Baseball to Play On Despite Christian Holy Day

I can’t decide whether or not this is a “real” story. It’s like one or two people complained and the reporter extrapolated to say that several Catholics/Christians feel the same way.

Apparently, they’re all mad because the Detroit Tigers’ home-opener this year will be played on Good Friday:

The 1:05 p.m. game against the Texas Rangers is on April 10 — Good Friday and one of the holiest days on the Christian calendar.

That’s the day for somber reflection, personal sacrifice, church services that run from noon to 3 p.m. and a no-meat pledge, which doesn’t lend itself to downing a hot dog or two at the game.

While all 30 Major League teams are playing that day, only the Tigers are taking the field during the Christian holy hours…

…

Michael Ochab, 47, will miss his first opener in 20 years, choosing to attend services at St. Florian Catholic Church in Hamtramck, instead.

“It’s sort of an insult for Catholics,” he said. “I’m still hoping the Tigers will change the time.”

So on a day of personal sacrifice, this guy is mad because he can’t attend a baseball game?

If Ochab had his way, the Tigers (or baseball officials) would reschedule the game. How *dare* they schedule an important game around somebody’s holy day?!

The Rev. Ed Vilkauskas, pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Greektown, hopes parishioners can make it to Good Friday services.

“On that day in particular, people will be contending with traffic and parking,” he said. “It’s going to directly keep people away.”

Clearly, Major League Baseball is part of a conspiracy against Christianity.

Don’t anyone tell Muslims that there will be baseball games played all throughout Ramadan.

And — oh no! — there will be games played during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur! MLB schedulers must hate Jews, too.

(via The J-Walk Blog)

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Lauren Cocilova

So, it’s not okay for them to play baseball on arbitrarily claimed holy days or holy hours (which probably encompass every hour of every day if you’re going to include all religions fairly…), but when they DO play it IS okay for them to spit and swear and scratch their balls and kick dirt at each other and make threats and call each other every insult under the sun, while our precious children are watching. Those things are okay, but heaven forbid (so to speak) that they play a game on a holy day. Ack.
Daniel

Since I live in the Detroit area, I saw this post early on and replied in the comments a few times with various “WTF?” sort of questions. The article is goofy, and the people they quoted are goofy. I’m not sure anyone really feels that slighted about the game scheduling, and if they do, I’m highly skeptical of their claims to faith.
Desert Son

Sandy Koufax was famous for deciding not to pitch in Game 1 of the ’65 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur.

What a crazy concept! Renowned outstanding athlete recognizes that he can still make a personal choice to honor a tradition important to him, AND the game can go on for those who don’t share his particular affiliation!

To Michael Ochab from the article: Insult to Catholics? Perspective . . . yer doin’ it wrong.

Catholics, welcome to sacrifices demanded by your religion. You don’t like that Good Friday interferes with the baseball schedule? Too bad. Looks like you’ll have to either suffer not sitting at the opener and partake of the some incredibly small portion of the pain (and then only psychological, for believers wistfully thinking of the crack of the bat and sunshine and beer and peanuts) your supposed redeemer felt while being nailed to wood and pierced with a spear, or you’ll have to decide if your religion is really that important to you. Besides, there’s always TiVo.

Cue the small violins.

Koufax came back to pitch in the remaining games, by the way, and the Dodgers won the ’65 series.

No kings,

Robert
R.C. Moore

“So on a day of personal sacrifice, this guy is mad because he can’t attend a baseball game? ”

It is worse than that. He *can* attend the game, but he has to give up eating a hot dog.

This is why I am not religious. The sacrifice is too great. I am not worthy.
sc0tt

When I was a kid some local ministers tried to get the Little League to stop playing games on Sundays because we kids would have to choose between baseball and church.

Their real concern of course was that the kids would pick baseball, not that the kids would have a difficult decision.

It’s a lot easier scheduling group events on Sunday mornings than it used to be.
another Mike

How about canceling church services in favor of the game?
Siamang

What’s next? Football games on Christmas?!!
Chuck

I was raised in Detroit (though I moved some time ago) and have been a fan of the Tigers forever. On reading this story with the Tiger’s recent performance in mind, all I can wonder is: Will there be such a thing as a Good Friday for the Tigers this year? At least they open against the Rangers, so maybe opening day will be an “OK Friday”, or at least a “Less sucky than most” Friday.
JSug

Can’t they get special dispensation, or something?
«bønez_brigade»

Michael Ochab, 47, will miss his first opener in 20 years, choosing to attend services at St. Florian Catholic Church in Hamtramck, instead.

“It’s sort of an insult for Catholics,” he said. “I’m still hoping the Tigers will change the time.”

Madness! Our Lady of Comerica Park, where is your grace?

Surely, Mr. Ochab, 47, can purchase indulgences to opt out of personal sacrifices. It’s Catholicism, for fuck’s sake.

BTW, mewonders if he considers anything non-Catholic that’s scheduled during said times on said day as “sort of an insult for Catholics”.
Buffy

What is it with religious people that they think everything and everyone should shut down for all of their “holy” days, hours, weeks and so on? If we did that absolutely nothing would get done.
Secular Planet

It’s supposedly day of sacrifice, but they’re whining that they can’t make a sacrifice and not attend ONE of EIGHTY-ONE home games. I hate people who think the world must revolve around their idiotic beliefs.
Craig

I like how they say “Good Friday [is] one of the holiest days on the Christian calendar”

So what is the holyness scale for days?
How is is measured exactly?
Does it go up to 11?