Speechless in the Rain

Hey, I got a lot of real-world crap to do today, so I'll be brief. 

I know this is a sports weather blog, but you may want to know that President Barack Obama's primetime speech at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night has been moved indoors to the Time Warner Center in Charlotte. 

Obama campaign officials had been saying for weeks the speech would take place outdoors "rain or shine," but a strong threat of thunderstorms forced the move. (And, perhaps a lack of confidence by campaign officials to fill the 75,000-seat Bank of America Stadium.) 

Here's where'd I'd like to throw in a joke about the cluelessness of Mitt Romney, but I just can't make it fit. This is a not-quite-ready-for-primetime-blog, ya know.

Ok, moving forward to the sports stuff. It's been raining like hell at the U.S. Open in New York, and it appears the weather will be a menace again today. Only two  matches reached completion Tuesday. One being Victoria Azarenka's three-set win over Sam Stosur under glooming skies. I love Azarenak, but I really wish she stop with the post-match dances, unless she's dancing in a downpour. I'll make that exception.

Maria Sharapova, speaking of someone I'd like to see dancing in the rain, and Marion Bartoli pick up their suspended match today at 11 a.m.

Oh, and you may have heard, Andy Roddick will try to stave off career elimination tonight. His match was rained out Tuesday night. It's sort of a big deal to a bunch of tennis pundits. I love tennis, but I've never been a Roddick fan. 

I keep hearing how great he is, but it seems every time I look at tournaments results, Roddick has lost in the second round. The excuse I keep hearing is he played in a tough era. Big deal. If he really were great, the era wouldn't matter. To be truly great, you have to get the job done no matter the competition.

Wow, I really went off on a tangent there.

Didn't I say I was going to be brief? Oh, well.

One more thing: The NFL season kicks off tonight, and there's a strong chance of rain and thunderstorms for the Cowboys-Giants matchup at MetLife Stadium. Awesome!

I know I said more thing, but I got another "one more thing." Ok? Did you hear there was a rain delay in Toronto for the Blue Jays-Orioles game Tuesday night? That's right. A brief, unofficial rain delay at the indoor Rogers Centre. Apparently the retractable roof was moving a bit slowly… like Robinson Cano moving toward a ground ball.

Ok, that's it. Good night, everybody. I wish the real world would just stop hassling me. We're have I heard that before?

Rain Could Doom Tigers - Yankees Finale

It's rainy at Comerica Park today where the Detroit Tigers are scheduled to host the New York Yankees at 1:05 p.m. A 60 percent chance of rain is forecasted for Detroit today.

I'll be away from The Rainout Blog Headquarters this afternoon, so you may want to follow the Tigers on Facebook and/or Twitter for updates. I'm so lazy.

By the way, the photo with this post is from the Tigers Facebook page. Thanks, guys, for letting my borrow it.

UPDATE: First pitch has been pushed back to 1:35 p.m. because of rain. Do Detroit TV stations show episodes of The Andy Griffith Show during rain delays?

Major Thunderstorms Possible at PGA Championship

The PGA Championship is under way at the Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C, and The Weather Channel has a break down of how the weather – lookout for a few downpours, Tiger – could impact the major. Heat is not much of a concern for the tournament, says The Weather Channel, with highs topping out in the upper 80s to low 90s. Here's the complete story from the pros.  

Photo from Getty Images

TRoB on Paper.li

Guess what. The Rainout Blog is now on Paper.li, too… sort of. To be honest, I'm not sure what I'll be able to do with the Paper.li page, but I'll have a go at it and see if it can be a nice addition the TRoB. For the uninitiated, "TRob" is what all the cool kids call The Rainout Blog.

Off Pitch

I'm not sure where this photo is from, but I think it was taken during the July 19 rain storm in New York City. Anyway, it's not sports related, but it's a great photo and very share-worthy. Enjoy!

Rain (Photo) Delay

Hey, remember a few weeks ago when the Yankees bird-slapped the Toronto Blue Jays 6-0 in a rain-shortened game in the Bronx? Well, I'm sure these guys do. That game was July 18, but I just today found this fun Daily News photo when researching another story. As for the game, it was called after a 58-minute rain delay. Wouldn't you just love to hear John and Suzyn fill air time during a near hour rain delay?

