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Last night’s Home Run Derby was spectacular. Or, at least, that’s what I heard. Because, as always, MLB scheduled it to start at 5:00 PM Pacific Time, right when your average Californian is getting off work and staring at eyeball-searingly red lines all over Google Maps. After sitting through all that traffic, you might have been lucky enough to get home in time to catch the highlight of the night as eventual champion Aaron Judge edged out Justin Bour in the last match of the first round.
If you live on the west coast and want to see your favorite players in the All-Star Game tonight, you have an even more daunting challenge, with the start time set for 4:30 PM. Sure, there’s going to be at least half an hour of pre-game ceremonies, but some fans only ever get to see their All-Stars during roster introductions. And even if Brad Hand does take the mound, there’s no telling when it might be.
There’s always some east coaster complaining about having to watch their team at 10 PM thanks to Pacific Time scheduling. “My kids can’t stay up that late and they’re the future of the sport!” they shout. But when it comes to baseball’s biggest stage, MLB has made it clear who they want to watch, and it isn’t us. If you want to watch the All-Star Game, I sure hope your boss is okay with you taking the afternoon off.