Posted September 3, 200420 yr Cubs bracing for the worst Hurricane could wipe out series, make slate tough By Paul Sullivan Tribune staff reporter Published September 2, 2004, 10:58 PM CDT The impending arrival of Hurricane Frances forced the postponement of Friday's Cubs-Marlins game in Miami and is likely to wipe out the entire three-game series. If the Category 4 hurricane makes landfall Saturday in southeast Florida, as expected, the chances of playing a doubleheader Sunday appear remote. Because there's still a chance the hurricane will change direction, the Marlins opted to postpone only Friday's game for now. But with hundreds of thousands of people evacuating South Florida over the next two days, the idea of playing Sunday in Pro Player Stadium, after a potentially devastating storm, might be considered insensitive to the community. So what will happen if the three-game series is unable to be played? The scenarios are disconcerting for the Cubs. But in a season in which the unthinkable has become the norm, they know anything can happen. Because the only off day the two teams share is Sept. 20, the Cubs could play a doubleheader in Florida that afternoon. But that would give them five games in three cities in three days?from playing an afternoon game in Cincinnati on the 19th, to the doubleheader in Miami on the 20th to a night game in Pittsburgh on the 21st. The final postponed game would be played Oct. 4, the day after the end of the regular season, if it's necessary to decide a postseason playoff berth. The National League wild-card winner is scheduled to begin its division series Oct. 5. Making matters worse, the Cubs would be squeezing two more games into what already is their longest trip of the season?10 games in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and New York. Sept. 20 is also the Cubs' final off day scheduled before 13 games in 13 days to end the season. A doubleheader on that day, with an extra game Oct. 4, would mean the Cubs would have to play 26 games over 25 days. The Players Association would have a big say in that scenario, which also would tax the Cubs' pitching staff more than at any other time this season. Some Cubs players wanted to switch at least a couple of the games to Chicago this weekend and make up the postponed games in Florida on Sept. 10-11. The Miami Dolphins have use of Pro Player Stadium on Sept. 12. Cubs management doesn't want to inconvenience the 120,000 fans who have purchased tickets for the rematch of last year's National League Championship Series. They would prefer to play one or two of the postponed games at Wrigley Field in a doubleheader or two when the 2003 World Series champs come to town on Sept. 10-12. The Marlins still would get the final at-bat and be the "home team" in those rescheduled games but would be playing in front of a hostile, pro-Cubs crowd instead of in their own ballpark. It's unlikely Florida will go for that scenario, even though the Marlins won Games 6 and 7 of the National League Championship Series last October at Wrigley. Because the Marlins trail the Cubs by only 2? games in the wild-card hunt, they obviously don't want to give the Cubs any advantage. The Marlins will consult with the Cubs, Major League Baseball and the Players Association before making a decision on when the games would be rescheduled.
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