Lightning at Pocono Kills One Race Fan

From ESPN.com:

LONG POND, Pa. -- One fan was killed and nine others were injured as a result of lightning strikes following Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway.

Monroe County Coroner Bob Allen only identified the deceased as a 41-year-old man. Track officials said the fan was pronounced dead on arrival at Pocono Mountain Medical Center in Stroudsburg.

One other fan is in critical condition at Lehigh Hospital in Allentown. The other eight are being treated and evaluated for minor injuries at local hospitals.

Track spokesman Bob Pleban said nine fans, including the fatality, were injured from a strike that occurred in a parking lot behind the main grandstand shortly before 5 p.m. The other came from a strike near Gate 3 between Turns 1 and 2. Read more.

Rains Falls on Pocono

I'm not much of a NASCAR fan, but I am, of course, a fan of weather's interference with sporting events. So, I have to say it's sort of fun sitting on the couch this early afternoon watching rain pour on Pocono Raceway. Oh, and you know what was really fun: watching ESPN reporter Marty Smith standing out in the rain while giving a report. Some of the folks back in the studio asked if Marty really needed to be out in the rain. It does seem a little silly – like when Weather Channel reporters report from the street in hurricane winds – but those reports do give great insight of the conditions outside.


I'd love to sit here all day and provide weather reports from Pocono, but there's grass outside that's not going to cut itself. However, if you want to stay current on the weather conditions, I suggest you follow Brian Neudorff, the "unofficial NASCAR meteorologist" (@NASCAR_WXMAN) on Twitter. Brian, I think, is an actually meteorologist, whereas I… well, I just like rain.

UPDATE: Jet dryers are on the track, and ESPN just announced that driver intros will begin at 2 p.m, followed by more rain at 3 p.m. (I made up that "more rain at 3" part.)

Feeling the Heat at NFL Camps

Every year at this time, we hear stories about how bloody hot it is at NFL training camps. Recently, Weather.com ranked the 10 Worst Weather NFL Training Camps. So, how did Weather.com arrive at their rankings? The author of the story can explain it much better than I. Plus, it's really late here at The Rainout Blog World Headquarters, and I'm a bit lazy tonight.


From Weather.com:

We used five factors to arrive at our ranking for each NFL team. Temperature related elements such as average high temperature (85 degrees being neutral for exercise), average dew point (above 63 degrees as the defining point for it being muggy) and percentage of hours above 85 degrees. The higher the percentage, the longer the duration heat will have a detrimental impact upon a football player’s body. That percentage is even more critical during two-a-days: one practice is in the morning and the other in the heat of the afternoon.

The two cooling factors, no matter the temperature, are cloud cover and wind. As we have all experienced, standing in the shade is much preferred to standing in the sun when it is hot. For cloud cover, we used the percentage of days where skies are overcast. Direct sunlight may add as much as 15 degrees to the heat index.

A moderate breeze has a cooling effect on the body by evaporation of sweat during exercise. We took the mean wind speed and average daily max wind speed together so as to not discriminate against locations where wind speeds pick up in the afternoon due to local topography or coastal breezes.

It's not surprising most of the teams in the ranking are located in the southeastern part of the United States, including the Texans, Titans, Falcons, Panthers and Redskins, who train in Ashburn, Va., where temperatures reached 100 degrees last week on the first day of camp.

You know, training camp heat is tough on the fans too, as you can see in this Washington Post photo gallery of Redskins camp.

I'm sure Redskins players and coaches, but not so much the un-invited fans, are thankful for the team's new practice bubble, which can allow the team to sometimes escape the heat and those pesky, fast-approaching thunderstorms.

