Kevin's Blog

"Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain"

This battle cry of the 1948 Boston Braves is one of the more cherished catchphrases in a sport replete with them. Boston Post sports writer Gerald Hern penned the famous line in a poem about a team with no depth in its starting pitching rotation, an "a-phil-iction" that appears to be the "a-phillies" heel of the 2008 National League Champions. Maybe this election years' version of Hern's phrase should read "The Hamels, rain, and rain a-gain campaign."

It is the opinion of this forecaster that the only chance the Phils have of prevailing in this years' Fall Classic on Fox is to have Cole Hamels start three games. Major League Baseball seems intent on providing a schedule of games that will not permit this unless he throws twice on three days rest, and that's even with a potential rainout on the way for Game 3 on Saturday.  Major League Baseball has already announced that if Game 3 is rained out, that only the Philly portion of the series would be pushed back. It would take two rainouts in Philly to alter this plan. Hence, "The Hamels, rain, and rain a-gain campaign."

Chilly Philly

Sorry Philly Phanatics, the weather for Sunday, Monday, and an if-need-be makeup game on Tuesday look chilly, but rainfree and playable. Saturday night is another story entirely. A cold front should pass through the region near game time, bringing the possibility of high winds, heavy rain, and even lightning. Lighter rain could occur off and on throughout the game after the front passes. If you are planning on attending Game 3, be prepared for rain, swirling winds, and temperatures dropping into the middle 50s during the game. You might also plan to tell the baby sitter that you will be home late, as rain delays are possible.

 Expected rainfall amounts during the day on Saturday - NOAA

NCAA

The beautiful weather of the past two weekends across Big 10, MAC and Big East country will come to a screeching halt this weekend. Most of the Big 10 and MAC games will be rain free, but with cloudy skies, cold winds, and a slight chance for light rain or drizzle. The larger problems will be along the east coast where several games have been elevated to the status of Fumblefest of the Week.

You know the drill. These are the games where weather will impact play, increase the number of turnovers, make the outcomes very hard to predict, but provide plenty of plays for the highlight disks (reels are obsolete).

This week it might look like the Hudson River has been diverted into Michie Stadium in West Point for Louisiana Tech at Army as heavy rain is expected to fall throughout the game. In addition, the game between Rutgers and Pittsburgh will also be wet as the frontal system mentioned in the baseball section will be making its way through western PA during this Big East clash. Our third pick will be in the ACC where a 60% chance of thunderstorms and very humid conditions will be on tap for Wake Forest at Miami. Is it just me, or do Hurricanes home games always make this list? It must be my bias towards weather-related mascots!

NASCAR

The Sprint Cup circuit is down to its final four races with the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday. It's NASCAR! It's the Deep South! It's October! What do you think the weather will be? Friday's rain will give way to perfect racing weather on Sunday. Call it clear skies and 72 degrees when the green flag drops on another in a long run of green weather conditions for this sport this fall.

Note: If you are attending the NASCAR race on Sunday, or watching on television, you will not believe how much work has been done rebuilding the Atlanta Motor Speedway since July 2005 when a tornado ravaged this facility. As you enjoy the beautiful day, please keep in mind that severe weather is a significant threat to life and property, especially at large sporting venues like stadiums and motor speedways. If you need a reminder, check out the post-tornado images of Atlanta Motor Speedway and imagine the deaths and injuries that would have occurred had that been a race day.

Photo Credit: John Spink

Photo Credit: John Spink

If you have any questions about the game you are headed to this weekend, ask here, and have a great weekend!

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