Baker, you certainly are a trouble maker.
Great thread here.
My 2 cents:
1. I LOVE eliminating the cost and some of the stress.
2. I like encouraging week 1, 2 for vets and have later weeks for rookies, BUT geography drives many of these decisions, not time. Rookies are likely to go to the close regional because travel is the other big expensive bear in FIRST.
3. I too would be a little wary of widening the gap.
So if I had to vote, I'd vote to keep ship date, unless someone comes up with creative solutions to these other issues.