In the meantime, Weather.com listed the Texans' camp as the toughest, calling it the NFL's Iron Man Camp. Here are statistics from Weather.com to back up the claim:

July/August average high: 93 degrees / 93.5 degrees

July/August % of hours above 85 degrees: 36% / 36%

July/August average dew point: 74.5 degrees / 74 degrees

July/August % of hours with overcast sky: 5% / 4%

Rolling Through the Rain

So, it got a little rainy today at Miami Dolphins training camp. No big deal for the NFL Films Hard Knocks crew, who kept the cameras rolling. There's nothing weather related, but the Hard Knocks Facebook page has a gallery of behind-the-scenes photos from Dolphins camp. And yes, Lauren Tennehill makes an appearance.  

Not Worth Mentioning, But Here Goes...

I just can't do this. With all the cool photos of rain and, of course, sunshine from the London Olympic Games, I just can't post anything here about a nothing story like the first-place Nationals and Marlins playing a doubleheader today – it begins at 4:05 p.m. at Nationals Park – to make up for a rained out game between the two N.L. East clubs way back on April 22. Can't do it. You readers of The Rainout Blog – both of you – deserve better.

Oh by the way, I just saw the lineup for the first game... no Bryce Harper. Bummer! Perhaps he'll pinch hit at some point. And, I'm sure the rookie will be on the field for the night cap. 

You Pic it

Instead of me posting a ton of rainy photos from the Olympics – I'm kind of getting bored with the process – I'll give you a link to a Yahoo Sports gallery with some really cool shots. I'm not saying I'm done for the day. I'm just done posting pics for the sake up increasing my blogs post numbers. 

Making The Rainout Blog A Brighter Place

I'm always telling you about (what many people perceive to be) the bad, awful, dreadful weather in sports. But, who says we can't enjoy a little sunshine every now and then? Well, it's my blog, and I say we can do whatever we want!

The above Associated Press photo shows German beach volleyball players Sara Goller – no storms brewing in her eyes – preparing to serve during an Olympics round-of-16 match on... ah, who cares what do it was? Now, run along and Google more pics of Sara.

Can't Outrun the Rain

In case you haven't heard, it has been raining like London at the Olympic Games today. This Associated Press photo is of Jamaica's Rosemarie Whyte on Friday, the first day of track and field competition.

Photo of the Day (Ok, sure)

Hmmm. What's the purpose of this post? I guess I could remind you that I occasionally – and by "occasionally," I mean very, very rarely – post only photos (maybe with a line of descriptive text) from rainy, snowy, windy, muddy… whatever, sporting events.

So, I guess you can say that's what I'm doing here, and not simply taking an opportunity to post gratuitous photos of uber cute field hockey girls celebrating in the rain. You believe that, right?

Ok, the photo at left, from Getty Images, shows Caia Van Maa of Netherlands celebrating with teammates after netting her team's third goal of the Olympics contest against Belgium on July 29 in London. So, which team won, you ask. You know, I was too lazy to look up that information. Just enjoy the picture of the pretty girls. 

Your Olympics Forecast

One more thing before I call it a night... or morning. Here, from The Weather Channel, is the five-day forecast for London, the site of many outdoor events in the summer Olympic games.

And if you need to know the Olympic game weather happenings for today and Friday, I've coveniently stolen borrowed the forecast from The Weather Channel and pasted it below.


"By Thursday the UK will be in a slightly fresher flow from the west with quite a deep low pressure center not far from northwest Ireland. Much of the UK will start dry and quite sunny with gentle southwest breezes. Scattered showers will develop over southwest England during the morning and become heavier over south Wales and southwest England by midday.

These showers then slowly move northeast in the afternoon to the English Midlands (e.g. Birmingham) and central Southern England, but many places miss them and escape dry. Any showers over southeast England and the London area will be isolated with typically a 30% risk of an afternoon shower.

Temperatures will reach 68 to 72 degrees over eastern England and 64 to 66 degrees over the west. Moderate south to southwest breezes over southern England with a 15- to 20-knot (17 to 23 mph) southwest wind along the south coast and off Weymouth for the Olympic sailing.

For London, a fine morning and mostly sunny start. Becoming partly cloudy with a 30% chance of a light afternoon rain shower. A fine and sunny evening. Moderate southwest winds.

By Friday, the low pressure center will move across western Ireland, but will only have a limited influence on the weather across the UK. Another mainly dry morning with sunny spells, except for the risk of a few showers near southern and western coasts. Through the day isolated light rain showers will develop, but most places stay dry away from the western UK.

