Multimedia piece by Andrew Dolph

Story by Brad Bournival, Medina Gazette Staff Sports Writer

April 6, 2007 - Cleveland, Ohio --- Fresh off the season that never should have been came the home opener that never was. Although it probably shouldn’t have started to begin with, the way crew chief Rick Reed handled Friday’s home opener at Jacobs Field is an injustice to the word poor.

The game started an hour late and came with a total of four snow delays.

That’s not the problem. The problem was the way the whole thing ended.

Paul Byrd had a quasi no-hitter going and the Indians were up 4-0 against the Seattle Mariners. There were two outs in the fifth inning with the bases full of sailors and then the controversy came.

In a stroke of genius for his team, Seattle manager Mike Hargrove came out to complain to home plate umpire Alfonzo Marquez about visibility. Tribe skipper Eric Wedge argued his side to no avail.

The trouble was that there was a 1-2 count on Jose Lopez and the game was one out — check that — possibly one pitch away from being official before it was called.

“We were trying to get the game official if we could,” Reed said. “Hargrove’s argument was that his hitter could not see and complained to him. He went to home plate to give us his view point and Eric came out to support his team.

“Both had legitimate gripes. Was the snow heavier at that point than at any other in the game? It was close. As we were having our discussion, which I think was fairly lengthy, we were all covered in snow.”

That didn’t sit well with Byrd.

“I’m just frustrated right now,” he said. “I’m so frustrated I won’t get any sleep tonight. Nobody was saying anything when I walked (Jose) Guillen or (Kenji) Johjima and throwing neck balls. It was snowing like crazy. Then I get a line out and go 1-2 and they call it.

“If the count is 3-0, nobody’s saying anything.”

But Hargrove did, and another one hour and 17 minute delay ensued. With the grounds crew feverishly cleaning the outfield with leaf blowers to get that one last pitch in, Reed came out at 8:42 p.m. to call it off despite the perception that the club was one out away from a win.

“That’s not the perception, that’s the way it was,” Wedge said. “It’s one of the oddest games I’ve been involved with.”

Byrd, who said he was coming back out to finish what he started, was so hot he could have melted the snow by himself.

“The guys were in the dugout laughing, thinking they got away with something and they probably did,” he said. “I’m not pointing the finger at anybody. I just thought the whole thing was handled poorly.”

Poorly doesn’t begin to describe the fleecing at Jacobs Field.

The game was already 4 hours and 37 minutes old. Today’s weather isn’t supposed to be any better and all that was needed was one simple out to make it a ballgame.

In his postgame interview, Byrd said he would have waited until 2 a.m. to finish the game. Though it probably shouldn’t have started, the sensible thing was to do just that. Finish what you started or forget about the entire thing.

That’s exactly what Reed and the rest have done with today’s 1:05 p.m. start followed by a 7:05 game in a strange double-dip. There really isn’t any other time to make it up as this is Seattle’s only trip to Cleveland with limited like days off for both teams.

“I want another chance at these guys, but the thing is I won’t see them again until September,” Byrd said.

No doubt April 6 will still come in loud and clear when he faces the Mariners the next time.

Bournival may be reached at 330-721-4045 or Bournival929@sbcglobal.net.