Last Day of Cricket Delays

I swore I was no longer going to blog about rain delays in the Cricket World Cup, but a couple things changed my mind. One: the most recent rain fall came in the championship match, so this will be the last of what has been many rain delays halting this long, drawn-out championship tournament played in Barbados. The second item that changed my mind was the photo above of a fan of team Australia attempting to cover up during the showers. It's not often we get to feature hotties like the one above in a sports weather blog. That pic has to improve our hit numbers dramatically. In case you wondering about the match, Australia won, we here, by 53 runs over Sri Lanka for its third consecutive title and fourth overall. Apparently there was a controversial decision made by match officials that somehow led the Sri Lanka team to play in virtual darkness near the end. What? Are there no lights in Barbados? Anyway, if you want to read the entire story from someone who covers cricket and apparently knows the sport, here ya go! If you need further proof of rain and the three-hour delay it caused, see the photo below.



Weather Term of the Day:
CUMULONIMBUS -- A vertically developed cumulus cloud, often capped by an anvil-shaped cirriform cloud. Also called a thunderstorm cloud, it is frequently accompanied by heavy showers, lightning, thunder, and sometimes hail, tornadoes or strong, gusty winds.

Portsmouth Keeper Makes Pitch to Green English Premier League

The pitch is green, so why not make an effort to green-up more of the English Premier League? That's a question Portsmouth keeper David James is asking. He also is asking his fellow footballers and those who run the EPL to help with solutions in making the league more environmentally friendly.

According to the BBC News Web site, James has been pitching ideas to EPL clubs and the FA. One of those ideas is adding a public transportation pass to game tickets to cut down on the amount of traffic going and leaving matches.

"I'd like rewards for teams that were environmentally friendly. Why not introduce initiatives to qualify for Europe through environmental friendliness rather than friendliness on the field," James said.

The Portsmouth star, himself, is setting a good example as to how other players can make lifestyle changes and, ultimately, a difference toward cleaning the planet. He said he is in the process of converting his Chrysler to run on biodiesel. Read more of James' ideas and the entire BBC article.

Lambeau All Wet

Judging from the Green Bay Packers Tailgate Cam, it’s pouring rain at Lambeau Field. And they need to install wipers on that camera. What’s the big deal you ask. It’s April and there’s no game at Lambeau any time soon, you say. Well, the team is installing a new turf, and as you can see on the stadium cam, the field is gone. I’m sure the workers are under a strict schedule to get the new turf installed. The new field still will be natural grass, but will be reinforced with synthetic fibers. A new drainage and heating system is being installed, too. The Packers assure their fans that this new turf will not diminish the legend of Lambeau, saying that the field will continue to get muddy and will freeze. It is the same turf used by the Steelers, Eagles and Broncos.

Game Called Because of Rain! So What’s On TV?

When baseball rainouts occur, the TV stations carrying those lost games must find alternate programming. They can’t just have a blank screen for three hours, right? So what was on the cable stations last night that were scheduled to carry the rained-out Tigers-White Sox game? During the time I was channel surfing, between 8:30 and 9 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit was running a special on the Tigers’ Curtis Granderson, and Comcast Sportsnet Chicaco ran with boxing.

Winner? Neither are exactly the entertainment equivalent of The Andy Griffith Show (Remember back in the day when WTBS would run Andy and Barney during rain delays of Braves games?), but I’ll go with Fox Sports Detroit. Boxing puts me to sleep.

However, after 9 p.m., I’m not sure what was on those channels because at that point, I was lost in Liz Lemon. Ah, Liz Lemon! I’d like to take her behind the middle school and… uh, never mind.

Let’s go back for a second. Speaking of the WTBS showing the Andy Griffith Show during Braves rain delays, I read an item from a blog or message board or something a couple of days ago from someone who said he worked at the cable channel during those days. The writer said that those replacement shows, such as TAGS and the Beverly Hillbillies and such, often would get better ratings than the Braves games. That’s hardly surprising since the Braves stunk during most of the 80s.

Weather Term of the Day:
MESOCYCLONE -- A area of rotation of storm size that may often be found on the southwest part of a supercell. Its circulation can be larger than the tornado that may develop within it, but not necessarily. Originally a radar term for a rotation signature that met certain criteria, it is best seen on Doppler radar.