Some more frequent showers are expected across parts of southern Wales and southwest England, while most of the heavy showers will be over Ireland. Gentle southwest breezes, becoming moderate along the south coast. Feeling quite pleasant in the sunshine with afternoon temperatures 68 to 72 degrees across much of England but a couple of degrees colder in the west and across Wales."

*****
By the way, this is the 400th post to The Rainout Blog. That's right. I've been writing this blog off and on -- mostly off -- for just more than six years, and I'm just now hitting 400 posts. It's creeping right along. Good night everybody!

Uncover the Cover-up

Team USA beach volleyball super stars Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor ditched their bikinis (in favor of long sleeve shirts) and look what happens: They lose their first set ever in Olympic competition.

The dynamic American duo had won seven matches in Athens and did the same in Athens and had won two matches already in London before the set loss to Austria. Team USA rebounded to take the match win, of course.

Sure it was late, and sure it was cool, but the only way for Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor to get back to their dominant, never lose a set ways: NBB – Nothing But Bikinis!

No Streaking in the Rain

Justin Verlander failed to pitch past the sixth inning Tuesday for the first time in his past 63 starts.

Why? Blame it on the rain… and perhaps the Red Sox.

The Detroit pitcher had lengthy innings in the first and fourth, tossing 31 and 35 pitches in those frames, respectively.

He gave up four runs in the fourth, and that was all the Red Sox needed to take a rain-shortened 4-1 over the Tigers' ace at Fenway Park.

After the game, Verlander didn't blame precipitation for his woes:

“I was able to keep my hand pretty dry,” he said. “The only area it affects you is when you start throwing a little bit harder. (Your foot) lands in a (new) area. I was slipping a little bit. That’s why the ball was elevated. It became pretty difficult for me to throw a strike.”

By the way, if you want to check out photos of the rainy night's action, the Boston Herald has a neat gallery, mostly of Red Sox players, of course.

Stay Covered and Carry On

I admit, I'm mostly posting this item just to get shirtless Timmy off the top of the blog, but this bit of information could be important to all you Olympics watchers out there.

According to an article in The Telegraph today, forecasters in the UK are predicting "that the weather will remain unsettled for up to 16 days with sunshine and showers dominating the skies."

A forecaster for Vantage Weather Services told The Telegraph "August is looking dreadful. Apart from the odd spike of hot weather, the whole month will be cooler than average with this picture of persistent heavy rain really keeping the theme.”

I can't wait to see how this all plays out. On one had, it would be great for the Olympic athletes, who have been training years for these two weeks, to have perfect weather in which to compete. However, the devil hovering over my left shoulder says "let them test their abilities in nasty, dreadful weather." That same devil keeps asking me for cigarettes. 

This may be my worst blog post ever! But hey, if you want to check out some good writing, check out this column about the Olympics, rain and bikini-clad beach volleyball players.

Carry on!

Yes, I Do Have to Post This

I know I'm super late about posting this, but I can't half-assedly run a blog about sports and rain without mentioning the big news from New York Jets camp Saturday: your boy Tim Tebow running shirtless in the rain. Yeah, I know, the photos and video have been everywhere, even on the back page of one of the New York tabloids, but as I just wrote, I have to at least post a photo to validate the existence of – sure, it's on it's last breath – The Rainout Blog.

So, what did Tebow have to say about his Bo Derek-like (see below) moment? As usual, he went all "ah shucks, I can't believe people pay attention me," on us. Here's what he told reporters:

"It was funny. A few guys gave me a hard time, but honestly I don't think anybody knew until they saw it that night on ESPN. It was funny. More than anything it was probably just Mark (Sanchez) and Greg (McElroy) giving me a hard time and then everybody else catches on after that... My shirt felt like 20 pounds because we had been in the rain and then I was signing autographs for like 20 or 30 minutes. I didn't really think you all would be filming it and taking pictures."

