Four guarantees Saturday: Soccer, baseball, parade, traffic
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 | 3:28 pm
I like soccer. I love baseball. I adore parades.
Put them all together and I'm not sure what kind of snarling beast I may turn into, but we may find out Saturday.
That's because the schedule-makers have pulled off a beauty in downtown Seattle with a Sounders soccer game at noon, a Mariners baseball game at 1:10 p.m. and the Seafair Torchlight parade at 7:30. Maybe they could they have scheduled a few more street closures for that day. Or how about a 3-on-3 basketball tournament?
The only other things I'd need to make my day are extra innings and a Seafair pirate sparking his sword.
Basically, there will be about 30,000 at the Sounders-Chicago soccer game at Qwest Field, at least 30,000 at the Mariners-Indians game at Safeco Field, then an estimated 300,000 at the Torchlight Parade.
Here's how this became a potentially perfect storm of gridlock, from Mariners baseball information director Tim Hevly:
The city of Seattle asked the Mariners long ago to play a day game on Saturday because of the parade. The M's have done this several times over the years in order to get their fans on the road before the parade traffic gets thick.
The Sounders-Chicago Fire game can't be changed because it's being televised by ESPN.
And the parade, well, that's been a Seattle staple for 59 years.
The Mariners game, by the way, won't be televised Saturday because it's being played during the "window" for FOX Saturday baseball. Wouldn't want fans to tune in to the Mariners and miss that Twins-Angels telecast.
Put them all together and I'm not sure what kind of snarling beast I may turn into, but we may find out Saturday.
That's because the schedule-makers have pulled off a beauty in downtown Seattle with a Sounders soccer game at noon, a Mariners baseball game at 1:10 p.m. and the Seafair Torchlight parade at 7:30. Maybe they could they have scheduled a few more street closures for that day. Or how about a 3-on-3 basketball tournament?
The only other things I'd need to make my day are extra innings and a Seafair pirate sparking his sword.
Basically, there will be about 30,000 at the Sounders-Chicago soccer game at Qwest Field, at least 30,000 at the Mariners-Indians game at Safeco Field, then an estimated 300,000 at the Torchlight Parade.
Here's how this became a potentially perfect storm of gridlock, from Mariners baseball information director Tim Hevly:
The city of Seattle asked the Mariners long ago to play a day game on Saturday because of the parade. The M's have done this several times over the years in order to get their fans on the road before the parade traffic gets thick.
The Sounders-Chicago Fire game can't be changed because it's being televised by ESPN.
And the parade, well, that's been a Seattle staple for 59 years.
The Mariners game, by the way, won't be televised Saturday because it's being played during the "window" for FOX Saturday baseball. Wouldn't want fans to tune in to the Mariners and miss that Twins-Angels telecast.
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