Rangers’ Efforts To Beat The Heat Will Delay M’S
The last All-Stars to arrive in Philadelphia Monday will be Mariners and Rangers - because they’ll be the only players working late tonight.
And if that’s not bad enough, the scheduled night game in Texas will mean both Mariners and Rangers who had planned to use the three-day All-Star break to get home will be getting a late start.
“There’s no way to get out of here after the game (tonight),” manager Lou Piniella said, “so I’ll leave for Florida early Monday, then fly from Florida to Seattle early Wednesday. It’s a little shorter than I’d have liked, but we didn’t make the schedule.”
No, in this case, the Rangers did, with the approval of the American League. In Texas, they don’t play day games in the summer.
Why not? It’s hard to get the charred flesh off the plastic seats.
A year ago, stadium operators at the Ballpark in Arlington took a little test in July and August - measuring the temperatures of unshaded seats during the hours day games would be played.
One test was taken on a day when the air temperature was 105 degrees. The temperature of the seats in the sun was 122 degrees. The thought of Mr. and Mrs. Fan walking down the aisle to their front-row seats and plunking their Bermuda-clad fannies on sizzling plastic brought to the Rangers’ minds massive lawsuits.
So they don’t play day games in Texas.
“It’s a pain in the butt to have to fly home Monday instead of (tonight),” said Norm Charlton, who will head for his Texas ranch. “But it’s probably better than trying to play baseball in 108 degree temperatures in the afternoon.”
Those Mariners flying back to Seattle with the team figure to leave the Dallas airport around midnight. They will not be back in Arlington this season.
“If it’s hotter in August than it is in July, I’m just as glad we’re not coming back,” Piniella said.
Notable
The 42 doubles that Edgar Martinez had hit in his first 83 games this season was the third highest total in franchise history - and the two single-season totals still ahead of him are his own. Edgar had a club-record 52 doubles last season and 46 doubles in 1992… . Though third baseman Russ Davis is out for the season with a broken leg, his off-season has already been scheduled. He’ll go to Florida for at last one month and maybe more, working out three days a week with batting coach Lee Elia and Piniella. “He basically has the same problem (Paul) Sorrento had this spring, he’s not getting to the pitch out in front, he’s back on his back foot,” Piniella said. “Sorrento is a veteran, and he took to what we asked him to try. This fall, we’re going to do the same with Davis.” … Add Elia: In Philadelphia for his mother’s funeral, Elia was told by the team to take the remainder of the first half off and rejoin the team in Seattle next week… . A year ago at the All-Star break, the Mariners’ record was 34-35, and they were five games behind California and Texas in the American League West.