I asked my wife if she had seen the video of Timmy's shirtless rain jog, and she curled up her nose as if I had once again asked her to try eating one of my world famous peanut butter and apple burgers. (Those things are delicious, by the way.) I'm not sure if she's being honest, but she said, "most women don't care about Tim Tebow. It's just all you guys and your man crushes on the guy."

Is she right? Yeah, I don't think so either. Sure, a lot of dudes have fallen for Tebow, but we all know the ladies love this guy, too. Am I wrong? 

Braving the Rain

Before the Braves and Marlins could start the sixth inning last night, rain fell at Turner Field and delayed night's baseball game in Atlanta for an hour and 53 minutes. 

The photo above, on loan to me from the Braves Facebook page, shows Jason Heyward standing on deck as ominous clouds gathered. (Did I really need to write that sentence? You can plainly see what is happening.) 

Anyway, the Braves went on to thump the Miami Marlins 7-1 for their 10th victory in their last 13 games. The Braves hot streak inches them a bit closer – two and half games behind – to the N.L. East-leading Washington Nationals, who somehow was thumped by what's left of the last place Philadelphia Phillies last night. 

Bob in My Brain

I was watching MLB Network late Wednesday and heard Bob Costas talking about Arizona pitcher Wade Miley's masterful performance that night against the Texas Rangers. The rookie left-hander gave up only a run to the potent Rangers lineup, but received no run support from his Diamondbacks teammates and lost the game 1-0.


Anyway, as I'm watching the highlights, I see a shot of Miley walking off the mound in the pouring rain. My brain immediately went into daydream mode and, in my mind, I heard Bob say," this is the sort of thing that needs to be featured on The Rainout Blog." Ok, had Bob actually said those words, he would have much more eloquently. He is Bob Costas, after all.

So here ya go, Bob, a brief mention of Wiley's performance – it was halted by a 29-minute rain delay in the fourth inning – just like you asked for… if only in my mind.

Now, I didn't find an image of Miley pitching in the rain, but I did find this cool Associated Press shot of the Rangers' Adrian Beltre walking back to the dugout after striking out against Miley in the second inning as ominous storm clouds gather above the ballpark. Eerie!

Rain Spoils Gardner's Work

If you're a New York Yankees fan eager for the return of Brett Gardner to the lineup, you'll have to wait perhaps a day longer for the left fielder to test his injured right elbow. Gardner's scheduled rehab game with Tripe-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, know this year as the Empire State Yankees, was rained out last night. The team is scheduled to play a double header today against Columbus in Rochester. (Confused yet?) Gardner has been out of the New York lineup since April 18 with a strained right elbow.

Rochester is far away from The Rainout Blog headquarters, but the trusty Weather.com tells me it's raining right now in Rochester, just as it is at TRoB HQ. However, the forecast calls for rain to cease a few hours before the 5:05 first pitch and for a 30 percent chance of rain the rest of the night.

The image at right was posted Monday on the Empire State Yankees Facebook page.

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.

You Kids Get Off My Lawn

To all spammers out there who insist on leaving (usually unreadable) messages in the comments section of this blog: I hate to rain on your parade, but no one reads this blog. No one! It's a simple project I do for fun in my spare time. 

Your advertisements, or whatever you call that crap, will not be seen here. Now, run along and play someplace else. Scram!

Did The Beatles Ever Sing about Foggy Nights in Liverpool?

You are looking live, sort of, at foggy Anfield, where today – tonight in Liverpool – the Reds host mighty Tottenham.

Well, "mighty" may be a bit of a stretch for the Premier League's third place side, but Hot Spur are having a nice run this season.

Anyway, the match, which I hope to catch glimpses of as I work today in The Rainout Blog satellite office, should be fun if the fog continues to hover along the pitch.

By the way, the neat photo above is from the Liverpool Facebook page.

Speaking of Premier League social media pages, Manchester City posted on its Facebook site a nifty gallery of Saturday's beautiful snowy scene at The Etihad Stadium Saturday.

I watched some of the match live and caught more of the visuals later that night on replay. I particularly enjoyed watching grounds crew members shovel snow away from the penalty areas.

If anyone was at the match and took photos you'd like to share with the – uh,hm –  many, many Rainout Blog readers please send those my way.