White Sox-Tigers? Not Tonight

Tonight's game between the Tigers and White Sox in Chicago has been postponed because of rain. No make-up date has been scheduled. The game was called about four hours before the scheduled first pitch. This may not be the only game rained out tonight. The Blue Jays and Yankees could be postponed for a second consecutive night if the wet stuff continues fall from the Bronx clouds.

Bad Timing In St.Louis

The rain clouds in St. Louis have horrible timing. The home team Cardinals are two outs away from a victory over NL Central rival Cincinnati, but it's pouring at Busch Stadium. The Cards lead the game 7-5 with the Redlegs batting in the top of the ninth.

In the above photo, Cardinals reliever Jason Isringhausen throws just before the rain delay. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

UPDATE: The Cards radio crew just reported the rain has let up and the field crew is removing the tarp. Play Ball!

Rain in Spain A Pain for Golfers

The Rainout Blog’s Spain correspondent, Maria Rodriguez, tells us that play finally has begun in the first round of the Spanish Open being held in Madrid today through Sunday. Morning rain washed away much of the event’s opening day, allowing only a fourth of the 152 participants to tee off. Much of the first round will be held Friday if there are no further delays, Maria tells us. Maria also admitted to her mistake of wearing her white Rainout Blog T-shirt to the rain-socked course this morning. Unlucky for you Maria, but I’m sure the fellas are enjoying the view.

Yankees, Jays Washed Out

Poor weather conditions in the Bronx forced the postponement of Wednesday's game between the Yanks and Blue Jays. It was to be the first of short two-game series. The two American League East teams will try again tonight with a scheduled 7:05 p.m. start time, but that game may be in jeopardy, too. A 70 percent chance of rain is being forecasted for tonight. No make-up date has been announced for Wednesday's rain out. The last-place Yankees welcome the Red Sox to town for a three-game series beginning Friday, when a 60 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms are being forecasted.

Brewers - Cubs Begin Play After Delay

It's cold, wet and foggy in Chicago, but the Brewers and Cubs finally are underway after an hour-long rain delay. The game is the finale of the three-game set, and the Brew Crew is aiming for a sweep. As the game began a few moments ago, Brewers play-by-play man Bob Uecker said he could not tell which direction the wind was blowing because the fog had just dipped below the outfield flag. Uecker isn't expecting conditions to get any better as the game progresses, saying, "The second half of today's game is going to be the Iditarod."

Last night's game between the two National League Central rivals ended with a steady rain falling on Wrigley. This AP photo shows the Cubbies' Cliff Floyd whiffing at strike three during a downpour to end the game and give the Brewers a 4-1 victory. Milwaukee leads the Central by three games over the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs are in last place, six games back.

Rain Making That Does Not Involve Pac Man Jones

Chinese meteorologists say they can make it rain. Insert your own Pac Man Jones joke here.

As Beijing prepares for the 2008 Olympic Games, meteorologists are saying that, after studying weather data from the past 30 years, they have concluded that there is a 50 percent chance of rain spoiling the Game's opening ceremonies on Aug. 8, 2008 and also two weeks later during the closing ceremonies.

The group held a press conference Wednesday to announce their plans. Here's a quote from the event:

"We are now drafting the implementation plan for the artificial rain mitigation for the opening and closing ceremonies," said Wang Yubin, an engineer with the Beijing Meteorological Bureau. "We will take necessary measures for the possible rain mitigation."

The scientists also said the procedure also could be used to cleanse the air. Beijing is among the worst in Asia for air pollution.

So, how does this rain-making procedure work? The Associated Press tells us...

Technicians with the Beijing Weather Modification Office said last May they had fired seven rocket shells containing 163 cigarette-size sticks of silver iodide over the city's skies, which they claimed forced four-tenths of an inch of rain.

Whether cloud-seeding actually works has been the subject of debate in the scientific community. In 2003, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences questioned the science behind it as "too weak."

Tornado Watch Blows Off Rangers Game with Mariners

Today's afternoon contest between the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners in Arlington has been postponed because of a tornado watch in the area. Below is the official news release from the Rangers announcing the postponement.

ARLINGTON -- The Texas Rangers announced today's game against the Seattle Mariners has been postponed due to a tornado watch coupled with a forecast of increasingly deteriorating weather conditions.
"The safety of our customers is always our number one concern. Today's matinee had over 8,000 school children in attendance. The tornado watch and the forecast made this decision a prudent one," said Rangers President Jeff Cogen.

