Cubs grounds crew having a little tarp trouble during rain delay
Obamacare may take the blame for baseball’s ‘tarp game,’ report says
Could Obamacare be responsible for baseball’s tarp game?
That was the word from the Chicago Sun-Times, which reported a cut in groundkeeper hours at the Chicago Cubs’ home of Wrigley Field was responsible for the crew’s inability to get a tarp on the field in a timely manner earlier this week.
The reason for the cutbacks: coverage requirements under the Affordable Care Act, the Sun-Times said, quoting unnamed sources. Cubs officials deny the claim, according to the story, but sources say groundskeepers are being limited in the time they work in order to keep them under the 30-hour workweek. That’s the threshold beyond which companies must provide health coverage for their workers.
A cloudburst in the middle of Tuesday’s game between the Cubs and San Francisco Giants left the grounds crew scrambling to get the tarp on the field. Crew supervisors had told a number of groundskeepers to go home earlier in the night, thus leaving a small contingent unable to get the heavy tarp over Wrigley’s infield. Their struggles can be seen in the video embedded above.
After four hours of a rain delay, officials called the game and said the field was unplayable. With the Cubs ahead 2-0, the game was awarded to them. A protest from the Giants reversed all that, however, as they won the first successful Major League Baseball protest of its kind since 1986.
But that was the limit of Obamacare’s effect, if any, on the game. The two teams came back to finish the game Thursday and Chicago still prevailed 2-1. If it’s any consolation to San Francisco fans, the Giants did win the regularly scheduled nightcap.
