Slingin' In The Rain

The bad news for Matt Ryan is that weather forecasters are saying there's a 100 percent chance he'll be tossing the pigskin in the rain for the second consecutive game.

The good news for the Heisman candidate – I think ESPN has already given him the trophy – is that he will be facing a defense that more resembles the one he faced in the final two minutes of his Boston College Eagles' win more than a week ago instead of the Virginia Tech defense that busted his chops in the game's first 58 minutes.

The undefeated Eagles welcome ACC foe Florida State to Chestnut Hill Saturday where rain and wind gusts are likely with temperatures dipping to 40 degrees at kickoff. The weather is a result of Hurricane Noel which is tracking parallel with the coast and will graze eastern seaboard states.

Noel will lose its hurricane strength as it moves up the coast, but still will be a significant storm by the time it slides by Massachusetts. More than an inch of rain is expected in Boston beginning Saturday morning.

A Rain Falls In Brooklyn

This is not just an attempt to increase my post numbers for the day, but I thought I'd post this really cool photo taken during a rain delay at Ebbets Field. I found the photo while searching for other things, and I have no information about the picture. And with no info, I saw no opportunity to ever post it and share with you, my faithful readers from all parts of the world. So this is better than simply letting it sit on my hard drive, eh?

Pigskins and Mudders

Brandon Jacobs could have been one of the mudders trotting through on a sloppy track at the Breeders' Cup over the weekend prior to helping the New York American Football Giants score a 13-10 win over the Dolphins Sunday on a mud-caked mess of a pitch at London's Wembley Stadium.

Jacobs took 23 handoffs from quarterback Eli Manning and ran for 131 yards, averaging nearly six yards per carry. A persistent rain fell throughout the game, which was perfect for the G-Men to crank up the running attack. Manning even ran for a TD, while passing for only, get this, 59 yards.

It appeared on TV that many of the fans endured the rain and stuck around through most of the match, wearing jerseys from numerous NFL teams. I even saw a Jets jersey near the end of the game.

Oh, and a lot of media folks are complaining today about the sloppy field conditions and the low scoring, saying the Londoners didn't get a true representation of American football. Just remember fellas, this game was played in England where they love soccer and are used to low scoring affairs.

Adding to that, here's an interesting fact for you to chew on over lunch: The Giants scored 13 points in the game; that's more points than seven English Premier League teams have scored all season. Stick that in your Arsenal.

Rain Plan

Wow, look at those rain clouds hovering over Boston just hours before Josh Beckett tosses the first pitch of the World Series tonight in Fenway Park. That shot was taken from a WBZ-TV web cam about 4:25 p.m., Eastern time, by the way. Some pregame showers are expected in Beantown ahead of the Game 1 meeting between the Sox and Rocks, but forecasters say the skies should clear up. There is a 60 percent chance of intermittent light rain forecasted for Wednesday night with lows in the low 50s at game time. The cloud cover will keep the temperatures from dipping much as the game moves into the later innings. If there is more precipitation than expected and Game 1 is rained out, the opener will be rescheduled for Thursday with Game 2 Friday. If that's the case, there will be no off day between Game 2 and Game 3 Saturday in Denver. Commissioner Bud Selig has the final call on whether games are played.

Warning: Expect Delays

While everyone is finding their seats on the Rockies bandwagon, it seems that other League Championship Series has been pushed to the backburner a bit, except in Cleveland and Boston. In case you missed it last night, the Indians grabbed a 2-1 series lead at Jacobs Field. Tonight in Cleveland is Game 4 of the ALCS between the Tribe and Red Sox, and if you're going to the game or just checking it out on your high-def TV, you should expect some delays. The temps forecasted to dip to the high 50s with a 40 percent chance of rain and, my favorite, scatted thunderstorms. (High 50s equals about 15 degrees Celsius for those two or three of you from Malaysia who occasionally visit this blog.)

While we're visiting Cleveland, take a look this Plain Dealer time-lapse video that zips us through the Opening Day snow storm that hit the ballpark as the Indians were hosting the Mariners.

