yards amid the ongoing riots in Baltimore around the death of Freddie Gray. Last night's scheduled game also was postponed. A make-up date for the two games will be announced at a future date (THE DAILY). In Baltimore, Eduardo Encina notes Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has "enacted a week-long 10 p.m. curfew starting today because of violence in the city," and the Orioles even late this morning "were still considering a number of options, including playing at 4 p.m. today at Camden Yards" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 4/28). ESPN's Buster Olney said the "No. 1 priority absolutely on the part of Major League Baseball and the Orioles are the safety of the folks who would be around Camden Yards if there were to be a game: fans, people who work at the ballpark, the players from both teams obviously." Olney: "You would assume that’s the reason why they’re not playing today, because they feel like they can’t assure the safety of those people. Making the decision early this morning buys them some time to consider all of their alternatives moving forward in terms of trying to make sure -- and this is certainly not nearly as important as the safety of fans and the players -- that the Orioles and any team that they’re playing don't get backed up in their schedules so much that they have repeated double-headers” ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 4/28).
LOOKING AT OTHER PLAYING OPTIONS: The SUN's Encina reports the Orioles' homestand that goes through this weekend is "in doubt" with the ongoing violence, and MLB "suggested the Orioles could play games elsewhere." Manfred, who yesterday was "visiting Camden Yards by coincidence," acknowledged that Nationals Park "could be an option." He said that the decision to postpone last night's game "was made to ensure everyone’s safety." Manfred: "We feel like we made the decision that will provide us the greatest possible security in terms of protecting the fans, the players, the umpires, everybody involved in the game." Encina notes the team "strongly prefers to find a way to play the games in Baltimore before pursuing relocating games to alternate locations." The Orioles "had been monitoring riots that began" yesterday afternoon about five miles from the ballpark, and the team "kept in contact with Baltimore police throughout the day." After consulting with the police department and when the group of rioters "moved south toward downtown, the game was postponed about 45 minutes before the scheduled first pitch" (Baltimore SUN, 4/28). Manfred said Orioles Owner Peter Angelos had been "in contact with all the relevant local officials," and by the time the two talked, it was "very clear to me that the only available option ... was to postpone the game.” Manfred: "The easiest alternative from our perspective would be to keep the games in Baltimore and see if it's feasible to play them as day games. We're exploring all of those possibilities" ("Baseball Tonight," ESPN2, 4/27).
THE RIGHT CALL: In Baltimore, Peter Schmuck wrote there is "little question the Orioles made the right decision" in not playing last night, as there were "indications that the rioting in Baltimore was moving toward Camden Yards." Club officials, along with Manfred, "acted properly to cancel the game and send fans home before they might encounter any danger" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 4/27). CSNBALTIMORE.com's Rich Dubroff noted as reports of looting yesterday "became more intense and businesses closer to the ballpark were ransacked, tensions rose." Camden Yards' gates typically "are scheduled to open two hours before the game's start," but just two opened last night, including a "heavily policed" gate in the outfield. The situation "was much different than on Saturday." Then, a "near capacity crowd was expected, but thousands couldn't get to the ballpark because of demonstrations nearby" (CSNBALTIMORE.com, 4/27). The SUN's Schmuck notes Manfred's presence at the ballpark "might have served as a catalyst after the team opened the stadium gates and admitted a small number of fans." While some people "may wonder why the Orioles didn't do the same thing over weekend," the circumstances then "were much different" (Baltimore SUN, 4/28).
LEAGUE-WIDE IMPACT: In Chicago, Colleen Kane notes White Sox Senior VP & GM Rick Hahn "supported the decision not to play." He said that his team "is 'flexible' as to how the games will be made up." Hahn: "The most important thing is the safety of the fans and players so we’re going to do whatever it takes to come up with the best and safest solution. There certainly are far greater priorities than playing one baseball game" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/28). An MLB spokesperson said of possibly moving the White Sox series to DC, "We simply have not gotten that far." The Nationals "are out of town until May 4" and this series marks the White Sox' "only scheduled trip to Baltimore" this season (WASHINGTON POST, 4/28). ESPN's Tim Kurkjian said the "tricky part is the White Sox are in Minnesota on Thursday when the Orioles are off, so they can't play on Thursday. They're not going to play a doubleheader tomorrow or the next day if they can get games in. There's a chance the White Sox are coming back in May -- there's a mutual off day so they could play that in Baltimore in May -- but it creates a tricky spot." Meanwhile, ESPN's Karl Ravech noted the "investigation into what has led to this protest is apparently coming out on Friday, and the Orioles are supposed to be home through the weekend. Depending on the results of the investigation into the case, that could create more protests" ("Baseball Tonight," ESPN2, 4/27). In Tampa, Marc Topkin notes the Rays are "scheduled to travel to Baltimore Thursday afternoon" for a weekend series. Players and staff after last night's game at Yankee Stadium "were briefed" about the situation by Travel Dir Chris Westmoreland (TAMPABAY.com, 4/28).
MY CITY OF RUINS: MLB.com's Richard Justice wrote sports execs "simply do not speak the way" Orioles Exec VP John Angelos did on Saturday in a series of tweets. Justice: "They see it as too risky, too polarizing. They play it down the middle, saying something without really saying anything. And so this was the exception." Baseball has "long prided itself on being a social institution, on standing for the right thing and attempting to do the right thing." Angelos spoke "against this backdrop." He is a "son of Baltimore, a lifelong resident who appreciates its beauty and admires its grit and tenacity." He "loves it deeply and cares about it profoundly." And so this latest incident "was personal" (MLB.com, 4/27). MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli said, “I’ve been impressed by how much the Orioles have paid attention to what’s been going on. ... This whole city really seems like it’s under siege” (“OTL,” ESPN, 4/27).
