Not so calm before the storm

I haven't looked out the window yet, but I don't hear any rain or high winds or lawn furniture slamming against the house. So far, so good. I'll be leaving soon for the drive to Hunt Valley for "Wall To Wall Baseball" with Tom Davis and Dave Johnson that airs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on MASN. I'd be most appreciative if Hurricane Irene would allow me a safe return home before she vents. The Yankees already vented last night. You saw player rep Curtis Granderson's statement, and manager Joe Girardi was agitated by more than a 12-5 loss. Girardi didn't want to lose the Sept. 8 off-day. He wanted to play a doubleheader yesterday and he campaigned for it through the media, which led to reports Thursday that the Yankees and Orioles were discussing the possibility. Meanwhile, the Orioles had no idea what Girardi was talking about and had no intention of letting the Yankees' skipper dictate how they handled their weekend gate. Baltimore and New York media staked out the Orioles' clubhouse yesterday following batting practice, waiting for Orioles player rep Jeremy Guthrie to make some grand announcement about the contingency plans in case today's doubleheader was postponed, which didn't become official until later in the evening. Guthrie politely informed everyone that he had no information to pass along. He was rushing from one end of the ballpark to the other, meeting with various people - Granderson, Orioles officials, manager Buck Showalter. After last night's game, Guthrie said, "It's a very difficult process - a lot of people, a lot of factors involved with both teams, both business operations, and so it is very difficult to schedule this many games. It's unfortunate that it's a natural disaster, and we have to be sensitive to the needs of those who are going to be negatively affected by that. And so, we are just trying to make it work with both sides." Did he sense that Granderson was upset? "No, I had a cordial conversation (with him)," Guthrie said. "I haven't seen any statements. The talk we had at home plate, I think he understood both sides, how we were just a little bit handcuffed. So, I had no frustration." Let me know if you think Girardi had any frustration while meeting with the Yankees' reporters after last night's game. "It's silly to me," he said. "I don't understand why we didn't play a split doubleheader today. Someone's got to step up, and they did it all over the country. They did it in Philadelphia, they did it in Boston, they did it in Florida. Football games have been moved up. Soccer games. Golf has been canceled. Eighteen holes. Why we didn't play a split today, I have no idea. And now they want us to give up our off-day, the only off-day that we truly have as we're coming home from Seattle and we're going to get to Toronto at 9 or 10 in the morning? We didn't agree to play Sept. 8. They scheduled it, we didn't agree to it, and I really don't understand it." Well, the Orioles were coming off a three-city road trip Thursday night - including stops in Oakland and Anaheim - and probably didn't think it was in their best interest to scheduled a doubleheader the following day, and two days after Mike Flanagan's death that rocked an entire organization, city and its fan base. They were running short of starting pitchers, especially after Brian Matusz had a side session on Thursday. And Showalter clearly was miffed that Girardi was trying to dictate the Orioles' every move. The Yankees also pushed for a 10 a.m. game this morning, which the Orioles rejected. The clubhouse opens 3 1/2 hours before every game. Yes, I did the math. Yes, I would have arrived in my pajamas. (Note: I don't wear pajamas, but it's a humorous image.) Anyway, they'll attempt to play a doubleheader tomorrow and one game on Monday, and you can bet the teams will meet up again on Sept. 8, no matter how much it chafes Girardi and his crew. For everyone asking, both games of tomorrow's doubleheader at 1:35 p.m. and 7:35 p.m. will air on MASN. Don't touch that dial. And don't get too close to Girardi.