White, then yellow, then white again

As I was scouring through wire photos today, I noticed this gem, which is perfect material for The Rainout Blog. 

The cutline accompanying this Associated Press photo reads:

“Augsburg's Raul Bobadilla from Argentina saves a ball during heavy snow fall during the German first division Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in the SGL Arena in Augsburg, Germany, on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015.”

 I have to confess, I know nothing about Bundesliga soccer. I’m more of a Premier League kind of guy. However, after conducting a littler research – because that’s what all good sports/weather bloggers do – I found that Augsburg won 3-1.

As you can see in the photo, a yellow ball was in play, but that wasn’t the case at the beginning of the match. At the 30th minute, when the snow became heavier, referees swapped the white ball for the yellow for better visibility. However, the white ball made a return once the snow stopped and melted from the pitch.

I'm curious. On a snowy night in Germany, I wonder how much air pressure those soccer balls lost because of the cold temperatures. I'm not sure, but I know who would: Bill Belichick the Science Guy, that's who.

-- snow --

Hail, United 2.0

The Stoke versus Manchester United Capital One Cup quarterfinal match on Wednesday had a little weather excitement when torrential hail littered the pitch around the 30^th minute, forcing both teams to the dressing rooms.

I wrote a little about this shortly after the delay happened, but I bring it up again only so I can post this cool Action Images photo of United’s Danny Welbeck driving through a couple of Stoke defenders while everyone was being peppered in the puss by freezing, screaming hail.

-- hail --

A Rainout Blog Hall of Fame? Yes… let’s do this

How about we start a Rainout Blog Sports/Weather Hall of Fame?

Not just me, all of us. You, too.

I’ve been thinking about doing this project for a while, ever since I made a post about Rick Dempsey way back in July, 2007.

So, what makes a Rainout Blog Hall of Famer? I’ve been wrestling with that question for a while.

(Warning: Here goes a lot rambling…)

At first, I was thinking of individuals who have had outstanding performances in a bad weather games. While his performances did not happen while games were in play, Dempsey certainly made his mark performing on soaked tarps during rain delays.

To me, the notoriety Dempsey received for his acts make him a first-ballot Rainout Blog Hall of Famer. Also, I think we need to give Dempsey credit for the rash of rain delay antics we saw a few years ago by college baseball games. With those 1970s performances, we may not have seen those elaborate, choreographed acts performed by want-to-be thespian college ball players. 

So, we’ve established that qualifications for entry into the RoBHoF are not exclusive to great on-field game performances. If a player, or coach, or fan, or whomever – how about a horse? Sure! – performs in a manner that is widely recognized, then that person, or whatever, can be considered for induction. 

A performance that is good or bad, right?

Right.

That brings us to Leon Lett. 

Remember Lett’s gaffe in the snow during in the 1993 Thanksgiving Day game that snatched defeat for his Cowboys from the jowls of victory? Of course you remember. We all remember.

I’m not comparing the moment to far more significant historic events, but I remember exactly where I was when the play happened.

For that one play in the snow, an unusual snow game for Texas Stadium, Lett is a Rainout Blog Hall of Famer. 

First ballot? We’ll debate that later.

So, who else? Hmmm. 

We’ll, LeShean McCoy had more than 200 yards rushing to lead the Eagles to a win over the Lions in blizzard-like conditions a couple of weeks ago. Does that qualify? 

Maybe.

It was great day for McCoy, but is it his performance that stands out about that game?

No. It’s the snow.

Ok. So, do we induct events/games in to the hall of fame?

If so, the Ice Bowl has to be the leading candidate. And when I think of weather games, I immediately think of the Fog Bowl playoff game at Soldier Field in 1988. There are many, many others to consider.

If I’m going to do this, take the time for such an uber fun project as creating a sports/weather hall of fame, it’s going to take a lot of time, thought and research. 

Wanna help? 

If you have suggestions or creative ideas for the project, I’ll gladly accept. Send me an email or tweet (@TheRealChadOz).

Corner flood

The header atop this video claims this is the "worst conditions for a corner kick ever."

Really?

Could there not be worse conditions for this Kazakhstan first division league match between Ekibastuz and Alamaty? What if the field suddenly caught fire? They'd postpone the match, you say? Well, they certainly didn't deem a corner flooded to Biblical proportions postponement worthy here.

How about if a group of tigers suddenly ran onto the pitch and sat right on the corner, waiting for a brave footballer to dare set the ball down in their newly proclaimed domain?

Get my point? This probably isn’t the worst conditions for a corner kick, but tell me: What the heck is going on here?

After some cool soccer-style ingenuity, two players – I don't know which team – managed to kick the ball out of the more-than-ankle-deep water and into play. But wouldn't you know it, some goofball sends the ball sailing right back into the lake.

Beautiful!

That's the kind of stuff that used to happen in the backyards of my neighborhood in the 80s.  

No one is making it rain in Manchester

If you're stuck in the office today, like me, keeping track of the Manchester United vs. Real Madrid Champions League match today on your computer and wondering to yourself, "Hmmmm, is weather playing factor at Old Trafford today? Will Renaldo slip and fall on his arse?"

