The Yankees Finish On The ROAD Next Year? Whatever Shall We Do?

According to Matt Watson over at The FanHouse, early versions of the 2008 Major League Baseball schedule have the New York Yankees closing out the season on the road against the Boston Red Sox.

The problem? The Yankees are opening a sparkly new stadium in 2009, which means the team will have to play its final game ever in The House That Ruth Built, then go on the road for the rest of the year. (The horror...the horror...)

This whole thing comes as a terrible shock to the Yankees organization, which "had assumed that they would finish the season at home, and...had planned a host of festivities around the event."

Maybe somebody should explain to the Yankees what happens when you ass-u-me something.

And maybe somebody should explain to me why the prospect of finishing a season on the road, even after playing the last game in the history of a truly legendary stadium, is such a terrifying idea for some people. Watson made a good point: unless the Yankees are planning on missing the postseason next year, the season finale won't be the Stadium's final game anyway, so what's the issue?

Look, even as a Red Sox fan, I understand that the Stadium is an amazing place that has been the common factor in generations upon generations of baseball history, from Ruth to Mantle to Jackson to Jeter. I get that, and I appreciate it. But did the Detroit Tigers get upset in 1999 when they played the last game ever in Tiger Stadium on September 27, then had to visit Minnesota and Kansas City after the fact? They would've been well within their rights, right? Tiger Stadium was built in 1912, opened on the same day as Fenway Park (I think), and saw a ton of history through the years. Should the ownership have begged and pleaded with Major League Baseball to switch those series and let them finish up at home?

How about the Chicago White Sox? After eighty years at old Comiskey Park - the oldest park in the majors at the time, having opened in 1910 - they were forced to say goodbye to the old ball yard in September 1990, then take a trip to Boston to finish out the season. Was that fair? Should they have been permitted to switch things around and finagle a favorable ending to their park's history? Or should they have conducted their ceremonies on the day of the season's final home game, trotting out old retired players, thanking fans for their commitment through the years, and remembering the good times they all had there? That's not such a bad idea, is it?

And the Tigers and White Sox didn't even make the postseason those years. When they played their final regular season games in Tiger Stadium and Comiskey Park, that was it, it was over. No Sheridan good-byes for those two landmarks.

The Yankees organization and its fans can complain about this issue until the next schedule comes out (the one with them playing at home for those final three games. We all know the change is forthcoming), but I believe all involved would do well to take the lead from manager Joe Torre, who might have had the most sensible take on the matter:

"The last game here is the last game here; it doesn't necessarily have to be the last game of the year. When you know it's the last game here - whenever that takes place - you know it will be significant."