Sea Dogs Snowed Out

Snow postponed the Portland Sea Dogs home opener Thursday and today the team announced the game again will be pushed back another day with hopes of playing the opener Saturday. A storm Thursday dumped a foot of snow in the Maine city, and players built 11 snow men on the field – nine position players, a batter and an umpire – and outfitted the snowmen in jerseys and caps. Portland, the Double A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, has rescheduled the opener for 1 p.m. Saturday.


Snow also hit the majors Thursday night. Above Melky Cabrera blows on his hands for warmth while standing on second base in the eighth inning of the Yankees 7-6 loss to Tampa Bay.


The Cleveland Indians 106th home opener is set for Friday at Jacobs Field against Seattle. Snow (photo above) hit the Jake Thursday while the Tribe was completing their season-opening series in Chicago. Friday's opener with the Mariners is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.

Speaking of the White Sox, their game tonight (Friday) with Minnesota has already been postponed because of forecasted extreme cold temperatures and high winds in Chicago. They don't call it the Windy City for nothin'. The forecast calls for temperatures to dip down to about 22 degrees with winds gusting from 25 to 30 mph. No make-up date has been announced. A Saturday doubleheader has been ruled out because the forecast is calling for similar weather conditions and includes a chance of snow showers.

Those same weather conditions in Detroit Thursday caused the postponement of the Tigers' scheduled game with Toronto. Temps were in the mid 20s and the wind chill fell to single digits. The two teams played Wednesday in wind gust that hit 40 mph. The Tigers begin a series Friday in Kansas City were temperatures are expected to reach a balmy 36 degrees.

Rain Delays Pettitte's Return

The party was all set for Andy Pettitte's return to the Yankee Stadium mound Wednesday, but rain poured on his welcome-home parade and forced the prodigal son to wait another day before officially donning the Pinstripes for his second go-around a Yanks starting pitcher. The second game of the season for both New York and Tampa Bay was to be played at 1:05 Wednesday, but the Bronx rain forced the postponement and the game was called at approximately 11 a.m. No make-up date has been announced, and the delayed game most likely won't be played until mid-July when the D-Rays go back to the Bronx for a three-game weekend series. If that is the case, it will add one more game for the Yanks who will be in the middle of a stretch where they play 18 consecutive games without a break. The two American East teams will play what was to be game three of the series Thursday night, and Pettitte will be on the mound against the Rays' Jae Seo, who for some reason is on my fantasy team. There is a slight chance of rain tonight in the Bronx – it's only 20 percent – and it's going to be cold with the low temperature expected to be in the low 30s.

The above AP photo shows Yankees pitcher Kei Igawa leaving the rain-soaked field after the announcement was made postponing the game.

No Paddles in This Water

If you’re into cricket – my pal Scott was into Cricket when we were teenagers, but that's a story for another blog – then you know the World Cup Super Eights are underway. You probably also know that the match between Australia and West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in St. Peters, Antigua was postponed Tuesday because of heavy rain. Here's a Reuters photos showing a groundskeeper rolling water in an effort to remove the wet stuff from the pitch during a delay before the match was postponed. The match concluded Wednesday with a West Indies win.

Here, rain pours down on Trevor Immelman as he lines up a putt on 18 Saturday during the third round of the CA Championship tournament in Miami. Tiger Woods, of course, won the event in what is considered a tune-up for he Master's. (AP photo) Immelman, of South Africa, is one of 97 players who will compete in the 71st Masters April 5-8 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.

Also in Miami Saturday, Venus Williams momentarily leaves the court as heavy rains drench the playing surface at the Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament in Key Biscayne. Williams went on to defeat Maria Kirilenko of Russia 6-3, 6-3. Williams was eliminated in her subsequent match by Maria Sharapova, a player we would have loved to have seen wet.

Snow Tires Not Needed in Bristol This Year

The forecast calls for sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70s when the NASCAR circuit races in Bristol, Tenn., this weekend, and that's good news to fans of the sport and officials who run and operate Bristol Motor Speedway. As the Bristol Herald Courier reminds us, spring-like weather was not the case for last year's March race in Bristol, when the event was delayed by snow and snowmen in the infield and snow angels at the start/finish line accentuated the scene. Weather is always unpredictable for the Bristol spring race. This excerpt from the article gives a perfect example:

In 2004, it was 78 degrees and sunny, and race-goers were breaking out the sunscreen; at last year’s race the high temperature was 46 degrees, and it snowed.