The game will be made up in July when the Mariners return to Arlington July 23-25. A specific game date will be determined at a later time. Tickets to today's game may be exchanged for any regular season game on the 2007 schedule beginning tomorrow.

Rockies GM Provides Interesting Plan

After 22 game postponements in the first three weeks of the Major League Baseball season, nearly everyone has chimed in on how to fix early-season schedule. In his New York Post Down the Line column Sunday, Joel Sherman gives us a pretty good plan from Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd.

Begin the season a week earlier to provide extra off-days throughout the year for everyone and send six teams (rather than two) to play a few series in warm weather/dome atmospheres in international areas where you are trying to either grow the game and/or honor a feeding ground to the majors. He recommended, for example, Latin America, Taiwan, Korea and Australia.

That's a pretty good idea. I hadn't thought of that one. But then again, I haven't spent many nights trying to resolve the problem of April weather and its effects on baseball games. I only blog about it. I really like the idea of playing early-season international games. Just don’t send the Yankees back to Japan. We don't the Giambino coming back with more parasites.

Weather Classics: Howard, Packers Sprint to Title Game

A little more than 10 years ago, Desmond Howard ran wild through rain, mud and the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field to help lead the Packers to a 35-14 win and a second consecutive berth in the NFC Championship game. Howard received the game's first punt and returned it 71 yards for a touchdown. On the 49ers second punt, the former Heisman Trophy winner sprinted 46 yards to the San Francisco 7 yard line. That return provided a short field for the Pack and quarterback Brett Favre, who moments later tossed a 4-yard scoring strike to Andre Rison. The Pack moved ahead 21-0 in the second quarter before the 49ers closed the gap to 21-14. Green Bay, however, put the game away in the second half. Mudder Edgar Bennett was the game's leading rusher with 80 yards in 17 carries and two touchdowns.

Junior's Hopes for Win Spoiled by Rain

Dale Earnhardt Jr. kept his eyes on the sky when the heavens opened up three weeks ago at Martinsville. The fella who drives the red No. 8 car was leading the Goody's Cool Orange 500 when rain hit the small Virginia city. The race was 143 laps from completion, but if the rain had kept falling, the event would have been called and Junior would have had the victory. If ifs and buts were fruits and nuts… Alas for Junior, the rained lasted only a short while and he and his fellow NASCAR drivers were forced back to the track. Joe Menzer of NASCAR.com tells us how the race ended in his telling of the Anatomy of a Rain Delay. I won't spoil the ending, but I will tell you that Junior did finish in the top 5.

Dodger Gray

Can you believe it? We've had three straight days without a rain out (or snow out) in the Majors. That streak comes after having 22 games postponed in the season's first three and a half weeks. According to forecasts, the weekend is looking nice for the East and Midwest, but not so good for the West. It's raining in Los Angeles and tonight's Dodgers game with the Pirates could be postponed, a rarity for Dodger Stadium. The Angels also play at home this weekend.

Here's what the National Weather Service in Los Angeles is forecasting:

.TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH SHOWERS LIKELY AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MIDNIGHT...THEN BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY.
LOWS IN THE UPPER 40S TO MID 50S. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 70 PERCENT.

The Dodgers have a weather page set up on their Web site to provide the latest information about weather at the ballpark and to let fans know weather the next scheduled game will be played or postponed. I haven't found such a page for the Angels, but then again, who cares about the Angels?

There also the possibility of snow in the mountains in the City of Angels.

"RAINFALL ... COULD POSE A THREAT FOR SOME MUD AND DEBRIS FLOWS IN AND BELOW BURN AREAS. IN THE MOUNTAINS ABOVE 5000 TO 5500 FEET...SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES ARE EXPECTED WITH LOCALLY HIGHER TOTALS POSSIBLE."

ESPN Rain Delay

This ESPN commercial is nothing new, but it's funny and appropriate for a rain out blog. Enjoy!

Julio Cryin' in the Rain

Arsenal's Julio Baptista appears to be talking his way out of England and away from Arsenal. The Brazilian has attacked almost everything English, including the weather. Here are some quotes from Baptista as reported by Goal.com.

"The weather over here is killing me," he said. "We'll get one day of sunshine for every 30 days of rain, and it is driving me to despair.