A Brief Story on Tim Howard’s Wind-Assisted Goal That I Should Have Posted Two Weeks Ago

Wow, wind can do crazy things… like push a kick from a goalkeeper into the opposing team’s net from about 100 yards away.

That’s what happened Wednesday night, Jan. 4, when Everton keeper Tim Howard booted the yellow ball from just inside his penalty area. The ball soared across the pitch, bounced about 30 feet from the Bolton goal and then took wind-assisted flight over outreaching Wanderers goalkeeper Adam Bogdan and into the goal during the game’s 63rd minute.

“I think the wind is the hardest condition to play in,” Howard, an American, told BBC Radio.  “Snow, rain, sun doesn’t matter, but the wind really does play tricks on you.”

It was only the fourth goal by a keeper in the Premier League’s history, which dates back to only 1992.

Those inside Goodison Park joyfully cheered the rare achievement – Howard remained subdued, explaining later he felt bad for Bogdan – but Everton supporters’ glee was short lived as Bolton soon scored two goals and held on for a 2-1 victory.

Bogdan, speaking to reporters, said he would learn from the experience.

"It could have happened to anybody because of the conditions,” the keeper said. “It was extremely hard to get in the right positions.”

Can They Play Two in the Snow?

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for spring and baseball season, particularly after seeing – or is it despite seeing? – this photo posted last night on the Cubs’ Facebook page of the snow falling on the statues outside Wrigley Field.

It’s been an unusually mild and quiet winter here at The Rainout Blog world headquarters, but I’m eagerly awaiting the days when I don’t have to fear waking up and driving to work in nine inches of snow.

For now, with Opening Day still a few months away, we can sneak a peek at the streets outside Wrigley Field, where currently a little snow lingers, and dream of the warmer, baseball-filled days ahead.

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

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.

Slide, Reggie, Slide!

Who knew the Dolphins were a cold weather team?

Heck, through first seven games of the season, who knew the Dolphins were a team at all?

Since starting at a dreadful 0-7 and being accused of sucking for Luck, the ‘Phins have swam back to respectability by winning five of their last seven games, including a 30-23 victory over the Buffalo Bills Sunday in a snowy, picturesque Orchard Park, N.Y., where temperatures were just below freezing. (Wow, that was a long sentence.)

Miami running back Reggie Bush led his team with 203 rushing yards, a big chunk of which came on a 76-yard gallop to the end zone and capped by a slide through the end zone snow at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Teammate Brandon Marshall, who could take a few sliding pointers from South Beach’s newest resident, Jose Reyes, glided right past Bush.

“I play FIFA a lot on PlayStation,” Bush said after the game. “I felt like I did a little soccer slide right there.”

Bush’s impromptu celebration drew a 15-yard penalty.

No blubber off the Dolphins, who continue their December tour of cold Northeast states with a visit with the Patriots Saturday in Foxboro, Mass., where the forecast – yeah, I know it’s a little early for forecasts – calls for a high temperature of 36 degrees and, you guessed it, a chance of snow.

Photo: Getty Images

Note: Buffalonews.com has a great photo gallery of the snowy game.

One more thing: Someone just told me I could really increase page views to The Rainout Blog if I posted images of Bills cheerleaders dancing in the snow. I haven’t yet found a good shot, but I’ll keep checking. If you have one, send it my way, and I’ll post it on the blog.

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.

Tebowing in the Rain? Not in the Sunday Forecast

Yep. I'm trying to capitalize on Tebow Mania, too.

Hey, you know what would be great for increasing page views to The Rainout Blog?

Rain in Denver Sunday when the Broncos host the New England Patriots, that’s what.

I’m not above capitalizing on Tebow Mania, ya know.

Alas, (I can’t believe I just wrote the word “alas”) the Sunday forecast for Denver calls for a sunny day with a high temperature around 51 and only a 10 percent chance of rain.

Crap!

Oh, well. I’ll just put Tebow’s name in the tags below and watch the page views roll up like the QB’s passing yards. Wait. I’m already at that pace. Never mind.

