AccessMyLibrary provides FREE access to over 30 million articles from top publications available through your library.
Create a link to this page
Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:
Hurry up and wait. (The Closer).
Ever wonder what players do during a rain delay? I bet if I gave you three guesses, you'd be way off. I'm almost ashamed to tell you. Sitting through a rain delay is part of the game, but--believe it or not--it takes practice. After all, pingpong isn't as easy as it looks.
There are a few rain delay modes. The first one is when batting practice is rained out. That is my personal favorite. That means we stretch on our own at about 5:50 for a 7:05 game. Our daily routine is thrown completely off schedule. Most players get to the park by 2-2:30 p.m. for a 7:05 game, so if we don't take BP, we're probably going to sit around until it's time to stretch. It doesn't sound too bad, but there are big couches and lots to eat. You can get in a little bit of trouble if you're not careful.
Clubhouses are huge, so there are plenty of things to do. In Denver, there are at least seven TVs in the clubhouse. We watch SportsCenter, Jerry Springer, King of the Hill. I actually saw one guy watching CNN. I think he was trying to impress the manager.
During a pregame rain delay, there are some pretty mean games of PlayStation 2 going on. There isn't much baseball, but there is lots of John Madden football and golf. There are your standard crossword guys and card players, too. But today's clubhouses are so high tech, those things are old news. Why play cards if you can catch a fight on Springer or go online to check your fantasy football stats?
The next kind of rain delay is the toughest to get through. You start the game, you know the rain is coming, then two innings in--boom--the bottom falls out. The one thing that stinks about the unbalanced schedule is there are some cities that you go to only once. That means you will stay and play to get the game in. The fields are so good now that they drain well enough so no one will get hurt.
When it comes to pregame rain delays, I hate to say it, but how long we sit there really depends on what the promotion is that night. If it's fireworks or bobblehead night, they do everything they can to get it in, as well they should. Those promotions are expensive and popular, and fans should get what they came for. Once the game starts, it's up to the umpires. They talk to the head grounds crew guy, and they confer about when to resume.
For the players, this is the hard part. The starter is spent if it's a long delay--anything more than 45 minutes. If the delay lasts longer than that, the game usually is turned over to the bullpen.
- WORLD SERIES; Yankees get job done; Overcome legal woes, Marlins, 6-1.(Sports)
- Newspaper article from: The Boston Herald Horrigan, Jeff October 22, 2003 700+ words
...final pitch of Game 2 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium on Sunday...Marlins, who became the first World Series team to go without an extra...downpour. It was the first World Series rain delay since Oct. 19, 1993. Caption...
- World Series Yankees Phillies Baseball
- Picture from: AP Images David J. Phillip October 31, 2009 700+ words
New York Yankees' Mark Teixeira, left and manager Joe Girardi wait the start of Game 3 of the Major League Baseball World Series during a rain delay Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
- Rain dampens Fox's World Series ratings.
- Magazine article from: Daily Variety Kissell, Rick October 27, 2008 700+ words
...with this year's World Series, with Saturday's lengthy rain delay significantly cutting...least-watched World Series contests on record...of the baseball rain delay, as its "Saturday...regardless of the World Series delay, likely will...
- CORRECTION World Series Yankees Phillies Baseball
- Picture from: AP Images David J. Phillip October 31, 2009 700+ words
New York Yankees' Eric Hinske, left, and manager Joe Girardi wait the start of Game 3 of the Major League Baseball World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies during a rain delay Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
- JCS LEADING MSU BEFORE RAIN DELAY
- Newspaper article from: The Record (Bergen County, NJ) RAFAEL HERMOSO, Staff Writer May 13, 1995 700+ words
...Bergen County, NJ) 05-13-1995 JCS LEADING MSU BEFORE RAIN DELAY By RAFAEL HERMOSO, Staff Writer Date: 05-13-1995, Saturday...their last 12 games. But MSU, which played in the College World Series last year and won it in 1993, will have the edge in experience...
- Rain delay of Cubs costs kids their games at Wrigley
- Newspaper article from: Chicago Sun-Times (IL) Rummana Hussain July 30, 2009 700+ words
...what it'd be like to be a major leaguer, playing their World Series at the storied North Side ballpark. But this year, the...They just haven't worked as hard since hearing their World Series won't be played there." Comment at suntimes.com.
- Tough to change rain-delay rules in NASCAR.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- Newspaper article from: Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Kallmann, Dave February 20, 2003 700+ words
...argument heard frequently (at least in our office) is that the World Series wouldn't end after 5 innings of the seventh game or the...unclear what either has to do with racing. Actually, the World Series has ended long before the seventh game dozens of times...
- Wells worth the wait; Lefty, Sox shut out Cards after rain delay.(Sports)
- Newspaper article from: The Boston Herald Horrigan, Jeff June 9, 2005 700+ words
...however, you can bet that more than a few of the ardent locals were tempted to abandon their courtesy and salute the defending World Series champs for ruining their bid to attain some too-little-too-late retribution for being swept last October. After seeing...