May 28, 2004
BASEBALL: You Are Getting Sleepy
One reason I've never liked Olympic Stadium in Montreal is the quality of baseball that seems to be played there, or at least the way it comes through on TV. It always seems like games there are quiet, sedate affairs, with the innings sliding by until the game just stops. Florida, ever since the Marlins were founded, has been even worse: with the heavy South Florida air and the Mets' and Marlins' historic tendency towards strong pitching and weak offenses, the games are often quite low-scoring, and add in the scores of empty seats you often see in Miami and you've got a recipe for some seriously sleepy baseball. Tonight was a perfect example of this, with a few runs early and nothing off Dontrelle Willis or Tom Glavine to alter the end 2-1 result.
I've noticed this to. I think the problem with watching a game from Florida is the poor camera angles caused by the mishapen (for baseball, at least) stadium. They can really take you out of the game.
Olympic Stadium is actually a fun place to see a baseball game. It's a pain in the ass to get to (the park is in the outskirts of the city), but the crowds are actually quite enthusiastic. It's a much livelier affair than any game at Skydome.
I'm tempted to agree with Richard and think it's a camera angle problem besetting Montreal games, too. That backstop behind home plate makes for a very blah image.