"My girlfriend and my mother are frightened about not seeing the sun in England. They miss being in Madrid."

Sprinkles

It's a slow weather day in the sports world. Let's face it; sports could use a break following the past few weeks in which 22 baseball games have been postponed because of snow and rain, an MLB team had to switch cities to get out of the snow, and huge nor'easter hit the U.S forcing seven major league postponements in one day. We've even see weather affect the Boston Marathon, NASCAR, golf, tennis, soccer, and spring football on many college campuses. So today we offer what we call Sprinkles, links to sports-weather stories from the past few days that you may have missed.

Nick Saban's debut in Tuscaloosa got off to a wet start.

Mike Hameluck, a former Winnipeg Blue Bomber of the Canadian Football League, would like to the team's new stadium to include a roof so everyone will have a pleasant day at the game, and no players will drown. What a wuss! I may have to address this in more detail later.

Rain and lightning delayed a college baseball game between Texas A&M and the University of Houston until late in the morning Tuesday. "I would say that we won't see the last pitch of this game until one in the morning," said Aggie baseball play-by-play radio announcer Dave South to the A&M student newspaper. "It's probably going to be a long night."

The weather is playing havoc with high school sports in (pick a town, any town). This story happens to come from Massachusetts. Name of the team that is the subject of this Berkshire Eagle story: Hurricanes. Of Course.

USA Today's The Weather Guys chimed in Tuesday about the effect the harsh spring rain and snow has had on the MLB season thus far.

It's raining men at Shea Stadium

Hot Flames Ice Girls Clear Snow

Operating a sports weather blog doesn't create many opportunities for me to write about one of my favorite sports: hockey. So, sometimes I have to stretch the news a bit in order to give mention to the world's most underrated sport. Today, we give mention to snow cleanup from Tuesday's NHL Western Conference quarterfinal Game 3 between the Detroit Red Wings and the Flames in Calgary. The flames won 2-1 and now trail 2-1 in the series. The photo above (REUTERS/Patrick Price – CANADA) shows an ice girl, as they are often called, shoveling loose snow in front of the net guarded by Wings goalie Dominik Hasek. Told ya it was a stretch.

A story involving the New York Islanders ice babes and New Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist and defenseman Sean Avery received considerable attention two weeks ago when an ice girl accused Lundqvist of not moving from the net and knocking the stick of her shovel into her belly. Another Islanders ice girl accused someone from the Rangers bench of spitting on her. The NHL basically told the ice girls to shove it.

Let's Go Rangers!!!

Wet Aussie Football Fan Wants Money Back

This from Australia's News.com.au

AFL officials at first thought a $1500 compensation claim from a football fan who got wet at a rain-soaked match was a prank.
Ben Bain was one of 6380 fans who were drenched when monsoonal rains hit a pre-season match between AFL heavyweights Brisbane Lions and St Kilda in Cairns.
But unlike the rest of the fans who put the experience down to bad luck, Mr Bain and his partner Yolanda McNarn are asking for compensation worth $1498.
The pair, who were seated outside, were not allowed to raise an umbrella during the match and could not purchase a poncho at the ground.
Mr Bain said he and Ms McNarn expected their $51 grandstand seats to be undercover and were misled "through advertising and overprised (sic) tickets".
Their night had been ruined, he said, and accused AFL Cairns of violating its duty of care.
Mr Bain, a cabling engineer who recently moved from Melbourne, said last week he hoped a mediation session scheduled for tomorrow could see the issue "sorted amicably".
"I don't want to make a big deal of it at this stage," he told The Cairns Post.
Mr Bain has asked the AFL for two tickets and return airfares to Melbourne to watch another game, as well as cab transfers and accommodation.
In addition, he has claimed for a $50 bet he was unable to place on Brisbane to win the NAB Cup match because the ground's TAB agency was closed unexpectedly.
The AFL offered Mr Bain and Ms McNarn two reserved seats to any premiership match whenever they are in Melbourne but rejected his compensation claim.

Phillies - Mets Rained Out Tonight

Tonight's Phillies game with the New York Mets has been postponed because of the nasty nor'easter that has hit the east coast over the past two days and caused heaving rains and flooding. It's the second straight day the Phillies had a game postponed. The game scheduled for tonight at Citizen's Bank Park has been rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader on June 29.

