Hotel Affecting Home Runs at The Brick?

A structural and meteorological phenomenon at the Oklahoma City RedHawks stadium The Brick could be causing a shortage of home runs this season.

Sunday, July 12th 2009, 9:44 pm

By: News 9

By Toby Rowland, NEWS 9 Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY -- It is the controversy that has turned Gotham on its ear. The brand new, $1 billion Yankee Stadium was apparently built with an accidental wind tunnel that is carrying home runs out in record numbers.

But why should you care about what is going on in New York City? Here's why. I maintain that there is an equally fascinating, anti-Yankee structural and meteorological phenomenon going on right here in Oklahoma.

Here's the theory. Since the nine-story, 200-room Hampton Inn was constructed behind the left field wall this year, hitting a homer at The Brick has become quite the impossible trick.

We've crunched the numbers. Through the first 47 games last season there were a combined 100 home runs hit at The Brick. Through the same number of games this season: 39. Homers were also significantly down at this year's Big 12 Baseball Tournament.

Our conclusion, Oklahoma City should learn from the Colorado Rockies. Instead of a humidor, freeze the baseballs before every game to help counteract the curse of what we now deem the most controversial affordably priced and richly appointed hotel in baseball today.