Read the article in its entirety.

Running a Reverse is Tough in the Rain, But Not in Blogging

When I first started writing this blog, the original intent was to make the content about baseball rain outs and anything related to the National Pastime and rain. Nothing else. Needless to say, such a narrowly-focused blog would lead to a considerable drought during the winter months. So, I dropped the blog for a while. Recently, now that baseball season is upon us, I have decided to give this blog another try and dedicate it to all sports and all types of weather conditions. As you can see below in my latest posts, I've included tidbits about such topics as snow (or lack thereof) at the Iditarod and a hail storm at a soccer match in Liverpool. And with my revamped creation, I've decided to go back in time and periodically post photos from sporting events featuring the elements of nature that I missed during the blog's hiatus. That's what I'm doing today. The above photo from Super Bowl XLI shows Colts running back Joseph Addai being stopped in his tracks by Bears cornerback Charles Tillman and linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer.

Twinkies Expect Delays in New Park

According to a St. Paul Pioneer Press poll, many Minnesota Twins players wish their new ballpark would include a roof. "The one nice thing about the Dome or a retractable roof is you don't have to worry about coming to the park and being in a rain delay," reliever Jesse Crain told the newspaper. "(People from out of state) can come in whenever right now and be sure to see some games, but that won't happen in the new stadium."

The Sky is Falling in Maine

The Mahaney Dome, the air-supported indoor practice facility at the University of Maine, is temporarily out of commission and lying flat on the ground after a large hole developed in the fabric covering Saturday. Heavy rains and substantial snowfall from the weekend is being blamed for the tear in the double-layered covering that spans the 38,000-square-foot facility. "The snow load and the rain coming down made it so heavy that it couldn’t handle the load," Will Biberstein, UMaine’s associate athletic director for internal affairs, told the Bangor (Maine) Daily News. Read the Bangor Daily News Story.

If You Like Rain in Your Sports, This is as Goodison as it Gets

If you read the reports from Goodison Park, particularly those from the Arsenal side, you'll learn that Sunday's match between the Gunners and Everton was not a display of thrilling football. I happened to catch the end of the game just when a huge hail storm struck the Liverpool park and just moments before Everton's Andy Johnson fired a short into the Arsenal net to give his side a 1-0 win over the Gunners. Much of the game, as reports indicate, may have nearly put fans at Goodison to sleep, but the late-game rain, hail and Johnson's game-winner stuck like a shot of adrenaline. See more photos and read the Arsenal match report.

More Weather Stories from the Weekend
Those of you who have been around high school and small college baseball teams know that players' field duties aren’t always confined to snagging flies and scooping grounders. Often those players are responsible for field maintenance, particularly after rain has made a mess of their home field. This story from Texas is a good example of players pitching in on the grounds keeping.

Dashing Through the Snow

I usually write here about rain, snow and the effects of numerous other weather events on sporting events. Today, however, I'd like to call attention to an event that would be nothing without a little snow – actually, a lot of snow. A fellow named Lance Mackey, I hear, was the first to reach the halfway mark of the 1,100-mile Iditarod sled dog rage, which now is well underway in Alaska. Mackey has a little extra pressure to win this race. His father and brother are previous Iditarod champions. If he and his doggies fail to pull out a win this year, it might be tough times at the summer family cookouts for the Mackey male without a trophy.

You can keep an eye on the current standing and see a detailed interactive map of the race route from the warmth – it's currently 35 below where the leaders are now – of you own home at www.iditarod.com.

One problem some of the mushers seem to be having is a lack of snow to melt to give dogs water. Hmmmm. Sounds like a global warming issue, eh Alex Wolff?

SI Chimes in on Global Warming

Sports Illustrated is officially in on the global warming campaign. Alexander Wolff writes this week's (March 7) cover story about how global warming is affecting sports – from Texas high school football two-a-days to its physical effects on baseball bats – and its effect on the future of our games. SI even went as far to have an architectural firm draw up an environmentally-friendly stadium that draws its power from the sun and wind. Here is an interesting excerpt:

Global warming is also leading to more dramatic swings in the weather in some areas. Since the early 20th century, the amount of rain dropped in the biggest 1% of storms each year has risen 20%. A warming planet doesn't create hurricanes, but it does make them stronger and last longer. Tropical storms become more powerful over a warmer Gulf, turning a category 4 storm, for example, into a category 5, like Katrina, which transformed the symbol of sports in New Orleans, the Superdome, into an image of epic disaster.

I'm sure SI will get plenty of criticism over running this story, particularly a cover story on such a hot topic, so to speak. I've already heard one radio hosts say that the magazine is simply picking up on a liberal political agenda. I'm not sure SI has an agenda other than relating the issue of global warming to the topic it covers: sports.

Aussie Rain Games

Rain has plagued the Australian Football League and its NAB Cup for the past two weeks, and apparently the wet stuff is a rarity on the AFL fields. This article on afl.com discusses players' abilities in the rain and which type of players benefit and which suffer in the not-so-perfect weather conditions. “Some players do handle the wet better, there’s no doubt. The ones who do the basics of the game really well,” said former Port Adelaide skipper Matthew Primus.

Busch Whacked

Thirty people were injured and five were taken to the hospital Wednesday night as a storm ripped through Busch Stadium in St. Louis, delaying the start of the Cardinals/Braves game by more than two hours. Winds topping out at 84 mph blew through the new ballpark just before the first pitch, tearing parts of the field tarp and ripping sheeting in the press box. According to a report on the Cardinals' Web site, a FOX studio was tipped over by and demolished by the wind. Tornado warnings were given for three St. Louis-area counties and more than 450,000 residents lost power, a report in Thursday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch said. The metropolitan's utility provider is working to restore power to residents' as quickly as possible if for no other reason than to allow residents to crank up their air conditioners. The heat index is expected to hit 100 degrees there Thursday.

Check out the St. Louis Post Dispatch's storm gallery.

Rain Drains A-Rod

It was exactly what Alex Rodriquez did not need: nearly two hours of sitting through a rain delay to think about an a plate appearance at Yankee Stadium where boos have poured down on him this season harder than the showers that halted action in the Bombers' game against Seattle Tuesday night. We all know that A-Rod doesn't need more time to think. As Rodriquez stood at the plate with a 3-1 count against the Mariners' Julio Mateo, umpire crew chief Mike Reilly stopped play and the Stadium grounds crew covered the field. After the 1-hour and 58-minute delay, Rodriquez returned to the plate and promptly struck out in a clutch situation when the Yankees needed a big hit from their pricey star. Melky Cabrera, not a big money guy, later ended the game in the 11th inning with a walk-off home run that gave the Yankees a 5-4 victory.

Rain in Maine Doesn't Stop Game

When you're 15, a little rain isn't going to stop you and your buddies from finishing the game. Heck, a torrential downpour falling from thundering skies and near-tornadic conditions most likely won't get you inside unless your mom braves the weather and pulls you inside by your shirt collar. Good luck facing your buddies again if that happens. Well, a little rain, ok, a downpour as you can see in the photo at left, didn't stop these 15-year-olds in Worcester, Maine, from completing the first game of a Babe Ruth tournament regional championship Wednesday. According to this story in the Thursday Worcester Telegram & Gazette, the game was stopped twice, once in the second inning because of lightening and again in the third when rain drenched the field. The grounds crew, according to the article, quickly repaired the pitcher's mound after the second delay and the game resumed. No word on how many worried moms had to be restrained from entering the field as the rains fell.
(PHOTO: T&G Staff/STEVE LANAVA)

No Fire, Just Rain for Taylor at Fenway

It wasn't a baseball game, but rain did delay action at Fenway Park Tuesday night. Here's a brief from the Associated Press:

James Taylor poses for a photograph during a rain delay of the Hot Stove Cool Music benefit concert at Fenway Park in Boston, Wednesday, July 12, 2006. The concert features Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein playing guitar with the band Buffalo Tom, along with Kay Hanley, Howie Day, American Idol contestant Ayla Brown and Taylor. The concert is the main fundraiser for the Foundation to be Named Later charity which was established by Theo Epstein and his brother Paul. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Rain in the Forecast for All-Star Game

Not that I’m hoping for it, but there is a good chance of rain in Pittsburgh tonight for the Major League Baseball All-Star game. According to this nifty blog on the USA Today Web site, folks in the Steel City may get a little wet as the chance of rain increases to about 70 percent at game time. I don’t want anyone to get too wet tonight, but a little rain never hurt anyone and the precipitation would provide me, the guy who for some reason maintains a blog about baseball rain delays, a nice photo of rain falling on the Mid-Summer Classic. Could it get any better? I’ll have to check my history because I’m not sure there has ever been a rain delay or a rain out of an MLB All- Star game. While, I do the research, you can read the USA Today story that also provides some interesting nuggets about baseball physics. I’m such a nerd. By the way, the cool weather graphic above is from Bob Swanson and Julie Snider of USA Today.

UPDATE: Apparently a little rain did fall Tuesday night just before the All-Star game in Pittsburgh. Why else would MLB Commissioner Bud Selig be wearing a Pirates poncho? (No, commish. That’s not rain. Manny Ramirez is peeing from the upper deck.) Anyway, after a little research, I did learn that the 1952 All-Star game was called because of rain after five innings at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park. Jackie Robinson hit a two-run homer in the first inning, but the American League came away with a 3-2 victory.

Get Babe A Tissue Before He Floods Fenway

The June 25 rainout between the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies was the Sox’ sixth this season, with five of those gushers nixing games at Fenway Park. It marked the most home rainouts for the BoSox since 1989, when the team had five games washed out the entire season. The Sox have now tied their home rainout mark just three months into the 2006 season. Could it be the Babe has been holding back and is just now starting to cry down tears from Heaven after his curse was broken a year and half ago? Maybe. The Red Sox only had four rainouts all of last year. If you planning a trip to Fenway this season, you may want to get familiar with the team’s Rainout Policy. Compare the Sox’ brief policy with the lengthy rainout policy the Yankees have posted on their Web site, which includes something about games being called because of an “act of God.” Is that a reference to Steinbrenner?
(Photo above by Matthew West of the Boston Herald.)

Rain Not A Pain at These Games

Rain was more than welcome; it was celebrated this week at the North American Indigenous Games in Denver. The area had been dry and virtually rain-free in June, but as Native Americans arrived in the city, precipitation followed as Deborah Frazier wrote in Wednesday's Rocky Mountain News. And bringing the rain, is as much competition as the games themselves, Frazier writes. Here's a snippet from the article:

"It's part of the relationship between Mother Earth and Father Sky," said Sara Stanley, who teaches art and culture at the Monument Valley High School on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona.

At an athletic event, there's always tribal competition that extended to who gets credit for the rain.
"We brought the rain from Saskatchewan," said Vernon Lewis, a broadcaster covering the games from a Cree radio station in west central Canada.

But no one grumped about the rain, not even athletes who had to hustle to finish competitions under darkening skies.

"It's always a blessing. It's a cleansing," said Lisa Wayne, a Navajo who managed the games' sports and venues.

You can read Frazier's article in its entirety at the Rocky Mountain News Web site.
The above photo is from Keith Smiley of the Rocky Mountain News.

Rocky Mountain Rain

Colorado Rockies’ fans sat in wet seats and used umbrellas for cover at Coors Field Tuesday as San Francisco Giants' Jason Ellison stands in the batter's box in the sixth inning against the Rockies as a heavy rain pour down in Denver. The 1-hour, 47-minute rain delay was the second of the game. The first delay pushed the game’s first pitch back 13 minutes. By the way, the Rockies went on to win 6-1. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Two Braves who inspired a rain dance

Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain were dominating pitchers for the Boston Braves in the 40s and early 50s. So good, the duo inspired Boston Post columnist Gerald V. Hern to pen the following in his Sept. 14, 1948 column:

First we'll use Spahn
then we'll use Sain
Then an off day
followed by rain
Back will come Spahn
followed by Sain
And followed
we hope
by two days of rain.

I have read, but can’t confirm, that the poem came about after Spahn and Sain started consecutive games for the Braves. Subsequently, there were several days of rain that forced postponement of a couple more Boston games. Those rain outs allowed the Braves to skip through the rotation and start Spahn and Sain when the team resumed play. Were the other Braves' hurlers that bad? I don’t know if the above account is true, but it makes for interesting baseball lore.