These are good questions to ask because for about month, it seemed like every time I tuned the TV to a Premier League match, snow or rain, or both, were falling from the sky and soaking the pitch. So it's reasonable to think there's a good chance of precipitation for today's match.

In reality, however, there's only a six percent chance of rain according to the Manchester weather forecast, with temperatures dipping to about 44.

#gounited

Kickin' It in the Rain

I don’t know a thing about German football, but I do know I like this photo of a match today – like right now – between Nuremberg and Fuerth.

The Getty Images caption reads:

Nuremberg's defender Philipp Wollscheid (R) and Fuerth's Kazakhstan's midfielder Heinrich Schmidtgal (L) challenge for the ball during the German Football League DFB Cup last sixteen round match between 1. Fc Nuremberg and Greuther Fuerth in the arena in Nuremberg, southern Germany, on December 20, 2011.

In the meantime, there’s a lot of wet stuff falling in Blackburn where the Rovers trail Bolton 2-0 and the Ewood Park faithful are ready to kick Steve Kean out in the rain.

You're right. The Blackburn/Bolton photo stinks. I'll try to do better as the match progresses.

Answer Still Foggy

On Tuesday, I posted a brief story centered on an Associated Press photo of a recent FIFA Club World Cup soccer match in Japan between Auckland FC and Kashiwa Reysol. The caption mentioned that fog shrouded Toyota Stadium at the point the photo was taken.

Indeed, it looks like fog, and, who am I to question the AP?

However, no story I read about the match mentioned fog, but one story did mention a pre-match fireworks display. So I asked: was it fog or smoke from the fireworks?

Keep in mind: I know this isn’t super important and no one really gives rats arse either way. But this is a sports weather blog, so I thought I’d take a crack and uncovering the truth. You know… just for fun.

I sent out a few Tweets and emails and then yesterday received this email from Auckland FC Media Manager Gordon Glen Watson:

Hi,

I was there, and my first impression was the 'mist' was from the fireworks display of the short opening ceremony.

However, as the match progressed, the mercury fell and the argument for fog probably becomes stronger.

To be honest, there was no way to be 100% completely sure.

There was steam coming off the players, so that's also an indicator.

The fireworks display wasn't that grandiose, although the roof was closed over the pitch, so who can tell.

The focus was mainly on the football, although I did hear journalists from abroad ask whether it was fog or smoke.

Let me know when you find out!

Cheers,

Gordon

Ok, we’re not any closer to knowing the answer, but as I said, it’s really not important, just fun.

Big thanks to Watson for taking the time from his busy schedule to reply to my email at – I hope my math is correct – approximately 11:23 p.m. on a Friday night.

London Rain

It’s a cold, wet night at Stamford Bridge, and “City fans are singing in the rain in West London.” Those were the words of ESPN commentator – I think it’s Rob Stone – after Mario Balotelli scored at the 1:38 mark to give Manchester City a 1-0 lead in the steady downpour.

If you’re relaxing comfortably at home, you can catch the game on ESPN2. If you’re stuck at work like someone I know who shall remain nameless, you can watch on your computer on ESPN3.

By the way, my crappy screen shot was unable to capture the rain falling on the pitch at Stamford Bridge. You’ll have to take my word for it.

Update: Chelsea just got the equalizer on a goal by Raul Meireles. Chelsea 1, Man City 1.

Meanwhile, The Other Football Gets Rained Out

While we have our eyes and ears on the international beat today, take a look at this story from The Hindu, the online edition of India's national newspaper:

CHENNAI: Non-stop rain from Saturday evening meant there was little possibility of the India-Lebanon round one World Cup football qualifier match taking place at the Nehru Stadium here on Sunday. As things stand with rains continuing to pelt the city, the match is being shifted to Goa.

FIFA rules stipulate that the Referee inspect the turf an hour before the scheduled start and inform his decision to the Match Commissioner. As though to confirm that play was not possible, the Referee took a ball with him and kicked it to see it float on the sheet of water.

Match commissioner Rendeni Gamini of Sri Lanka later said, “bad weather and poor ground conditions have made us decide that play was not possible and the match has been postponed to Monday for a 4 p.m. kick off. On Monday the Referee will inspect the pitch one hour before the scheduled start and indicate when the match can be conducted,” he said.

When It Comes To Soccer, I'm All Wet

I can't pretend to know much about world soccer, but apparently Scotland is surprising the game's enthusiasts with an unlikely run toward the 2008 European Championships. The Scots have won eight of 10 qualifier matches and play Georgia – the country, not the university of – soon with hopes of advancing to next year's champion round. (I hope I'm getting all this right. If not, I'll here about it from all my international readers.) The photo (REUTERS/David Moir - GEORGIA) above shows the Scotland side training in the pouring rain Tuesday at Boris Paichadze National Stadium in advance of Wednesday's match in Tbilisi.

UPDATE: A week or so ago, I celebrated my 100th post to this blog. (There was a wild party of one with cake, streamers and imaginary strippers in my basement. You should have been there.) Today, I celebrate this post as my 100th of 2007. It's party time and the lap dances are on me! Get it?