Will Hurricane Sandy affect the 2013 season?

[Mr. Laser Beam]

We've all seen the horrible damage that has occurred to New York City (especially), Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, etc. Please be assured that by starting this thread I am in no way trying to minimize the catastrophe that this has been. I am just curious:

If this damage isn't fixed by next spring, is it possible that the season could be affected? If the players can't reach their ballparks (we've all seen what the flooding looks like in places like New York), and the FANS can't as well (what with the shutdown of mass transit and the grounding of flights and all that), are there contingency plans in place, just in case they might have to delay Opening Day?

I notice that none of the teams' websites have even mentioned Sandy at all...

[dgarza]

I'm not sure what this is all about, but the Lakewood Blueclaws (Phillies single A of the South Atlantic League) near the Jersey shore were planning some kind of kick off caravan in early Nov. for the upcoming 2013 South Atlantic League ASG.

http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121022&content_id=39975348&vkey=news_t427&fext=.jsp&sid=t427

[ipitch]

If this damage isn't fixed by next spring, is it possible that the season could be affected?

That seems very unlikely to me considering that some NBA and NFL games in NY aren't even being cancelled this week. I don't know about the other cities.

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Really? Wow. How can they possibly expect to hold those games if fans can't reach them? And if the STREETS are all flooded, what must MetLife Stadium be like? It doesn't have a roof, you know...and neither do Yankee Stadium or Citi Field. If those ballparks have been damaged, you'd think the teams' websites would mention it, wouldn't you?

And I totally forgot about the All-Star Game. I suppose they could move to another city if need be, but that'd cause one hell of an uproar...

Perhaps it seems like I'm being alarmist. Fine: go look at those photos of the flood damage and you'll see why. Next spring will be here before we know it...

[StanTheMan]

Not alarmist, but perhaps a bit too soon to be thinking about cancellations in Spring 2013. People and municipalities need to assess the damage, bury the dead, and go from there...

[quagmire]

I have read that Yankee Stadium is fine. Still has power and no flooding. A few broken windows, but nothing that won't be able to be repaired in time for next season.

https://twitter.com/AndrewMarchand/status/263332126685028353

[ipitch]

^ Really? Wow. How can they possibly expect to hold those games if fans can't reach them? And if the STREETS are all flooded, what must MetLife Stadium be like? It doesn't have a roof, you know...and neither do Yankee Stadium or Citi Field. If those ballparks have been damaged, you'd think the teams' websites would mention it, wouldn't you?

NFL.com says there's no damage to MetLife Stadium, and the Giants game will be played. Not sure about the fan situation though.

[dgarza]

Unless there's major structural damage to the team facilities, there's no reason to suspect that Opening Day 2013 will be affected.

There will be many things that will need time to heal, but 5 months will be enough time for most waters to recede and transportation be figured out.

[Ben Grimm]

First off, I want to put out my hopes and prayers for all involved in this historic storm. I am currently in the midst of having my parents relocated as both have lost power with a 7-day window to recover.

I don't think this has any chance whatsoever effecting the 2013 sesason. As brutal as it was to watch the tides flowing into the NY subway service, they have so many people who know how to fix out of the box situations, that it's not funny.

The most massive damage I've seen so far has happpened to NYC, and any of us who've been around knows just how well that area bounces back. Kudos to all of those with authority on their moves. Also to President Obama, who made no issue upon signing for disaster relief. This could have gotten really ugly, and for one of the few times, communication proved viable to keep things in tact. Keep the lines of com open guys - that's what makes progress possible!!

[dominik]

Imagine the yankees had beaten the tigers in 6 then now the WS would still be going. what would they have done then? a few days off? or all games in SF?

[Blue387]

There is some subway damage here in the city. The tunnels are flooded across the rivers and will take time to drain and possibly replace the electronic components. The 7 train to Citi Field is mostly above ground in Queens but there is a tunnel connecting Queens to Manhattan which might be flooded. I don't know about the tunnels to Yankee Stadium.

There are downed trees and damaged tracks across the area and debris on train tracks.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtaphotos/8138916414/

Here is video of the South Ferry-Whitehall station in the tip of Manhattan.

I know this station. The steps down to the station are flooded at 2:10 and the tunnel is probably filled with water.

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Imagine the yankees had beaten the tigers in 6 then now the WS would still be going. what would they have done then? a few days off? or all games in SF?

Well if they think they can play football at MetLife (still don't see how they could possibly manage that - even if the stadium isn't damaged, how can they play if the fans or the players can't get there?), they might have tried for the WS as well. Although they may have had to delay it like they did with the earthquake in '89.

[Blue387]

Well if they think they can play football at MetLife (still don't see how they could possibly manage that - even if the stadium isn't damaged, how can they play if the fans or the players can't get there?), they might have tried for the WS as well. Although they may have had to delay it like they did with the earthquake in '89.

Could the World Series be played in another stadium? When a hurricane threatened an Astros game, the Cubs played a game in Milwaukee if I recall.

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ It would have to be one with at least as much capacity as Yankee Stadium, due to all the people who bought tickets, but I'm sure they could find one.

Course, they might have just kept it all in SF and called it even.

[jnakamura]

If NY's trains/buses still aren't running and the streets are still flooded 5 months from now, baseball will be the least of your worries.