A long travel day with an extended flight delay turned into a thinly veiled suggestion from Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts of something more.

LA Dodgers Manager Muses Whether There Was “Intent” Behind Delayed Flight From Canada To California

Dave Roberts, manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, said after his team’s return from Toronto that although he “doesn’t know if there was intent or not,” he felt the international travel day “was a bear.”

The Dodgers were due in Los Angeles early Sunday morning after a weekend game at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, but part of the travel party, including coaching staff, didn’t arrive at Dodger Stadium until around 5:00 PM Sunday, missing a scheduled pre‐game workout.

Roberts’ comment about “intent” sparked waves on social media, with some fans reading it as an insinuation that Canadian officials or customs processes delayed the flight on purpose. Roberts later clarified he knows “the Prime Minister is not worried about calling airline security or the FAA to make sure that they delay us.”

“Canada is not trying to sabotage the Dodgers. I know that. It was just a long day.”

What Actually Happened?

The players flew out Saturday night and landed without incident. The staff and support members took a charter Sunday morning, only to face delays, including a long wait on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson and extended customs processing before arriving in Los Angeles later than planned (there is pre-clearance in Canada). Neither can be pinned on the Canadian government!

So yes, the comment about “intent” was unwise: it fueled needless speculation and unnecessary drama. Sports teams already deal with difficult logistics; adding a suggestion of conspiracy doesn’t help anyone. On the other hand, Roberts is a manager in the high‐stakes world of the World Series: this late arrival could have become an excuse if Game 3 was lost. Ironically, Game 3 went 18 innings…

It’s entirely legitimate to question why the staff’s charter got delayed while the players arrived without issue: that’s a travel oddity worth exploring. But implying the Canadian government or customs deliberately hampered the flight is not helpful.

CONCLUSION

I know I’ve said I’m not much of a sports fan, but I could not help but watch the mammoth 18-inning game last night (on my phone)…another game for the ages. That was quite a battle!

I’d imagine the delay from the flight did not help as Game 3 stretched over 6.5 hours.

With Robert’s clarification, this story becomes more amusing than scandalous. Still, it’s a reminder that we must watch our words…and correct them immediately if we say the wrong thing. Canada has a lot of reasons to be upset right now, but this isn’t one of them.

image: Los Angeles Dodgers