‘IT WAS GONNA RAIN!’ Mad Dog Russo Berates MLB for Making Fans Wait Hours in a Downpour Before Calling Off Yankees-Guardians Playoff Game
Christopher ‘Mad Dog’ Russo was not pleased with MLB after they had fans sit in the rain for hours before they postponing Game 5 of the American League Division Series.
Mad Dog was on ESPN’s First Take Tuesday morning — where he voiced his displeasure with Major League Baseball’s decision to postpone Monday night’s contest between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians only after making fans sit in a rainy Yankee Stadium for three hours.
The game was scheduled to start at 7:05, but with rain in the forecast, the league decided to try and wait out the storm. But the rain never subsided, and the league announced at 9:36 p.m. that the game was postponed and moved to Tuesday afternoon.
Due to the extended inclement weather conditions tonight, tonight’s ALDS Game 5 has been postponed and rescheduled for 4:07 p.m. (ET) tomorrow.
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) October 18, 2022
Russo was very critical of MLB’s decision to leave the fans literally out in the cold.
“I did not like the way they handled the rainout last night at Yankee Stadium,” he said. “First off, they knew it was going to rain. The rain was coming at eight-nine and 10:00. They put the tarp on the field at 6:00. They thought there was a window at 9:30.”
Russo explained how ridiculous an idea it was for baseball to think they could start a game so late on a Monday night.
“What are you going to play a playoff game 5 at 9:35 at night on the east coast?” Russo added. “Cancel the game at 5:00 and move on and play the game today. You got obviously a nice day. That bothered me.”
Russo understood the tough situation Major League Baseball was in, but it should have been an easy decision to make at a reasonable time for the fans.
“Listen, it’s a tricky spot; they want to make sure they take care of the network and the fans,” Russo continued. “I understand it’s tricky, but it was gonna rain! Between seven, eight, and nine! What do you want to play at 11:00 at night? That bothered me.”
Co-host Stephen A. Smith agreed with Russo about how MLB dropped the ball on this situation, and the fans suffered.
“I totally agree with you,” Smith said. “It’s not that complicated. You’ve been doing business with networks for years; you should know better.”
Watch above via ESPN.
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