© Kelley L Cox | 2020 Sep 30
The Oakland A’s are upset.
After finishing with the second best record in the American League, MLB decided to give the A’s and White Sox a Noon start time for every game of their three game series at the Oakland Coliseum. Doing so means the players and coaches have to wake up far earlier than they normally would, and be at the park for a 9 a.m. batting practice.
“I mean we’re waking up at, what, 6:30, 7 o’clock in the morning for these fucking games?” A’s outfielder Ramon Laureano told reporters. “But I mean, you just got to take it and you know, what I do, is just go to sleep at 7:30 p.m. I try to fall asleep at 7:30 or 8 p.m. It’s just an adjustment.”
He wasn’t the only one.
“I think it’s horse shit,” pitcher Jake Diekman said. “I’m sorry, but we’re the second seed and we play three noon games in a row, that’s terrible. Sorry about interrupting you, but I had to get that off my chest.”
It seems there is a belief among the A’s that part of earning the No. 2 seed in the AL should grant them a more traditional start, like the fifth seeded MLB darling Yankees, who started each of their games vs. the Cleveland at 7 p.m. ET.
“It’s really no difference, but it’s just getting your body, ready to go, I think now the third game we’re all used to it from the first and second game, but I think we’re probably used to it by now,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.
“Do I think it’s fair? Not really. Do I think it stinks? Yeah, a little bit. But that’s the time slots we had. If we want better time slots then we win today and we’re basically guaranteed that.”