By the way, the above photo was taken during Florida’s 45-15 win over Florida State on Nov. 29, 2008, when 1.34 inches of rain fell on Doak Campbell Stadium  in Tallahassee. Tebow passed for three touchdowns that day.

Fog or Fireworks?

Is it fog or smoke from a pre-match fireworks display covering the pitch
during a recent match at Toyota Stadium? Who knows?

The caption on this Dec, 8 Associated Press photo reads:


"Fog shrouds the Toyota Stadium where Auckland FC plays Kashiwa Reysol during the playoff for the quarterfinal at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer in Toyota, near Nagoya, central Japan, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)"

You know how I love foggy playing fields, so I had to post the pic.

While doing a little research for a brief story to accompany the photo, I found no reference to foggy playing conditions during Kashiwa Reysol’s 2-0 over their opening round opponents from New Zealand.

However, a match review on the FIFA website noted:

"The action was preceded by an opening ceremony that culminated with some deafening fireworks, but there was nothing particularly explosive during an untidy opening to the match itself."

So, was it fog or smoke from the fireworks display shrouding Toyota Stadium last Thursday?

Anyone out there know the answer?

This may be The Rainout Blog’s first attempt at investigative journalism… or first attempt at journalism, period. 

Last Word on West London Downpour

Yesterday, I was a bit ticked at not being able to see the falling rain on my screen captures from the Chelsea vs. Manchester City game. I could clearly see rain pouring down on the Stamford Bridge pitch as I watched the match on my laptop, but the wet stuff wasn’t visible in photos I wanted to post to the blog. But then I found some cool pics from Getty Images, and now I’ve stumbled upon this gallery from The Guardian photographer Tom Jenkins.

The Jenkins image here shows Frank Lampard after scoring what turned out to be the game-winner in Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over the EPL’s top club.

Seeing the Rain More Clearly

Chelsea leaves Man City all wet Monday.

I mentioned in the post below that the rain falling on the Stamford Bridge pitch today – tonight in London – was not visible in the my crappy screen capture. No problem.

Here is a cool shot from Getty Images giving us nice visual insight into the playing conditions between Chelsea and Manchester City.

The match is tied 1-1 at halftime.

UPDATE: Chelsea defeated Man City, 2-1.

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.

Off Pitch

Occasionally – and by occasionally I mean very, very rarely – I like to stray away from sports and offer just… well, weather. And since it’s a slow sports/weather day, here’s a cool Associated Press photo of traffic flowing through heavy rains today in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Perfect!

Once upon a time I had thought about transforming The Rainout Blog into a site about weather’s affects on all aspects of life, not just sports. Thinking more clearly, I quickly realized it would a daunting task, much more work than I willing to do, I guess.

Associated Press Photo: Mark Baker

I Would Pay to See a Kick Returned in a Hurricane

Oops!

Oh, no!

Not again!

Come on, Cromartie, you @#$%!

Those are just a few words and phrases Jets fans, I’m sure, have used while watching their team’s normally reliable kick returners cough up the pigskin to the opposition this season.

It’s happened four strait games now following rookie Jeremy Kerley’s ball-belching gaffe against Washington Sunday that led to a Redskins score. The Jets have fumbled away six return chances this season thanks to the uncertain hands of Kerley, Antonio Cromartie and Joe McKnight.

With the Jets most likely needing to win their four remaining games for a chance at the playoffs, Coach Rex Ryan has decided to go with the sure-handed Jim Leonard on kick returns, particularly as the season moves into the potentially harsh winter months of December and January.

Leonard may not – who are we kidding? Does not – have the speed of the aforementioned returners, but Ryan has confidence in Leonard’s ability to secure the ball under any circumstances, even severe storms.

“As I mentioned before, he can catch it in a hurricane,” Ryan said in a press conference of his sure-handed return man. “This time of year, the weather has a tendency to pick up, the wind and all those types of things. I just, right now, would feel more comfortable having Jim Leonhard back there. I know Westy (special teams coach Mike Westhoff) and I feel the same way. I think that’s how we’re going to go."

Photo: Getty Images

Tiger Confident Through the Wind

In case you didn’t hear, let me be the first to tell you Tiger Woods won The Chevron World Challenge Sunday, his first tournament victory in more than two years.

