If you needed any more evidence that Chicago is the greatest city in America, tonight’s Rays vs. White Sox game provides ample proof. It is presently the bottom of the eighth inning, and the Rays are up 12-0. In spite of that, and in spite of the fact that it’s extremely cold in Chicago tonight (which you can tell by looking at the players’ breath), there is still a sizable, and astonishingly enthusiastic crowd at Comiskey Park. Almost all of them are covered in blankets, huddled together for warmth. But every strike their pitchers throw, and every put-out their fielders make generates tremendous cheering. Dewayne Staats, the outstanding Rays broadcaster (who announced Cubs games when I was a boy), just noticed that the scoreboard indicated a temperature of forty degrees. “I think they’re just trying to brainwash the fans”, he said.
“Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud…”
Filed under: Meteorology, Sports on April 21st, 2010 | No Comments »
Although it is raining lightly as I write this, the weather has lately improved. Highs near seventy degrees, clear or partly-cloudy skies, beautiful sunsets, and so on. So, last night I went to a baseball game with my friend Marty. He’s as big a sports fan as anyone I know. He’s the kind of guy who actually keeps score while watching the game.
Florida State University was playing Florida at McKethan Stadium here at UF. It is a lovely park, with a particularly fine view of great pines and some of the taller campus landmarks. Marty met me there. He even brought me a drink down from the press box. My free ticket also entitled me to a free “Beat FSU” t-shirt, which I gave to Marty. We sat up on the third base side, above the Gators dugout.
The game got off to a rough start. FSU scored three runs in the first inning, then another two in the second. UF scored a couple runs early on, which kept me from feeling hopeless. But that would be it for FSU. They hardly got another hit after the second, and their pitching deteriorated in a manner that was uncomfortable to watch. Literally. The changed pitchers at least six times, and by the seventh inning, with the sun having already set, and the wind having picked up, it was cold. Hundreds–maybe even thousands–of fans who had arrived at the game wearing only shorts and short-sleeved shirts fled. Those who stayed–Marty and me included–just wanted the game to end. But FSU’s pitching troubles continued, and they had so many conferences on the mound, followed by pitching changes, and new-pitcher-warm-ups, that the dedicated fans who stayed nevertheless felt the urge to boo. It got ugly in the bottom of the eighth, with the wind howling through the stadium, when the catcher once again walked from the plate out to the mound. It wasn’t Disco Demolition Night, but there was loud, angry heckling, and many cries of “let’s just get this over with!”
Florida won eight to five, and I biked home in the dark and cold. But it was great, and I look forward to doing it again.
Filed under: Friends, Meteorology, Sports on March 17th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
I thought it was odd when I slept past eleven o’clock this morning. This afternoon, I was surprised and delighted to learn that daylight saving time has begun. I rode my bike home from work tonight after seven o’clock, and still had enough light to sort the recycling.
Better still, it is less frigid lately than it has been in months. I am building Miriam a closet, and while I work I have been keeping the windows open. The azaleas are beginning to bloom, too, and the trees are getting their new leaves. This has been a horrible winter.
Filed under: Current Events, Meteorology on March 14th, 2010 | No Comments »
First of all, Happy New Year.
I have lived in Gainesville for more than a decade, and in that time I have grown accustomed to temperatures I did not ever experience when living in St. Petersburg. Granted, Gainesville is less than two hundred miles north of St. Pete, but, still, that makes a substantial difference. Winter nights in Gainesville regularly dip into the thirties, and once a year, perhaps, we have a day that doesn’t reach fifty degrees. But, no matter what, after a day or two the temperatures always creep back up, and afternoon highs once again hover around seventy degrees.
In my entire life in Florida I have never experienced a cold spell like this. It isn’t merely the extreme cold, although it is definitely that: we have had days recently that barely climbed above forty degrees. Rather, what is so distressing to everyone is the seemingly endless nature of this cold. For about two weeks now it has been freezing cold. At home, our heater is running nearly non-stop to keep the house at a comfortable temperature. I dread turning on the faucet because the water is so frigid it almost feels worse than scalding. Meanwhile, going outside for anything–even just to run to the car–is a miserable and dreaded chore. I haven’t dared to ride my bike in almost a week. School started last Tuesday, and everyone you see on campus is wearing a hooded sweatshirt with his hands tucked into his pockets.
Fortunately, Miriam bought me a windbreaker for Christmas, which has absolutely paid for itself and more over the last two weeks. Coupled with a pair of gloves my mother sent me, I have managed to protect my skin from frostbite (possibly an exaggeration).
The forecast for tonight is eighteen degrees, and there is no word yet when the cold will end. Some say Friday, but I feel it may never be warm again.
Filed under: Gainesville, Meteorology on January 10th, 2010 | 3 Comments »
This weather this week has been disgusting, and today was the worst. Have you ever walked from a cool, air-conditioned room into a bathroom where someone has just taken a scalding hot shower, and the air is thick with water vapor? That’s what it felt like this morning when I left for school. It was in the mid-90s today, and the humidity is close to 90 percent. A week or so ago we had a couple days with highs in the 70s.
Filed under: Meteorology on October 7th, 2009 | 2 Comments »