Forget Peyton, the Buckeyes can perform in cold weather

AP Photo/Jay LaPrete

Weather and sports mixed in conversation often last week, but most of it concerned Peyton Manning’s ability – well, inability – to win in cold weather. 

Time out: What’s it called when you begin and end a sentence with the same word? There has to be a word for that.

Anyway, if you’re a Broncos fan, or worse, a Patriots-hating Jets fan, Peyton didn’t do much to dispel beliefs that he can't get it done when the temperature drops.

Speaking of dropping, lets' drop the Peyton/cold weather talk because that'll resurface soon enough in January.

The day before Manning’s team blew a huge lead – it was 24-0 at halftime – and the game to those pesky New Englanders, Ohio State routed Indiana 42-14 in something we all love, a snow game.

I have to be honest, I didn’t know about the snow falling on The Horseshoe until Monday.

Thankfully, Bill Livingston of the Cleveland Plain Dealer penned (nobody pens $#@! anymore) banged out an excellent column about the playing conditions while also speculating that an SEC team would have difficulty competing on such a cold, snowy, windy November afternoon in Columbus.

I have to disagree with Bill. Toss in a Category 3 hurricane named Brutus and “Bama is still beating the Buckeyes by a couple of touchdowns!

This week Ohio State plays at Michigan, where the extended forecast is showing a high of 36 and sunny.

Boring!

Oh, wait.

Apparently, there’s still snow in Columbus where Ohio State fans expressed their distaste toward Michigan and ESPN’s Mark May Tuesday morning.  

Hold on. I feel a song coming on: “So we can write about things that blow, let it snow, let snow, let it snow!”

That's just stupid. I apologize.

Miami (Not the Counting Crows song)

Hey there, all you readers of The Rainout Blog.

Have you missed me?

You know, I've closed this blog more times than I can count.

Don't get me wrong, I love coming to this space and writing short, little posts about the rainy, muddy, snow, foggy, whatever action in a given particular sport – especially baseball – but with a family, a long-flippin' commute and that place that employs me – I'm very grateful; thank you employer – I miss out on a lot of sports weather items.

It seems I'm really busiest with personal commitments when big events – you know, like hurricane and blizzards – occur.

And days like today, when I have a few minutes of free time to write, what do we have? The BCS title game… in Miami.

Nothing weathery – is that a word? – to report from Miami, although I did hear some radio personality this morning say there was a slight drizzle. And a quick check on Weather.com shows a 20 percent chance of rain for tonight. Dandy!

A big part of the appeal, if there is one, of The Rainout Blog is not my words, of course, but the spectacular sports weather-related photos I swipe gather from the Internet. I'm guessing if any rain falls on the turf in Miami tonight, it will not be enough to make for outstanding, must-see sports weather photography.

It'l be nothing that'll make you say, "I gotta check The Rainout Blog."

But, if we're lucky, there will be enough of a rain to produce a lovely beaded coating on those blinding, golden dome Notre Dame helmets.

By the way, I know you've been begging for my pick of tonight's game, so here goes: Notre Dame will play like a champion today tonight and roll over the Tide (corny), 22-9.