The Rangers' three-game series with the Astros, which was scheduled to run today through Thursday at Minute Maid Park, has been moved to Tropicana Field after "massive flooding left much of Houston under water," according to Stefan Stevenson of the FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM. The Rangers "offered to host the series at Globe Life Park where the Astros would play as the home team and earn all the revenue." The Astros "wanted the Rangers to flip this week’s series scheduled for Houston with the three-game series scheduled for Arlington Sept. 25-27." But that would have "left Rangers’ ticket holders for those games barely 24 hours to make arrangements to attend games this week." After the league announced the series was being moved to Florida, Astros President of Business Operations Reid Ryan "issued a statement that some took as a veiled shot at the Rangers." But Rangers President of Baseball Operations & GM Jon Daniels "defended the club’s stance" despite a "slew of criticism" on social media last night. Daniels said that the Rangers "weren’t trying to force getting three extra games at home." They were "concerned simply switching the series would be unfair to their ticket holders." Daniels said that the site of a baseball game in light of the ongoing natural disaster was "not the club’s priority" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 8/29).
BACK AND FORTH: Daniels: "We talked about a variety of options with Major League Baseball and the Astros directly. As the visiting club, we're kind of the third party to the final decision. The home team, ultimately, it's their call." In Ft. Worth, Jeff Wilson reports the Rangers "weren't as open" as the Astros were to the "idea of swapping series." The Rangers "didn't want to be faced with a 12-game road trip at the end of the season when a playoff spot could be on the line" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 8/29). Meanwhile, Ryan said, "We didn't think that playing six games in Arlington was fair to the competitive balance of the wild-card race, not to mention that if we're not able to play our games in Houston against the Mets that we would be having another trip" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 8/29). In Tampa, Marc Topkin notes tickets for the Rangers-Astros games "will be $10 with general admission seating in the lower bowl (excluding premium areas)." There will be "limited concessions available." Fans will be encouraged to "make donations to the hurricane relief via redcross.org." MLB is "expected to reimburse the Rays for their expenses and staffing costs" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 8/29).
EXTENDED STAY? In Houston, Jake Kaplan reports the Astros' three-game series against the Mets that starts Friday also "likely will shift to Tropicana Field, though no final determination" has been made yet. Ryan said that the Astros "probably would know" by tomorrow where they will "play this weekend's series" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 8/29). MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal said if the Astros do end up playing their series with the Mets at Tropicana Field, they will have played "19 straight games on the road." Rosenthal: "Against the backdrop of what is happening in their city, that is a minor thing but at the same time, it does complicate things for a team that has been among the best, if not the best in the American League all season" (“MLB Now,” MLB Network, 8/28).
HAVE A HEART: In Houston, Jenny Dial Creech writes of the Rangers-Astros series moving to Tropicana Field, "This is a shameful and classless move by the Rangers." An entire city is "going through one of the worst disasters imaginable." Creech: "Just step up and help in some small way -- like by switching your schedule around and making life convenient for a team from Houston." It is a "real disappointment that the Rangers organization couldn't step up and make this easy on Houston" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 8/29). NBC Sports Bay Area’s Ray Ratto said of the Rangers, “You have somebody who is not in danger and it's a simple matter of, ‘Sure, we'll open the gates, we'll give you the money and we could play the three games for charity.’ Instead, it’s, ‘No, we're not doing that because our pennant chances, which are nonexistent, could hang in the balance.’ Shame on the Rangers for that” (“The Happy Hour,” NBCS Bay Area, 8/28). USA TODAY's Andrew Joseph wrote "putting the interests of slightly inconvenienced Rangers fans over helping a team from a city full of people dealing with real problems came off as incredibly tone deaf." It is "not a good look, and for that, the Rangers are hearing it" (USATODAY.com, 8/28).
TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY: SI.com's Gabriel Baumgaertner writes, "While the logic makes plenty of business sense for the Rangers, it still feels like a tone-deaf response to a desperate situation." But while the Rangers will "look like the villain, it remains confusing why the Astros didn’t accept playing the series in Arlington with the condition that they were the home team" (SI.com, 8/29). In Dallas, Evan Grant writes MLB is a "multi-billion dollar industry," meaning "nothing is simple about it." Baseball is "about maintaining the integrity of the schedule and the keeping the playing field as level as possible for everybody." Keeping things as "equal as possible for everybody is hard; keeping everybody happy is impossible." What the Rangers "wouldn't do ... was sacrifice their own home schedule." If the "sole idea is charity and compassion for another community, then none of this is going to carry much weight in Houston." But this is "simply about scheduling and the championship season." Grant: "Swapping series would have made the Rangers' long odds to reach the playoffs even longer" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/29).
TWITTER REAX: Social media reaction to the relocation news placed some blame on Rangers, with Astros P Lance McCullers Jr. writing the team should be “absolutely shamed." The Houston Chronicle's Creech: "Wow. ... Real classy, Rangers." Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams: "Rangers come out of this looking awful. Some things are bigger than sports." The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram's Clarence Hill Jr.: "Rangers should have made the simple switch. end of story." But the Wall Street Journal's Jared Diamond wrote, "Lost in all the Rangers-Astros mudslinging: This arrangement is better for the Astros. They now can play two straight series at Tampa Bay." Astros radio broadcaster Robert Ford: "The right thing is to not worry about where the Astros play. Hopefully, the games will be a respite from suffering & frustration for some."