New York Bullish in the Rain

Fear not soccer fans; we haven't forgotten about the MLS. Clint Mathis led the New York Red Bulls Sunday to a 3-0 win over FC Dallas in a driving rain storm at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Red Bulls also got goals from Josmer Altidore and Dave van den Bergh in the team's first victory of the season. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Kenya Run in the Rain? You Bet!

Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya successfully defended his Bean Town race title by winning the 111th Boston Marathon in the wind and rain Monday. The Boston win was Cheruiyot's third title. Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia won the women's title. Cheruiyot completed the 26.2-mile race in 2 hours, 14 minutes and 13 seconds, the slowest winning time since 1985. USA Today reports:
The weather, part of a nor'easter battering the Eastern seaboard, will become part of race lore. The field contended with temperatures in the high 40s, winds gusting more than 25 mph and rain for much of the race. As tough as conditions were, they were better than anticipated on race eve. The rain stopped midway through the race.

Wet Marathon Begins

And there off. The 111th Boston Marathon began shortly after 10 a.m. today. Runners are braving the elements while spectators watch under umbrellas. The AP photo above shows the competitors as they begin the long 26-mile trip from Hopkinton, Mass.

Weather Blasts Northeast, Baseball Games

Snow, rain, icy rain and strong winds hit the Northeast U.S. this weekend and those weather conditions still are a factor in many places. Forecasters are saying parts of New York state, Pennsylvania, Vermont and New Hampshire could get as much as 12 inches of snow by today. The unseasonable conditions force postponements of five Major League baseball games Sunday, including a doubleheader in Pittsburgh between the Pirates and Giants, and has already forced a time change in today's Patriot's Day game at Fenway Park in which the Red Sox are to host the Los Angeles Angels. The game was to start at 10:05 a.m., but has been tentatively rescheduled for 12:05 p.m. because of heavy rain and high winds. One sporting event that will not be affected is the Boston Marathon. It will be run today. Expect more baseball postponements later today as we get closer to game times.

Rain hit this weekend's LPGA event in Florida. This Associated Press photo shows Lorena Ochoa of Mexico slipping into a pair rain pants on the third fairway during the Ginn Open in Reunion, Fla. Where are the pictures of Natalie Gulbis getting all wet? It's about time we were able to bring some sexiness to the rainout blog. It was only a matter of time. Thanks, Lorena!

Tornado Warning, Heavy Storms Cancel NASCAR Qualifying

Thousands of fans who gathered Friday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort-Worth to watch qualifying for Sunday’s Samsung 500 were advised to move to safety as tornado sirens blaster across the speedway. Qualifying for the NASCAR event was canceled as strong hailstorms moved through the area. The National Weather Service reported that a tornado had been spotted between Fort Worth and Dallas. The AP photo above shows Jeff Gordon driving through the rain-soaked garage area.

Rain Grounds Redbirds

The National Anthem had been sung and pitchers had begun warming up Friday night when the rains hit Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The steady downpour and cold temperatures eventually led to the postponement of the Cardinals series opener with the Milwaukee Brewers. And because rain was expected to last throughout the night, Saturday’s game was pushed back six hours to 7:10 p.m. to allow the field to dry. A make-up date for Friday’s game will be announced at a later date.

The Associated Press photo above shows the Cardinals grounds crew pulling the tarp over the Busch Stadium field as the begins to fall.

A story on the Cardinals’ Web site gives us a quote from Redbirds manager Tony LaRussa and a little weather information for the St. Louis area for Saturday.

"We were watching on the computer, and they had nailed it almost to the minute," manager Tony La Russa said. "And once it got going, it's going 'til the early morning hours. And then that's why we moved the game back [Saturday]. There's a chance it will be around a good part of tomorrow. We should be able to play by tomorrow night. It will be a little uncomfortable."

The current forecast, according to Weather.com, calls for a first-pitch temperature of 42 degrees and a 30 percent chance of rain, with winds of about 15 mph.

More Fenway Visuals

You can't run a sports weather blog without cool photos of the action. And since I can't rush all across the country to snap photos of rain or snow pouring down on ballparks, I have to borrow from the Internet and news organizations. Thanks guys! This photo is an AP shot from the Red Sox rainout Thursday. Man, there's been a lot of Boston stuff on here the past two days. You'd never know I'm a Yankees fan.

