Can Baltimore's Birds Work It Out?

Traditionally, the defending Super Bowl champs get to host the opening game of the new season. But, as we've seen in the past,  things don't always go smoothly between Baltimore and the NFL....

This year's opening game was originally scheduled for the evening of Thursday, September 5. But as luck would have it, the Orioles also have a home game scheduled for the same night. One might ask, "What's the big deal? Don't they play in different stadiums?" Although the days of Baltimore's football/baseball teams sharing the same stadium are long gone, the parking lots are still shared between the teams. Thus, the problem.

So, would can be done about it? Of course, the Orioles could simply reschedule their game, perhaps even moving it to an early afternoon game on September 5. But as luck would have it, the Oriole's have a night game scheduled in Cleveland the night before. Taking a late flight back to Baltimore would give the team little time to rest for an early game on Thursday. And although it doesn't should like a big deal to you or me, it's viewed as a competitive disadvantage by the Orioles. If it were like most recent years where the O's are in the basement of the AL East by the All-Star break, it probably wouldn't be that big of a deal. However, after last year's successful season, the Orioles expect to be in the thick of the pennant race come September.

The idea of canceling the Oriole's Thursday night game has also been brought up. They could then play a double-header on Friday. As an incentive to reschedule, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has even offered to compensate the Oriole's for any lost revenue. But the O's have yet to comment.

To complicate matters even more, the Orioles happen to be playing the White Sox on the day in question. Chicago also plays a night game the night before and will be taking a late flight into Baltimore. So, they would be impacted in any rescheduling as well.

I find it amazing that many people around Baltimore are criticizing the Orioles for not accommodating the Ravens. Are you kidding me? Let's be clear here, this is not the Oriole's problem. So, I think it's really unfair to expect them to automatically jump through hoops to alleviate this situation.

Although I think it's the NFL's sole responsibility to find an amiable solution in this case, here's an idea that might help eliminate this scenario in the future. Perhaps MLB could schedule a "flexible date" on the NFL's traditional opening night?

Next suggestion.....

How about we just move the Ravens game up to Wednesday night? After all, the NY Giants kicked off the 2012 season on Wednesday due to scheduling conflict with last year's Democratic National Convention. But the NFL has frowned on playing the game on Wednesday because of Rosh Hashanah. It's funny how the NFL gets politically correct all of sudden. They didn't seem to have any issues playing games on Christmas a few years ago.

Now, the NFL is looking at the possibility of scheduling a road game for the Ravens on opening night. It hardly seems fair to ask the Super Bowl champs play on another team's stage to open up the new season. Sure, it has a little to do with drama and flair. But it has more to do with respect. The Ravens were underestimated throughout the playoffs last season. We heard all of the reasons we they couldn't beat Indianapolis, Denver, New England and ultimately San Francisco. So, although I don't entirely blame the NFL, I think it's fitting that the "disrespect" would carry over into the new season.

A perfect scenario, in my opinion, would be a Orioles/Ravens twi-night doubleheader. I think it would be great for the fans and the city. The expanded media coverage would put both teams in the spotlight. However, to make this happen, it will definitely take some tweaking and compromise. Hopefully, all parties involved can come to a mutually acceptable agreement. But one thing's for sure....the road to Super Bowl XLVIII must begin in Baltimore!

kw