This has been big news today for those sportscasters who still gush over Tiger.

I think I heard one sports radio host today say Tiger, in the process of winning a golf tournament, can make TV viewers switch off the NFL and to the links.

Come on, fellas!

As sick as I sometimes get over the Tiger love fests that often occur in sports media, I couldn’t help be a little fascinated – maybe “fascinated” is too strong a word here, but I’ll go with it – with one Woods weather-related item from last week when the golfer explained to ESPN Radio’s Colin Cowherd that playing in the wind at the Australia Open, where he finished third, helped him gain confidence his game was on par with his pre-Thanksgiving 2009 level of play.
“I am fully healthy and the way I played in Australia was very exciting for me because when the wind blows like that and it’s howling consistently like when it did in Sydney and down in Melbourne and I ended up playing nine rounds, nine competitive rounds during that stretch, Woods told Cowherd.

“I felt like I had control of the golf ball for all those days and as a player you get exposed from the wind if you have any kind of weakness and I didn’t have any glaring weakness and as the more I played I got better. That was the fun part that when the wind blew my swing tightened up and actually got better.”

Woods’ shot, but not his confidence, did suffer a bit from the gusty winds Saturday at the Thousands Oaks, Calif., course, where the 35-year-old golfer entered the third round with a three-shot lead, but fell to second place behind Zach Johnson.

"Most of the time today it wasn't me,” Woods said following the third round. “I hit a lot of good shots. The wind was all over the place. It was tough out there.''

Weather bureaus reported the winds to be at 30 to 40 miles per hour.

According to Sunday’s reports, winds slowed during the final round, and Woods shot a three-under-par 69 to finish 10 under and a shot ahead of that pesky Johnson.

Photo: Reuters

Stinging in the Rain

Photo of the Day: I’m labeling this post the Photo of the Day because I really don’t have much to say about the game or the weather, but I do like the accompanying photo from Getty Images.

That’s Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy – has there ever been a better name for a QB from Texas? Never mind – soaking in falling rain drops after he was popped by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Avanbadejo Sunday.

The Ravens soared – that’s so cliché – to a 24-10 victory over the Browns on a windy, rainy day in Cleveland behind the running of mudder Ray Rice, who racked up 204 yards and a rushing touchdown on 29 carries.

With Rice rumbling through the Brownies defense, the Ravens had no real reason for Joe Flacco to take to the air, but he did anyway, completing just 10 of 29 passes for 158 yards.

Rodgers Won't Blame it on the Rain... or Snow... but Maybe Wind

If the Green Bay Packers slip on their way to an undefeated season, Aaron Rodgers is not going to blame the weather.

While discussing on his radio show Tuesday a potential “recipe” for opposing teams to beat the Packers – by the way, that show is a must-listen for any football fan – the Packers’ quarterback told host Jason Wilde that “depending on the severity of the weather, it can have an impact on any game, but I think you have to factor in what opponent you‘re playing, the setting, be it home or away, those are all individual factors as well, so I don’t think you can put weather above those other factors.”

Rodgers also noted, and we hear this from players and experts about this time each year, that nasty weather and slippery fields can be helpful to offenses, a scary thought for the Packs’ remaining opponents.

“I think when you get into a field where it might not be the best footing … I don’t think you can immediately dismiss the notion that it’s going to be difficult to throw the ball,” Rodgers told Wilde. “I think you have to factor in that not only is it going to be difficult footing for the offense, but for the defense, and as the offensive player knows where he’s going, the defensive player has to react. I think that gives you a slight advantage. If you’re able to grip the ball effectively, and not have to deal with severe winds to go along with the cold conditions, I think you should have a good opportunity to throw the ball effectively.”

Rodgers should have no trouble tossing the ball around the field in snow and cold, but as he said, wind could be a problem. The Packers play on the road against the Giants this weekend, where wind typically can be a problem.

However, a quick check of the forecast calls for relatively calm winds with temperatures in the mid 50s under partly sunny skies. That sounds like a recipe for disaster for the Giants defense.

Photo: Associated Press