Buy Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jacks... and a Poncho

I love October baseball. Most people I talk with say they hate when cold weather comes into play during the playoffs. "It's just not baseball weather," they tell me. I, of course, disagree. The cold, rainy playing conditions at Coors Field last night, and every other time the weather has come into play in the MLB playoffs, creates an entirely new challenge for the teams embarking on the grand prize. It's a beautiful stage that blends perfectly with the emotions of the games. And you can't tell me the fans at Coors last night didn't just absolutely dig it that their team is kicking the frozen snot of a Diamondbacks team that hails from Arizona and plays in a ballpark with a retractable roof. I'm sure the folks in Denver believe the cold weather is to their team's advantage – they're probably right – and cheer louder with each drop on the thermometer.

A look at the weather-related sports headlines in the Denver Post today gives insight into how into the mindset of the Colorado faithful. Here are a few of those heads:

- Rockies fever keeps away cold
- Almost on Ice
- Rockies Right As Rain
- Arizona Gets Lost in the Fogg (Referring, of course, to Josh Fogg, but still…)
- Rain, Snow, and Base-brrrrrr (This headline actually was in Sunday's Post, but it is my favorite.)

In case you missed the game last night, the Rockies defeated the D-Backs 4-1 at Coors as temperatures dipped into the 30s and cold rain fell before the game during the early innings. It was a beautiful sight. Tonight's Game 4 weather forecast calls for temps in the high 30s, but with mostly clear skies. It’s Broncos weather in Denver, but as their team sits one way away from reaching the World Series, fans in the Mile High City are hot for the Rockies.

Meanwhile, the ALCS moves to Cleveland tonight with the Indians and Red Sox tied at 1-1. Folks at the Jake should be fairly comfortable with low temperatures expected to be in the mid 50s with a slim change of precipitation. Tomorrow night, however, could be a different story. Rain is being forecasted all day with a chance of thunderstorms at night during Game 4.

Lightning Strikes and Jayhawks and Bears

Heavy thunderstorms and lightning in Lawrence delayed the start of today's gridiron clash between homestanding Kansas and visiting Baylor. Kickoff was pushed back two hours. The game is now underway with the Jayhawks leading 10-3 late in the first quarter. So, this is what it has come to -- me writing about a rain delay at a Kansas versus Baylor football game. I'm really bored.

Rain Could Slow ALCS Opener

As you can see in the photo, it was a rainy day in Cleveland – better than bug attacks, eh? – so the Indians hurlers had to cut their workouts short. The Tribe hitters, meanwhile, left the wet Jacobs Field and took some swings at the team’s indoor facility.

The way it looks, the Indians will be taking the wet stuff with them when they travel to Boston for games one and two of the American League Championship Series. Rain is being forecasted over Fenway Park for both of those contests, which are scheduled to be played Friday and Saturday, respectively.

But don’t worry Red Sox fans, your smock-wearing manager has a plan for his pitchers should a game be called or endure a lengthy rain delay.

From the Associated Press:

The rotations would be shuffled around if games are delayed or postponed by rain, which is forecast for both Friday and Saturday. Francona said he would consider using lefty Jon Lester following a long rain delay, if necessary; Lester threw 38 pitches on Tuesday to stay fresh.

Blame It On The Rain

I know next to nothing about track, so it would be a horrible injustice if I were try to relay this story to you about American runner Tyson Gay's failure to break some world record this weekend through a downpour at IAAF Grand Prix. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) Plus, I'm lazy. There, I said it. And since I'm ignorant and lazy, I'll give you this brief account of the event from Reuters. Enjoy! I'll be back later.

SHEFFIELD (Reuters) - American Tyson Gay won the men's 100 meters in Sunday's IAAF Grand Prix at the Don Valley Stadium in 10.13 seconds, persistent rain ruining any hopes of beating the world record of 9.77.

In-form Gay asserted in the final stages to race home a couple of meters clear of Britain's Marlon Devonish, 0.10 behind in second.

Gay is the fastest man in the world this year after posting 9.84 at the U.S. championships last month.