Rain on A-Rod's parade?

So today is the day we find out – I hope – MLB’s decision on the Alex Rodriguez suspension. 

It’s an odd circumstance in play: We’re hearing now that the decision for a long suspension will be announced around 3 p.m. Eastern today. Meanwhile, all indicators suggest A-Rod will appeal the suspension, thus allowing him to rejoin the Yankees in Chicago for tonight’s game with the White Sox.

We’ve waited so long to see how this finally plays out. We know there will be a suspension, most likely through the 2014 season, but will Rodriguez indeed be allowed back on the field tonight after surgery in February and a long rehab stint?

We’ll find out tonight, right? I mean, what could possibly hold up that decision now?

Oh, yeah: Rain!

Ok, probably not but there is a 40 percent chance of rain and there have been media reports of drizzle at the ballpark in Chicago today.

But if rain does postpone the game, what will the Yankees do? Will they take this opportunity to 

develop another excuse to keep Rodriguez off the club? Perhaps invent a new nagging injury?

Editor’s note: After reading the above post, you said to yourself, “wow, that was a half-arsed attempt at a blog post,” you’d be right. I’ve been writing The Rainout Blog on-again, off-again (mostly off-again) for the past seven or eight years. (Has it been that long?) When I started, I had real passion for what I still think is a unique –that’s my way of saying “uninteresting to most other people” – sports blog. Occasionally, I’ll say, “hey, I really should write more on The Rainout Blog.” And then I’ll open the blog and think “Ugh, I really don’t want to get into this again.” So, what am I saying here? Nothing really, other than I’d really like to get back to writing this blog, but I’m not promising anything… other than it probably won’t happen.

What Are You Waiting For?

The game has been postponed. 

Fans in this Associated Press photo from April 30 are shown braving wet conditions during a rain delay at Comerica Park in Chicago. 

The patient fans were waiting to see the hometown White Sox play the Kansas City Royals. However, rain kept falling and the game was postponed until Sept. 24, a date that had been a mutual off day for both clubs. 

The rainout was the second in three days for the Royals.

Wet Sox

The White Sox game with the Cubs, as you already know, was rained out on Tuesday, but the coolest baseball rain delay photo from the past week is this AP snapshot of the Sox grounds crew as they squeegee water from the tarp covering the field during a rain delayed game between the Pale Hose and the Tigers.

Two Out on Opening Day, so far

It’s opening day, and threats of rain and snow already have claimed two games. The snowy forecast in Chicago led officials Sunday to postpone Monday’s White Sox opener, and rain in Boston today has led to delaying the Red Sox contest with Tampa. Also, rain has been falling in Cincinnati, but the Reds and Mets continue to play through. And, as you can see in the photo, the tarp has been on the field today in Baltimore, but it looks like the O’s and Yankees will begin on time.

By the way, for more frequent Rainout Blog updates, follow the blog's Twitter page at Twitter.com/Rainoutblog.

Wet Sox in Pictures

Speaking of Monday’s game between the visiting O’s and the homestanding White Sox (see below), ChicagoSports.com has a neat 13-page gallery of the rain-soaked contest that was called after 11 innings with the score tied at 3-3. Knock yourself out. The picture posted here is not from Monday’s game, but from Friday’s first inning rain delay in Chicago.

Wimbledon, Wet Sox, Wet Birds and All Wet Rules Changes

There’s a new rule here at The Rainout Blog: Less Writing, More Photos. The rule goes into effect immediately, and… there I go writing again. So let me briefly tell you that the photo above is from Wimbledon 2007. The tournament is making news today, in April, about three months before the ’08 edition takes center stage, because Wimbledon officials have said they will not allow the tournament to be played on the middle Sunday, no matter how many rain delays the tournament suffers during its first week. Good for them. Every one who complains can suck it up. Right? Right.

In other rain out, rain delay news… the Mets and Pirates were rained out at Shea Stadium last night, and the White Sox and Orioles were suspended in the 12th inning because of persistent rain in Chicago. No date to resume the game has been announced. The start of that game was delayed more than two hours because of continuous rain that has plagued the White Sox home stand. The good news for the Damp Sox is that they’ll be playing under the roof in Minnesota over the next few days. Oh, and that Pirates at Mets contest will be played Aug. 11, which had been an off day for both teams. Don’t ya hate being called into work on your day off? At least they have a four-month notice.

All right, so much for writing less. I’ll try harder next time. I swear. Speaking of swearing, today is the 25th anniversary of this…

Oh, and can you believe I wrote about wet tennis and never mentioned Maria Sharapova?

Dempsey A RoBHoFer?

I’ve joked here before about creating a Rainout Blog Hall of Fame, and just how lame it would be to actually carry out such a goofy idea. However, if I ever were to do so (please stop me), former Orioles catcher Rick Dempsey would no doubt be the inaugural inductee of the RoBHoF for his antics in the late 1970s during various rain delays. If you’ve seen the performances by Dempsey, the son of a Vaudeville actor and former Broadway actress, you know all about the player’s precipitation-inspired comedic genius. If not, you may have to look through your dad’s old baseball video tape collection. Dempsey first performed his act during a rain delay at Fenway Park in 1977, well short of the YouTube and DVR generation. I have searched far and wide across the great landscape of the Internet and have yet to find a trace of footage showing Dempsey sliding across a rain-soaked turf.

