It’s raining in the Bronx, delaying Joba Chamberlain’s first pitch in the Yankees’ rubber (boots) match with the Washington Nationals. Jack Curry has the rain delay covered, including Johnny Damon’s forecast, on the New York Times’ Bats blog. 
I have nothing else to do -- actually I have a lot to do, but I'm stalling -- so I'll tell you there's a rain delay in the fifth inning of the Mets-versus-Giants game Shea Stadium. Not many rain delays left at that ol' dump, eh? I shouldn't call it a dump. I've never been there. But those who have, say it's a dump. Anyway, if you're a really bored Mets or Giants fan, you can keep up with the game, once it resumes, on David Lennon's live Newsday.com blog.
What do baseball players do during rain delays? One player, journeyman catcher Chris Coste of the Phillies, has taken time to work on his book during rain showers at the ol’ ballyard."When I officially sat down to begin writing, it was kind of intimidating, because I was wondering, 'How could I possibly find time to do this?'" Coste says. "But honestly, there's tons of down time during the season. There were times during rain delays that I'd pop open my laptop and get going. And it was easy to get in the baseball mindset. I was able to almost recapture the same emotions because it was during the season."
Game 5 of the American League Championship Series is tonight in Cleveland, and there is about a 40 percent chance of rain with a low of 65 degrees when C.C. Sabathia tosses out the first pitch at 8:21 p.m. If you're going to the game or watching at home and hoping not to have to sit through a long rain delay, remember this line from a story posted today on Cleveland's News Channel 5 Web site about Jacobs Field and its remarkable ability to not, uh, retain water:
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. 
The Baltimore Orioles have gotten their feathers in a bunch, and no one can blame them. Thursday night against the Yankees, the skies opened and released a downpour upon Camden Yards. The score was tied at 6-6 in the top of the eighth inning. The Yanks had runners on second and third with Derek Jeter coming to bat when the rain began falling harder. The game had already been delayed once for rain, and this looked like the perfect spot for another delay. However, the umpires let the teams continue although it was visibly clear on my TV screen that all the players were having a difficult time dealing with the heavy precipitation. Jeter was shaking water off his helmet and cleaning mud from his spikes. Still, play continued, and Jeter eventually lined a single that scored the two runners giving the Bronx Bombers an 8-6 lead. At that point, the umpires sent the teams off the field and the grounds crew rolled out the tarp, for the night, as it turned out. Melvin Mora was seen on TV arguing with the umps, and frankly, all of the Birds should have been on the field to convey their displeasure. I’m not sure why the umpires kept the game going through the downpour, unless they were hoping Jeter would make a quick out to complete the inning. 
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.
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. 
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)
I swore I was no longer going to blog about rain delays in the Cricket World Cup, but a couple things changed my mind. One: the most recent rain fall came in the championship match, so this will be the last of what has been many rain delays halting this long, drawn-out championship tournament played in Barbados. The second item that changed my mind was the photo above of a fan of team Australia attempting to cover up during the showers. It's not often we get to feature hotties like the one above in a sports weather blog. That pic has to improve our hit numbers dramatically. In case you wondering about the match, Australia won, we here, by 53 runs over Sri Lanka for its third consecutive title and fourth overall. Apparently there was a controversial decision made by match officials that somehow led the Sri Lanka team to play in virtual darkness near the end. What? Are there no lights in Barbados? Anyway, if you want to read the entire story from someone who covers cricket and apparently knows the sport, here ya go! If you need further proof of rain and the three-hour delay it caused, see the photo below.
It's cold, wet and foggy in Chicago, but the Brewers and Cubs finally are underway after an hour-long rain delay. The game is the finale of the three-game set, and the Brew Crew is aiming for a sweep. As the game began a few moments ago, Brewers play-by-play man Bob Uecker said he could not tell which direction the wind was blowing because the fog had just dipped below the outfield flag. Uecker isn't expecting conditions to get any better as the game progresses, saying, "The second half of today's game is going to be the Iditarod."
Last night's game between the two National League Central rivals ended with a steady rain falling on Wrigley. This AP photo shows the Cubbies' Cliff Floyd whiffing at strike three during a downpour to end the game and give the Brewers a 4-1 victory. Milwaukee leads the Central by three games over the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs are in last place, six games back.
The National Anthem had been sung and pitchers had begun warming up Friday night when the rains hit Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The steady downpour and cold temperatures eventually led to the postponement of the Cardinals series opener with the Milwaukee Brewers. And because rain was expected to last throughout the night, Saturday’s game was pushed back six hours to 7:10 p.m. to allow the field to dry. A make-up date for Friday’s game will be announced at a later date.
