Mixing Religion and Baseball on a Day of Renewal for All

[cbayer]

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/mixing-religion-and-baseball-on-a-day-of-renewal-for-all/

April 5, 2012, 9:08 AM

By CLYDE HABERMAN
This is the season of renewal and redemption, embodied for many New Yorkers by three events that symbolize those concepts and happen to converge this weekend: Easter, Passover and, yes, the start of the baseball season. All three embody an optimism that is the essence of spring, and rings true for nearly everyone but the most dispirited in our midst, sometimes known as Mets fans.

A glance at the schedule showed that the Yankees open their 2012 season in Florida on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays. The game is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. That’s an unusual starting time. Something like 1 p.m. would be more conventional. So we asked a Rays spokesman if Good Friday, commemorating the Crucifixion, figured into it. Christian tradition holds that Jesus’ last three hours on the cross were from noon to 3 p.m.

“It was a factor into the decision on the game time,” the spokesman, Rick Vaughn, acknowledged in an e-mail response.

Actually, the chosen hour qualifies as a religious twofer. Christian sensibilities are accounted for, and the game should end in time for Jewish fans to get to Seders that evening, the start of Passover.

more at link

[pinto]

1. Interesting take. Like how he links the sense of renewal and optimism.

Changing the start time for the opener was a bit of a blast from the past for me. We held to the tradition of being silent from 12 - 3 on Good Friday. Wouldn't work well on opening day...

"Play ball !"

[cbayer]

2. I could never be silent at a baseball game, specially if my BoSox are playing!

Here's to a winning Boston season, my friend.