Milwaukee Brewers General Manager David Stearns and Manager Craig Counsell accused the Chicago Cubs of having ulterior motives Saturday when the Cubs cancelled the game almost two hours before the scheduled starting time at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Stearns and Counsell said they believe the game was called too soon, pointing out that the rain stopped and the sun even came out later in afternoon.
"It's the first time for us we had players treated for sunburn after a rainout," Counsell said jokingly, before turning more serious. "You think when there's no rain, you expect there to be a game. [The Cubs] know what's going on, so the theory should come from them. Because they know what's going on."
Neither Stearns nor Counsell would say what motivation the Cubs might have for postponing the game, but Stearns noted that the home team controls decisions over the weather before game time. After games begin, authority shifts to the umpires.
"They told us that their weather forecast indicated our game was not going to be able to be played," Stearns said "Our weather forecast didn't indicate that."
It's possible that the Cubs didn't want to leave Saturday's decision in the hands of the umpires and crew chief Jeff Kellogg, at least that's what Cubs Manager Joe Maddon hinted at after Friday's weather-impeded 6-3 loss to the Brewers.
Maddon made it clear that he didn't agree with playing Friday's game in 40-degree temperatures, whipping wind and intermittent rain.
"I don't know what the next level is that causes a game to not be played," Maddon said, pointing to a 2008 World Series game in Philadelphia, played in adverse conditions, that Kellogg was involved. "It just seems that when he and I get together, the weather gets bad."
Maddon made it a point to defend left fielder Kyle Schwarber, who dropped a fly ball that ended up getting blown into the infield.
It was the final play before the umpires called for a rain delay that lasted nearly two hours.
"That play should have never happened," Maddon said. "That's a perfect example. That's why they pulled the tarp. When a play like that occurs, it points in the direction that the conditions weren't baseball-esque."
Stearns didn't buy Maddon's explanation that even though the weather turned out OK on Saturday, it can be very difficult to predict, especially on the north side of Chicago.
"If that's true, I'm even more confused as to why it was called so early, if the weather here is truly that tough to predict," he said. "It seems like it would have made a lot more sense to wait and see what actually happened with the weather. If there were other reasons the game was called, that's something that MLB should look into."
The Brewers might want MLB to look into Sunday's game, as well. The Cubs beat the Brewers, 13-6.
Sideline chatter
From Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times:
• Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard was pulled over in Dunwoody, Ga., for going 95 mph in a 65-mph zone. His lawyers plan to put up an unusual defense: He wasn't in the lane for three seconds.
• Some 25 NFL teams have purchased the ZERO1 helmet from Seattle-based Vicis for testing in offseason practices this spring. Insiders say it'll be the league's biggest helmet breakthrough since Mel Kiper's hairdo.
• Blue Jays outfielder Darrell Ceciliani landed on the disabled list after he partially dislocated his left shoulder -- while hitting a home run.
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Tampa Bay Rays
Sports on 05/22/2017