 When Hurricane Ike slammed nearly all of Texas, it was a huge blow to its residents, as well as the businesses that call Texas home, and the Houston Astros were no exceptions. Forced to move their series with the Chicago Cubs, MLB selected Milwaukee’s Miler Park due to scheduling and a roof, which would guarantee that the games would be played. Needless to say, the proximity to Chicago made the games more Wrigley Field II than a neutral location (although the Astros got the ticket revenues). Commissioner Selig was hammered on the issue, and today, he tries to explain and apologize to Astros fans by running a full-page ad in Sunday's edition of the Houston Chronicle (select the image provided to see the ad in PDF) Here is an excerpt: I am well aware that many fans of the Houston Astros thought it unfair that we moved two of the three games of the Houston - Chicago series to Milwaukee. I understand your unhappiness and frustration and I regret that such a decision had to be made. Our first obligation is to the health and welfare of our fans and players, and our second is to complete the Major League schedule, which is no easy task when you consider Houston had to play the remaining 15 games in the final16 days of the season. Also, we were faced with a complex set of scheduling rules as well as the involvement of several different constituencies. […] In making the decision to play there, I recognized the advantage the Cubs would have in playing in such close proximity to Chicago and had there been a better option, I would have taken it. All of us involved in the decision regret the frustration the Astros and their fans felt about playing two games in Milwaukee.
(see the attached PDF for the complete ad text) Source: Houston Chronicle
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