Baseball Library dot com has a nice bio piece about Dempsey. The last paragraph (I’ve pasted it below) delves into his rain delay act. The paragraph could very well be engraved on Dempsey’s RoBHoF plaque.

Dempsey, whose father was a Vaudeville actor and whose mother was a former Broadway star, was known to be a bit of a ham himself. During a 1977 rain delay at Fenway Park he entertained players and fans alike by performing a baseball pantomime routine with towels stuffed in his shirt to evoke Babe Ruth's well-known belly. He ended the routine by belly-flopping across the rain-soaked tarp at home plate and then leading the crowd in a rendition of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head." Dempsey reprised the routine at various times in later years, including once in a September 1982 game at Milwaukee when he wore a Robin Yount jersey and mimicked hitting a home run before circling the bases to the delight of the crowd.

By the way, you may remember White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle tried a similar stunt in April of 2006 but was quickly told to knock it off by general manager Ken Williams, who was quoted as saying, “He (Buehrle) needs to find another hobby.”

Pitchers Thrive After Delays

As I write this entry, the New York Mets are playing the Cubs in Shea Stadium. The first pitch was scheduled to be tossed at a little past 1 p.m., Eastern. No big deal, right. Under ordinary circumstances it wouldn’t be a big deal. However, what was supposed to be a day game following a night game, turned into a matinee following a morning game, one that ended just more than 12 hours prior. Rain delayed the start of last night’s contest by a little more than three hours. It ended at 12:53 a.m. with the Cubbies claiming an 8-1 win. The wait didn’t bother Chicago starting hurler Jorge Sosa, who pitched seven innings of one-hit baseball. He also struck out five Mets. Here are some interesting tidbits from the Associated Press:

The game didn't start until 10:17 p.m., a 3 hour, 7 minute delay because of a steady rain that began in the late afternoon. The skies darkened above the stadium at about 4:00 p.m., and the crew scurried to put the tarp over the infield before the rain started. The rain stopped for good at 9:35, and the tarp was removed to thunderous applause from the thousands of soggy Shea Stadium faithful who stayed to watch the game.

A smattering of fans stayed to the end, and they saw Mets All-Star Jose Reyes leave the game after an eighth-inning single with slight tightness in his left hamstring. Reyes said he was fine afterward and would play on Thursday.
The Mets are offering all ticket holders for Wednesday night's game free tickets to one of the three games against the Minnesota Twins, who will be in town June 18-20.

In the photo above, Mets reliever Aaron Sele waits for the rain to stop.

Wednesday night’s game between the Tigers and Red Sox in Fenway Park was postponed because of rain. The second game of the series between two of the American League’s top teams will be made up today as part of a doubleheader. Elsewhere, the Brewers and home-standing Phillies were forced to wait 92 minutes before commencing their Wednesday night game. No big deal for Phillies’ pitcher Cole Hamels, who carried a perfect game into the seventh inning. Hamels lost the perfecto bid on a walk to Milwaukee’s Rickie Weeks. A batter later, J.J. Hardy spoiled the no-hit performance and shutout with a two-run homer. The suddenly hot Phillies won 6-2. In Chicago, the Yanks and White Sox had the second game of their day-night double dip delayed an hour and 15 minutes because of rain. The game followed a make-up game that was postponed by rain on Tuesday. The Yanks, after losing the opener, bounced back to win 8-1 in the nightcap.

Weather Term of the Day
DRIZZLE -- Slowly falling precipitation in the form of tiny water droplets with diameters less than 0.02 inches or 0.5 millimeters. It falls from stratus clouds and is often associated with low visibility and fog. It is reported as "DZ" in an observation and on the METAR.

Tagged Out At The Tarp

Rick Dempsey used to make sliding on the tarp during a rain delay look like so much fun. Who wouldn’t want to take a huge run-and-go and glide several feet across a wet, slick tarpaulin? But unless you’re a player or someone whose job requires an on-field presence, you’ll most likely be arrested trying to pull off the stunt. That’s what happened to the poor fellow in the photo above Tuesday night when he was caught by a Chicago White Sox security guard. There’s no official word yet, but we think he made the slide before he was busted. The game between the Sox and Yankees Tuesday was eventually postponed after 10:30 p.m., Chicago time, and has been rescheduled for 1:05 p.m. (CDT) today as part of a day-night doubleheader. (AP Photo/Jerry Lai)

Intersting note: On this date, May 16, in 1945, every American League game was postponed by rain, for the fourth consecutive day.

Weather Term of the Day:
ANVIL -- The upper portion of a cumulonimbus cloud that becomes flat and spread-out, sometimes for hundreds of miles downstream from the parent cloud. It may look smooth or fibrous, but in shape, it resembles a blacksmith's anvil. It indicates the mature or decaying stage of a thunderstorm.