On the flip side

Associated Press

This blog is mostly dedicated to bad weather conditions and how those conditions can play havoc at sporting events.

I, like most people (I think) love that stuff. That’s why I created this blog.

With that said, I couldn't help but be captivated by the images on my TV Saturday when I tuned in for the USC thumping of Notre Dame. It was beautiful weather there in Southern California, nothing like what was outside my house that day.

The LA Times reported USC received commitments from at least six recruits that day. If given the opportunity to play, study and live where it’s sunny and 75 in late November, who wouldn't make that commitment?

-- RAINOUT --

Snowy Friday of Football

In case you need a snow football game fix -- wasn't last Sunday enough? -- Towson and Eastern Illinois are battling it out right now on a slippery field on ESPN2 in an FCS quarterfinal playoff game.

The playoff game is being played in Charleston, Ill. -- that's home to No. 2 Eastern Illinois -- where three to six inches of snow is forecasted.

Towson, the No. 7 team in the nation, had a bit of trouble this week preparing for tonight's contest because of snow and freezing rain.

Anyway, if you  guessed the photo above is of the main monitor in The Rainout Blog World Headquarters, you would be correct.

Crank the Fog Machine to 11, Boys!

I was telling someone the other day that my second favorite non-sunny day weather event – second to rain, of course – is fog. And you know what, I don't write often enough about fog. Perhaps that's because there aren't that many sporting events that take place in those low-lying stratus clouds. Trust me; I look for those stories all the time. There isn't much there.

So, I'll gladly take a story featuring fake fog, especially when there's hilarious video – and an ever cooler close-up photo – of college football players falling all over themselves after tripping over a fog machine. That's what happened Saturday when Mississippi State took the field for its season opener. Saturday Down South has the video.

By the way, the Bulldogs managed to pick themselves off the turf, clear their eyes and deliver a 56-9 beat down to Jackson State. 

Crimson Rain (not literally)

It was wetter than elephant spit in Tuscaloosa Tuesday when the Alabama Crimson Tide football team landed safely back in its home state with its second national championship in three years. In case you missed it, Alabama thumped LSU and its comatose offense 21-0 Monday night in the title game.

Fans of the football crew gathered Tuesday at the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport – who knew they had airports in Alabama – to greet the champs by, no doubt, yelling “roll Tide” and something silly about a yellow hammer. Aren’t you glad college football is over? Me, too!

Photo: AP Photo/The Birmingham News

Hold That Line

Just as forecasted, the heavens opened up tonight in Blacksburg and dropped huge amounts of rain on Lane Stadium. And in the last two minutes, Virginia Tech dropped its chance to upset No. 2 Boston College. The Eagles scored two late touchdowns for a 14-10 victory. Wow, Matt Ryan sure looked like a Heisman Trophy candidate, not for most of the game, but certainly in the end with his line holding, I mean tackling, I mean diving for the knees, uhhhhhhh, I mean blocking the Tech defense as the quarterback tossed the game-winning pass with just 11 seconds left in the game. Oh, well. At least we got a chance to see Erin Andrews wet and wearing a baseball cap.

By the way, I'm so sick of Boston's sports teams. I think I may concentrate only on hockey for a while since the Bruins suck.