Running in the Rain?

The 111th Boston Marathon is Monday, and it may be a wet run. A huge storm is forcasted for the Boston area that day, and the storm also could threaten the Red Sox traditional morning game at Fenway. The racing shoes will get wet because the race will go on in through the rain, but the Sox will postpone and stay dry. (That's so lame!) Below is a brief from the New York Times about the race.

RAIN WILL NOT STOP BOSTON RACE A powerful storm threatens to drench runners and spectators of the Boston Marathon but a race official said yesterday that the event, the world’s oldest annually run footrace, would go ahead as planned. Near-freezing temperatures, rain and gale-force winds are forecast for Monday’s race, which could make it one of the toughest since runners first competed on the hilly course in 1897.

Russell Remembers No. 42 After Fenway Rainout

For a change, it's a slow news day as far as weather intermingling with sporting events is concerned. The past week has been pretty hectic. The Cleveland Indians tonight will play their true home opener at Jacobs Field after being relocated to Milwaukee following a snow storm in Cleveland. Yesterday, the Red Sox had their game with Seattle postponed after rain pelted Fenway Park. And from that rain out comes this gem of a story from the Hartford Courant that allows former Celtics great Bill Russell talk about his hero worship of Jackie Robinson. Below is an excerpt of the article followed by a link to the full story. Major League Baseball is honoring Robinson Sunday on the 60th anniversary of his breaking the baseball color barrier.

The cold, pelting rain made for a dark day at Fenway Park Thursday.

Inside, though, Bill Russell's heartfelt words turned that all around.

He wanted to praise his hero, Jackie Robinson.

"You may or may not know that I was a pallbearer at Jackie Robinson's funeral," he told a group of reporters on a day that the Red Sox were to honor the late Celtics patriarch, Red Auerbach.

"The day after he died [in 1972] Rachel Robinson called me to ask if I would be a pallbearer," Russell said. "When Jackie broke into baseball, I was in junior high school. To all of us, he was our hero, and here she was asking me to be one of his pallbearers."
Read More>>>

The photo above is not from Thursday's rainout. It's an AP photo from a 2005 game at Fenway between the Sox and Devil Rays.

Rain Claims BoSox Finale with Ms

It's raining at Fenway Park and the series finale between Sox and the Mariners has been postponed and rescheduled for Thursday, May 3. This AP photo shows fans at the ballpark just before the game was to start.

Snow Follows Tribe to Milwaukee

Wow, the Cleveland Indians just can't escape the snow. This AP photo shows a plow clearing a parking lot at Milwaukee's Miller Park hours before Wednesday's scheduled game between the Tribe and the Los Angeles Angels. The Indians are playing home games this week under the security of Miller Park's retractable roof after snow hit Cleveland late last week and through the weekend, leaving the team's Jacob's Field full of snow. Despite the cold and snow outside, it was comfortable for players and fans alike in the Angels 4-1 win.

Staying in Wisconsin: It's snowing at Lambeau Field. So, what's new? Check out the Lambeau cam and the tailgate cam on Packers.com. By the way, new turf is being installed at Lambeau. That's the reason for the mess on the field.

Mike Griffenberg of the Times Record in Valley City, N.D. hates Mother Nature. Things will get better, Mike. Hang in there.

Fans Must Put Up With Cold, Columnist Writes

Much debate has been struck over the past week and a half about what some say is a necessity for Major League Baseball to rethink the way it schedules games in April. This comes after games have been snowed out in Cleveland and Chicago and cold temperatures have plagued games across the Northeast and Midwest. Many in sports media are calling for teams located in these geographic areas to open their seasons on the road in warm-weather cities or against teams who play their home games in domes. However, Chicago Tribune columnist Rick Morrissey says the media and fans should just suck it up. Morrissey wrote Wednesday:

Just because the Indians have been bundled up like Ralphie's kid brother in "A Christmas Story" doesn't mean it will be like that every spring. You can't change scheduling based on one spring. No, it's not normal to see Indians players throwing snowballs instead of baseballs. But you can't legislate against snow and low temperatures. The minute you do, you're ensuring that next April will feel like the desert.

Read Morrissey's column.

