Are you for regular season games, in March, and in Australia?

[sll3454]

Originally Posted by sskink

If and when having to start the season 10 days early and overseas affects my team, then I'll care. Until then, couldn't care a lick.

My teams are the Dodgers and the Mariners, and they've both started overseas already, so now it's my turn to not care.

[tgbwc]

My son was excited that the season is starting this weekend. When I told him that it opened with games already played in Australia, he looked at me with a puzzled look and asked, "Really? Is Australia a whole week ahead of us?".

[Grandstander]

The western hemisphere portion of the season opens this Sunday evening in San Diego, the only game scheduled, the rest start opening on Monday.

The Padres opponent? The Los Angeles Dodgers who have already played two games. LA will have played three games before all but two other teams have played any.

[7express]

Originally Posted by neil0311

I'll admit, I don't like the idea of NFL games in London (despite having attended the Pats game there in 2009). I think exhibition games are fine but regular season games rub me wrong.

Now MLB is getting in the act as the Dodgers and D-backs are playing a regular season game, in March, in Australia. My biggest question is WHY?

I have no issue with a spring training exhibition game in Australia or somewhere outside the US/Canada to increase interest in and exposure of the game. What rubs me wrong is that it's a game that counts and in March, while every other team is still playing spring games.

Do you think it's a good idea?

This was a horrible idea.

So the Dodgers/D'Backs start spring training 3 weeks earlier then any of the other 28 teams team, head half way across the world to play 2 "regular season games" at the end of regular spring training, fly back to the states and then CONTINUE with exhibition games?? What?? Nobody in Australia would've cared if they were exhibition games or not, they were happy to see real baseball. What they should've done is either:
1) Have the games count as exhibition games, and send them over there the first week of the season. Since its only exhibition games, and there's still 6 more weeks of spring training left, its a good compromise: give Australia MLB baseball, but have it far enough early in the spring where teams can get ready for the spring and not have 17 hour jet lag.
2) If you insist on having it be a "real" regular season game make it part of a series like the games in Japan previous years. The Dodgers/D'Backs play a 4 game series with the Diamondbacks the home team: the first 2 games are in Australia Tuesday & Wednesday and the final 2 are back in Phoenix the Tuesday & Wednesday of the following week. In between 0 exhibition games. That way the games count, but you give the teams the rest needed before they start the season. Whenever 2 teams went over to Japan they NEVER played spring training games after they got back, they sat out and continued the series back in the states.