Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers feuding again – for ridiculous reason

The Milwaukee Brewers have no reason to object the Chicago Cubs’ decision to change the start time of an upcoming game between the two clubs.

Thursday, the Chicago Cubs announced a change to the start time for a home game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, Sept. 8. Originally scheduled for a 1:20 p.m. start, the Cubs announced that the game will now start at 7:05 p.m.

With the time change, the Cubs are still under their limit of 47 night events at Wrigley Field, which includes concerts. This will be the first regular season Friday night game in Wrigley Field’s history.

New start time makes sense for Cubs

The Cubs have asked the city to relax this rule in the past to no avail, though the city made an exception due to the playoff ramifications of the game. Entering Friday, the Brewers are just 3.5 games back of the first place Cubs, something Mayor Rahm Emanuel is well aware of.

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"“With the Cubs in the thick of the pennant race, we’re going to make sure the Cubs can focus on doing what they need to do: winning ballgames and bringing another World Series back to Chicago,” Emanuel said."

In addition to the game’s playoff ramifications, the time changed was made due to the fact that the Cubs play a game in Pittsburgh Thursday night. With the late start Thursday and the flight back to Chicago after, Cubs players would get little sleep before Friday’s game.

Playing day games at Wrigley Field (regardless of playing road night games the day before or not) is nothing new. However, the Cubs clearly want to be as rested as can be before playing important games against the Brewers.

While the Cubs are in favor of the game’s time switch, the Brewers “vigorously objected” the switch. The Brewers felt the schedule should remain the same for “competitive reasons,” according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Tom Haudricourt.

On the one hand, one could argue that the Brewers argument makes some sense. As Haudricourt says, schedule changes are rare. Changing one game’s start time for what seems to be to be competitive reasons is rather unprecedented in the MLB.

Time switch has no negative impact

On the other hand, the Brewers “vigorously objecting” the time switch is quite the dramatic reaction. Majority of Friday MLB games (besides Cubs home games) are played at night. The time switch is nothing drastic; really, the switch normalizes the game for the Brewers while also allowing the Cubs to receive ample rest.

Not only does the switch normalize the game for the Brewers, but it also puts them at zero disadvantage whatsoever. Milwaukee plays Wednesday at 11:35 a.m. CT and does not play Thursday. If anything, it allows them to sleep in Friday, rather than waking up early to get to the ballpark.

If the Cubs had Thursday off, changed Friday’s start time from the night to the afternoon after Milwaukee played Thursday night, they would be putting the Brewers at a disadvantage. This is not the case, though, as no team is gaining an advantage, as ESPN’s Jesse Rogers notes.

Ultimately, the Brewers are not negatively impacted by the time switch in any way. While they surely would rather play an unrested Cubs team rather than a rested one, no game is a guarantee.

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Truly, assuming that the Cubs are at a disadvantage by playing Friday in the day rather than at night is unfair. “Vigorously” objecting the time switch is a dramatic and unnecessary reaction. The Brewers can object all they want, but the show must go on, whether they like the decision or not.