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According to Jeff Blair in the Globe and Mail, the Blue Jays could open the 2004 season in Japan. Paul Godfrey says there's been no formal invitation from MLB to be Ichiro's designated opponent next year, and points out the Yankees, featuring Matsui, would provide the best matchup with the Mariners from a Japanese perspective. My guess? Plans to have a Jays-Yanks series in 2004 leaked out, but soon that will be changed to Seattle-New York, and Toronto may be involved in the European MLB games also being discussed.

The cancellation of this year's mini-series in Tokyo is actually good news for A's fans. Two "home" games that far away, in front of 55,000 fans passionately supporting their opponents, will now be played in front of the Oakland faithful. The rush to prepare and inevitable jet lag might have affected both the A's and M's in the early part of the season. The schedule is back to normal in baseball's best division. Am I the only one who has a hunch that the Mariners weren't as good as their 2001 record or as bad as their 2002 finish? They still look like a 100-win team to me; a healthy Edgar and Randy Winn are nice additions. I'm predicting the World Champion Angels, my darlings as recently as October, to win over 90 games but miss the playoffs.

Posted by Coach on Thursday, March 20 2003 @ 07:00 AM EST.

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_Rutteger - Thursday, March 20 2003 @ 08:38 AM EST (#92852) #

Does this mean that the Jays will have 81 victories by default this year? I mean, if leaving the U.S. during a time of war makes players feel unsafe, then they shouldn't be coming to Skydome. Realistically, Canada is no less dangerous than Japan. I especially don't want to see Kevin Millar play when the Red Sox come to Toronto since he used war as an excuse back out of a contract to play in that hotbed of terrorism--Japan.

_Jordan - Thursday, March 20 2003 @ 12:48 PM EST (#92853) #

I wouldn't at all be sad to see a possible Jays trip to Japan scuttled. The jet lag, long trip, cultural whammy and general disorientation is bad enough for teams like the A's and M's that are on the west coast; for our central Canadian boys, it could be murder. And where, precisely would they be playing in Europe? I'm pretty sure there's no equivalent to the Tokyo Dome -- a major-league quality field and attendant stands -- in the great capitals of Europe, nor would there be more than a handful of locals who gave a flying fandango about baseball. And imagine the reaction the Yankees, say, would get if they travelled to Paris.

Sounds like more of the same from major-league baseball marketing: watch what other sports do (NFL, NBA), then do that, regardless of whether it makes sense in the context of your own game. The Puerto Rico opener a couple years back was good, and the Japan series, while a logistical nightmare, could be defended on the grounds that the Japanese are great baseball fans getting turned on to the North American game. But Europe? Silliness.

Gitz - Thursday, March 20 2003 @ 01:07 PM EST (#92854) #

MLB didn't cancel the trip for security reasons, per se; they didn't want the players away from their families during this time.

There might be fan base in smaller European capitals. I've received e-mails from folks in the Netherlands, on a fairly regularly basis, as well as from the UK and Germany. There are baseball leagues in Europe: Holland and, yes, France for sure, and no doubt other countries. However, given the United States' indifference to the Old World, it's a given baseball would not be recieved well over there, as Jordan points out. And who can blame them?

_bob mong - Thursday, March 20 2003 @ 10:59 PM EST (#92855) #

Am I the only one who has a hunch that the Mariners weren't as good as their 2001 record or as bad as their 2002 finish? They still look like a 100-win team to me; a healthy Edgar and Randy Winn are nice additions.

I share your hunch. Also, I think a sucky Cirillo will be given less time to hang himself, and the team with him, this year. Which can only help.

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