Major League Baseball didn’t ask for Hurricane Helene to interrupt what is shaping up to be two fantastic wild-card races. But the league isn’t blameless in avoiding the worst-case scenario announced Wednesday: the potential for the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets to play a doubleheader Monday, the day before postseason play begins.

The ripple effects of the announced postponement of Wednesday’s and Thursday’s games, a series that could decide both teams’ seasons, are enormous. The competitive disadvantages of playing 18 innings before a Wild Card Series can’t be overstated. (Though if, somehow, one or both games aren’t needed then they won’t be played.)

Could it have been avoided?

Maybe.

MLB has the power to force logistics, to force both teams to play when and where it wants, so long as the union is in agreement. But traditionally, it has tried to appease both teams and, in this case, that was impossible. The storm set to shut down Atlanta for two days was preceded by the perfect storm of events to make this a massive headache for the league.

Thursday’s game is a makeup of an April 10 game that was postponed after the Mets had gone through pregame preparations and taken batting practice and they weren’t willing to come back earlier and burn an off day. So they petitioned MLB to tack on the game to this September series, not only an unusually long wait for a makeup game but also a function of a more balanced schedule in which division teams play each other less, and complicate rescheduling opportunities. (The Braves agreed to the proposition.)

To all of our fans throughout Braves Country that will be impacted by Hurricane Helene, please stay safe. pic.twitter.com/AZ99CPQ7BJ

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 25, 2024

The Mets would likely not have been keen to move Thursday’s game up to this past Monday, another shared off day between the two clubs, as they were coming off a Sunday night game.

The Braves were concerned about the sold-out crowds expected, and earlier in the week the forecast had made it seem feasible for Wednesday’s game to be played, a possibility that got more remote as the weather forecast worsened. Tuesday, when the league mulled a time change, the forecast looked better in the evening. It started raining shortly after noon Wednesday in Atlanta, and pushing up the start time of the game would have mattered little, unless the two teams agreed to an unprecedented morning start. (MLB doesn’t like to start games that are unlikely to go at least five innings.)

Both teams — in contention but yet to clinch a playoff spot — were ultimately looking out for their own best interests, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. What is up for debate is whether the league, which started discussions with both teams Monday, should have acted more boldly with its power and forced the series to play at a neutral site or changed the schedule entirely with a game Monday and two more Tuesday. Perhaps.

On one hand, the weather forecast looked vastly different earlier this week, and all three parties thought Wednesday’s game wouldn’t be an issue. The hurricane isn’t hitting Atlanta until Thursday, with schools closed Thursday and Friday, and the possibility of one makeup game — not two — seemed considerably less daunting. The decision to change the series would have had to come Sunday at the latest when it wasn’t even clear how bad the storm would be and whether Atlanta would be in its path.

It would have been unprecedented — and also a logistical nightmare — to decide earlier this week to move all of or part of the series to a neutral site, one that would have required both teams to be on board and be proactive, which wasn’t the case. For a series with big stakes, it’s understandable that the league didn’t want to pull the plug on a highly anticipated sellout series.

It would have angered at least one, and probably both teams, to change the layout of the series to give them back Thursday’s off day, particularly as it became clear to everyone involved that Thursday wasn’t going to be feasible. But as the regular season winds down and numerous teams are fighting for their playoff lives, it also might have been better in this case to be safe than sorry. That might have required doing the unpleasant and unprecedented thing, even if both teams were upset about it, and decide to move up a series even when the weather report wasn’t crystallized.

Because the flip side is a nightmare, and it could be even more complicated if the AL wild card hopeful Kansas City Royals, who are slated to play in Atlanta this weekend, have travel issues getting in. (If they can’t play Friday, that would almost certainly be a Saturday doubleheader.)

MLB has — in recent years — set the schedule so that every single team plays at the same time Sunday to conclude the regular season. It creates excitement, drama and you can make the case that it evens the competitive field as best as possible. Everyone gets to reset Monday. Unless you’re the Braves or Mets, who could be looking at filling out 18 innings as a way to prepare for a do-or-die Wild Card Series that could start on the road.

The only hope now, for both teams and the league, is Arizona fades and renders those games meaningless enough that they don’t get played. (It’s widely assumed both teams would prefer the off day than to play for a mere playoff seed.) The alternative is bad for the Braves, bad for the Mets and just bad for baseball.

(Photo: Kevin D. Liles / Atlanta Braves / Getty Images)

Derrick Rose, who won the MVP in the prime of his career, is retiring after 16 seasons in the NBA. 

The 35-year-old was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and had an immediate impact on the franchise.

Rose won rookie of the year in 2008-09 and is still the youngest player in NBA history to win the MVP in the 2010-11 season at 22 years old, while also making the All-Star team in three of the first four years of his career. 

Rose announced his retirement on social media, as well as taking out full-page advertisements in each of the cities where he played. 

“You believed in me through the highs and lows, my constant when everything else seemed uncertain,” Rose wrote as part of his letter to the game, serving as his retirement announcement.

NBA LEGEND VINCE CARTER TO GET 2 JERSEY RETIREMENT CEREMONIES DURING 2024-25 SEASON: REPORTS

Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose (1) is presented the MVP trophy before game one of the second round of the 2011 NBA playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at the United Center.  (Mike DiNovo-USA Today Sports)

“You gave me a gift, our time together, one that I will cherish for the rest of my days. You told me it’s okay to say goodbye, reassuring me that you’ll always be a part of me, no matter where life takes me,” Rose wrote.

Rose was on track to be one of the NBA’s biggest superstars before tearing his ACL in Game 1 of the Bulls’ first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers in 2012. Rose never had the same explosiveness around the rim, and nearly missed two full seasons while recovering from the surgery.

Memphis Grizzlies guard Derrick Rose (23) handles the ball as Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) defends during the first half at FedExForum.  (Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports)

After spending seven seasons with the Bulls, Rose played for five other franchises in his career. He played with the New York Knicks in two different stints, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons and the Minnesota Timberwolves, and spent his final season with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Rose averaged 17.4 points and 5.2 assists over his 723 career regular season games. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Tom Petty might as well have been singing about UCLA football’s latest ordeal when he uttered one of his most famous lines.

The waiting is the hardest part.

Those lyrics, written more than four decades ago in reference to a performer antsy to get on stage, will also apply to the Bruins (1-2 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) on Saturday as they wait … and wait … and wait for an 8 p.m. PDT kickoff against No. 8 Oregon (3-0, 0-0) at the Rose Bowl.

It will go down as UCLA’s latest start on the West Coast since 1990. Players can grab a leisurely breakfast at their Pasadena hotel, lie out by the pool and watch a full day’s worth of college football before boarding the team bus.

“A little hot tub, foam roll, but I don’t think it changes too much,” Bruins tight end Jack Pedersen said of his routine. “You just shift everything back a few hours and you just get ready. Put your cleats on, put your helmet on and go play, you know?”

Traditionally, late starts have led to weird things, sometimes favoring the underdog. But Oregon has reason to be filled with confidence in what will go down as both its first Big Ten game and its “Big Ten After Dark” debut.

The Ducks are 4-0 under coach Dan Lanning and have won 12 consecutive games when kicking off at 7 p.m. Pacific time or later. Oregon has also dominated its series against UCLA in recent years, winning the past four meetings and 10 of the last 11.

Here are four things to watch in a game that will be broadcast by Fox: