Kevin's Blog

With the Bears hosting the Eagles Sunday night, I can't help but recall the playoff game between these two teams 20 years ago at Soldier Field that was televised, had great ratings, but was a game that nobody saw.

In the second quarter of that Dec. 31, 1988 playoff game, a heavy fog rolled in from Lake Michigan reducing visibility to about 20 yards. Now referred to as the "Fog Bowl," receivers could not see passes and both teams had to rely primarily on their running games for the entire second half. The referees had to use the on-field microphone to announce down and distance to the fans at the stadium, and a television audience trying to pick out players amidst a gray slate screen.

In the second half, CBS used a sideline camera and those at home saw more of the action than the fans at the game. The weather for this year's version of Eagles-Bears looks to be much better than the one 20 years ago. The major NFL weather disaster of the week appears to be the Cardinals-Jets game in New Jersey on Sunday afternoon. Check Nick's blog on Sunday morning for the latest NFL weather forecasts.

MLB

As for other sporting events this weekend, both the Mets and Phillies have home games that will influence the National League playoff race. Unfortunately, a strong storm moving up the east coast will put the Saturday and Sunday games in jeopardy, possibly forcing doubleheaders, or a Monday extension to the season with playoff spots on the line. (This storm will also mean wet weather for the Yankees-Red Sox series, but that series is meaningless from a playoff perspective.)

Rainfall forecast for Saturday (from NOAA)

NCAA

The same storm moving up the east coast will mean that the Rhode Island at Boston College and Western Michigan at Temple football games are my selections for Fumblefest of the Week. In the only game pitting two top 10 teams, the weather for the Alabama-Georgia game in Athens should be mostly cloudy, but rain-free. Kick-off temperature should be near 80F with a light wind.

NASCAR

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Kansas 400 race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday should be unseasonably warm, with a temperature of 82F when the green flag drops. If you are going to the race, be sure and hydrate, and take your sunscreen!

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