World Series Rain Delay

If you are watching, or were watching, you know by now that Game 5 of the World Series, the possible decisive game of the World Series, is being delayed due to rain. The commentators on FOX have been fairly rough on Major League Baseball's decision to keep playing this game, something I disagree with, although not entirely.

MLB knew what the weather was supposed to be like this evening. They knew they had a small window until about 10 PM. The rain ended up coming a little bit earlier, but even if it did begin at 10 PM, chances are they would have run into some substantial weather issues anyways. With the forecast calling for even worse weather tomorrow, tonight was clearly the best option, unless there is the option of shuffling games around in Tampa Bay-that is something I cannot even speculate on.

All that being said, it is interesting that MLB decided not to push the start time of the game up an hour or so. At least consider when the window of good weather is going to be and how to best utilize it. While the risk would have been that there was clear weather all evening, and many West Coast viewers would have been lost, I imagine anyone on the West Coast that is truly concerned about watching this game from first pitch to final out would have made arrangements for such an important game.

I was reading on a LiveBlog the comparison of this game to the NFLs Super Bowl in that they would never allow the weather to get the better of the Championship game-being that the league has a rule where Super Bowls will not be played in outdoor stadiums North of a certain point. Not only is this comparison simply laughable, but it isn't 100% accurate. Has everyone already forgotten the Super Bowl ALL the way back in 2007, where it poured for much of the game in South Beach?


But here we are, having played five and a half innings. The Rays tied the game up on a BJ Upton stolen base coupled with a nice piece of hitting by Carlos Pena to plate the run. This was definitely a timely hit for the Rays, as the recent news that the game is to be suspended and resumed sometime Tuesday or Wednesday.

Without Pena's single, the Rays would have lost as the game was considered as official due to having played more then four and a half innings. That easily would have been the worst, and most depressing situation, possibly in recent Major League history.

The weather clearly played a negative role in this game, as it is almost a certainty that Jimmy Rollins makes the play at first getting Upton out at first, eliminating the eventual tying run.


An interesting note, the Rays had planned on flying out of Philadelphia after tonight's game. Subsequently the club does not have a hotel room and it is being reported that the hotel the Rays were staying in has been filled. Furthering this dilema is the report that there are very few available hotel rooms in Philly-maybe they can walk a mile in Charlie's shoes?


The game is scheduled to resume at 8 PM EST tomorrow. Comically, the 'starters' for that game could include Chad Durbin-Tigers fans wish he was still in town.