MLB leaves A’s fans in the dark

Hey, did you know the Major League Baseball season is underway?

Don’t feel bad if you didn’t. Major League Baseball doesn’t want you to see the games.

At least that’s how it seems.

The A’s and Mariners opened the 2012 MLB season in Japan on Wednesday, with the Mariners winning 3-1 in 11 innings.

The game, which started at 3 a.m. Oakland time, wasn’t aired live in the Bay Area. MLB Network aired the game on tape-delay at 6 a.m.

Originally, the second game, which starts at 2 a.m. Thursday, wasn’t supposed to air live either. But MLB decided to lift the local blackout. I hope you have your pot of coffee ready.

These games that are supposed to mark the start of the American baseball season aren’t conducive to the American fans.

It’s beyond absurd that Bay Area baseball fans could not watch the game live Wednesday morning.

Would it really kill turnout in Japan if these games were scheduled so that American fans could actually watch them at a reasonable time?

If the games started at 7 p.m. PST, that would be 11 a.m. in Japan. I have a hard time believing Japanese fans would not show up at 11 a.m. to watch a Major League Baseball game.

If MLB is unwilling to make a substantial change so that American fans can actually watch the beginning of the season, then they either need to stop this traveling sideshow or send the teams to Japan earlier and turn these games into exhibition games.

This is no way to treat the opening of your season. This is no way to treat your diehard fans.