it’s not a good way to start the season by adding in two extra exhibition games, on top of the WBC. I don’t like this. Why do they have to do it right before the regular season starts? Can’t they do it in mid-March when exhibition games are supposed to be played?

I just posted this (in a soon to be deleted fan post). I think its great. This is a prime time series that we as fans should really enjoy. For the past few years we’ve played games against cactus league opponents, be it in Vegas or Chase Field. I imagine we’ll see a lot of starters get an extra travel day, not playing the Cactus League finale. I also imagine we’ll see only the two starting pitchers scheduled to throw in NY actually make the trip.

This would be a fun one, I think, for fans in general but particularly for me, as I’ve been to a lot of games at the old Yankee Stadium but don’t get to see the Cubs play very often, and I live pretty close to Yankee Stadium.

OTOH, it’s not clear if many of the regulars will play, and ticket prices could go pretty high.

(I, like dmlichte, also just posted, in an already-deleted FanPost.)

… at almost precisely the same time I did.

…but I remember going to an exhibition game in Wrigley the day before the season started against Milwaukee (? when they were still in the AL). Unseasonably warm day for the first of April. 1990 or so?

Anyway, I’m surprised they don’t do more of this type of stuff. Weather permitting, of course.

I seriously doubt that anyone else will be. Isn’t the idea of the exhibition season to prepare for the regular season? Why make everyone take two four-hour plane flights just so that the Yankees can fill their coffers? What if they make the trip and the games are rained out — do they still get a guarantee?

I at least hope that the guys get frequent flier miles and first class meals. The Yankees could have invited the world champion Phillies who train in Florida and open at home a mere 90 miles away.

this reminds me of going to Japan to play. Nice trip, neat experience, but what does it do for your ball club? Nothin. The negatives outweigh the positives. The Vegas thing wasn’t bad. Playing the D’Backs in Phoenix for an exhibition was the best.

This is an awful lot of complaining for adding in about 4 hours of flying time for the players total. The flight to New York will be about 3 hours longer but the flight to Houston will only be about 1 hour longer. With the game starting at 12:05 Central, the team should be in Houston by 9 or 10PM. Then they have a full day off in Houston and the game doesn’t start until the the next day at 7:05. Last year they probably got to Chicago at about the same time, had a day off and had to start at 1:20. I just can’t figure out for the life of me how this could possibly affect the team.

…the Yankees decided to ask the Cubs? They’re not exactly an obvious / natural pairing. They’re both historic teams, but there are several of those, including some that are more natural opponents to the Yankees. Maybe it’s that it’s the two historic teams with the biggest fan bases? And ratings are king… (though really, it’s the opening of a new stadium for the Yankees. I’m pretty sure ratings wouldn’t be an issue no matter what).

The other connection I can think of is that Ruth’s called shot was (of course) against the Cubs, so maybe it’s a way of hinting at the Ruth Era and tying it to the new ballpark…

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone heard an official explanation of how it all came about. Obviously there are reasons. But when I first heard it, my first reaction wasn’t “Oh, cool.” It was more of a “Huh? Why?”.

…that they still play the same number of spring games. I was guessing these were in lieu of the Vegas games or if they still play the Vegas games, then those are in lieu of two regular spring training games. I don’t think we know defiinitively that they’re playing 2 extra games. The schedule is different this year but usually they only have off day during spring training. So if they are playing 2 extra games then they’d be squeezed in somewhere on the spring training schedule. So big deal, just play the minor leaguers.

If anyone hasn’t already seen this…..

I’m proud that we’ll be able to open the house that George built with two straight yankee losses….. even if it never goes in the books.

Exorbitant ticket prices & federally funded municipal bonds to build this temple to the baseball gods! Puh-lease!

I’m interested in seeing how the Cubby’s fan base travels to New York.

As for the players traveling…Cowboy the $!%@ up and play ball! This economy is still gonna be in the $hitter come baseball season and I don’t want to hear any crying from the players about traveling when they get all of this money to play a sport.

$$$

I wonder what the Cubs Organization gets for these 2 games