MLB.com features Jacobs Grounds Crew

MLB.com featured a story Monday about Jacobs Field groundskeepers and the effort they put forth day in an attempt to get the field ready for that day's doubleheader with Seattle. The ballyard was covered with 18 inches of snow in some parts, and the crew began work at 6 a.m., hoping to have the Jake ready in time for the scheduled 4:05 p.m. first pitch, the story reports. At the same time, scores of workers were shoveling the seats and aisles. The game eventually was called at 11 a.m. The Indians and Mariners had tried all weekend to play those games, but failed in all attempts. Friday, the two squads began play, but suffered through three snow delays before the game was called. The MLB story mentioned the grounds crew used various machines and plows to move the snow, but there's no mention of a zamboni.

That reminds me, the NHL playoffs begin tonight. Game On!

Cubbies Hibernate For A Day

Snow has victimized another baseball game – this time in Chicago. Today's contest between the Cubbies and the Houston Astros at the not-so-cozy confines of Wrigley Field has been postponed. According to the Cubs official Web site, snow had covered the field by 9:30 (Central) this morning and more snow turning to rain is forecasted. The game has been rescheduled for July 12.

New Delay Rule Goes Into Effect
Last night's Brewers game at Florida was called because of heavy rain after 10 innings and three rain delays with the score tied at 2-2. The game will be resumed Wednesday night in the top of the 11th and will be followed by the third game of the three-game series. The delayed game is the first to fall under the new rule just put in place by Major League Baseball this season that allows for such delayed games to be resumed. Before the rule change, games of this sort would have been declared an official tie and would have been replayed from the start. Last night's suspended game was called at 12:03 a.m., and the three rain delays totaled an hour and 42 minutes. The second delay was prompted by heavy rain and lightning. Ah, we love lightning.

Another Day, Another Cricket Delay

This Associated Press photo show New Zealand's Jacob Oram leaving the pitch during a rain delay in their World Cup cricket Super Eights match against Ireland Monday.

This AP photo shows tennis fans getting the wet treatment during a recent Davis Cup match between Brazil and Japan at Costao do Santinho resort, in Florianopolis, southern Brazil.

Snow Forces Tribe to Milwaukee

Who ever heard of traveling to Milwaukee to avoid snow?
Well, now you have. The Cleveland Indians, after many failed attempts at staging its 109th opening day in team history, are now being forced to make their home on the road for the next few days.
The Tribe and Seattle Mariners hopelessly tried to take the field over the weekend, but snow continually forced the teams out of action. Doubleheaders had been scheduled Friday, Saturday, Sunday and again Monday, but with the same result: Postponement after postponement. The two American League clubs did get on the field Friday, but finally had to give up and retire to the clubhouse when the snow would not stop falling (As you can see in the above AP photo).
Three delays halted action on Friday before the umpires eventually called the game one strike short of a complete contest. Maybe you can blame that somewhat on the Mariners pitchers.
As I listened to the game Friday on XM, I heard one member of the Indians radio crew utter something about the fans had sat through three long snow delays and bitter cold temperatures and were not in the mood to see pick-off throws by the Ms pitching staff.
Good point.
They also had a few words for the schedule makers who put home games in Cleveland at the beginning of April.
So now the Indians are off to Milwaukee and will have their home opener at Miller Park while the Brewers are on the road. Not exactly what Cleveland fans has in mind for opening day, but there isn't much you can with 10 inches of snow covering Jacobs Field. The Tribe and Los Angeles Angels will play game one of their series Tuesday under the retractable roof of the warm, comfortable Miller Park.

It's Browns Weather, But It's the Indians Day in Cleveland

It's 30 degrees and snowing at Jacobs Field, but that's not going to stop the Indians from staging their 106th home opener today against the Seattle Mariners. In the AP photo above, Seattle pitcher Jarrod Washburn walks through the snow at the Jake during, uh, warmups, before today's game.

Thoughts From the Press Box (dry from the rain)

Sitting in the press box at Cliff Hagan Stadium Tuesday following the cancellation the University of Kentucky's game with Western Carolina University, The Kentucky Kernel's Chris DeLotell, suddenly left with no game story to pen, gave readers his thoughts on the Wildcats and a few other topics related to sports in the Lexington area. This excerpt from his column fits nicely on our sports weather blog.

Coolest sight of the night: Watching manager John Cohen jog out to the tarp along the third base line and help his players and the grounds crew cover up the infield. When's the last time you saw Joe Torre unraveling the tarp?

Read the column in its entirety.