Interesting that baseball won’t play during inclement weather while other sports do

[butsir01]

Anyone who's ever thrown a wet ball knows you have little control over where it's going.

No one wants a pitcher throwing 95+ MPH trying to control it since he could really hurt the hitter while P. Manning's wet ball wouldn't do any damage to anyone.

Not to mention a hitter trying to pickup the spin thru the rain drops while keeping the water out of his eye's and his hands semi-dry.

No way to play unless it's a really light rain.

Yea baseball just wasn't meant to be played in the rain.

I was playing very low-level rec slow-pitch. Raining cats and dogs. The aluminum bat slupt (we’ll see if anyone remembers this) and nearly hit the third-baseman. Too dangerous when very wet. Different from soccer which I played collegiately and refereed for forty years.

Forty years. Let me ask you. Why do high schools in Louisiana play their soccer from November -February, coldest and wettest part of year.

Complete misery and agony watching my kids in 35 degree and light rain.

Good morning, Dawg. Good question. In Ohio, girls and boys played August through early November, the traditional months. When I was a kid in Saint Louis, only had boys’ soccer (1960s), and they played from two weeks after the end of American football through March. The preceding is context.
Currently in Missouri, boys play in the fall and girls in the spring. In that way, girls can play softball in the fall, when weather is more predictable, i.e., August-November, and soccer from February onward.
My best understanding as to why Louisiana plays February onward is that it is just too hot to play down there in August and September and that softball has a better chance weather-wise in the fall. Other southern and southwestern states play like Louisiana does for like reasons
When I grew up in Saint Louis, there was no organized youth soccer during the summer, because it was too hot. I hope this was helpful.

Let me add some context. I believe here it’s because as you noted, softball here plays in spring. So that’s a no go for soccer.

What the issue here is football- meaning many teams use the football field as there soccer field, and the two don’t mix. So we wait till football ends.

However, once you have seen your kids spend a tournament day in the frost in shorts and short sleeves, no snivel gear, frozen on a lip sided scoring gane, it makes you wonder who’s watching.

In Ohio, American football plays from August through state finals in early December. Boys’ and girls’ h.s. soccer from August through state finals in early November.
Frosh FB on Thursdays in the stadium and jv at 1000 hours on Saturdays. Frosh and jv soccer inside or outside os stadium, depending on FB.
I agree about standing in the cold rain, sleet and snow to watch. That ain’t no damned good. Refereeing, at least you’re moving. In my life, no matter what the weather, I wore shorts to referee on the field or to play. Had to know what the players were feeling.

[sikeston bulldog2]

Anyone who's ever thrown a wet ball knows you have little control over where it's going.

No one wants a pitcher throwing 95+ MPH trying to control it since he could really hurt the hitter while P. Manning's wet ball wouldn't do any damage to anyone.

Not to mention a hitter trying to pickup the spin thru the rain drops while keeping the water out of his eye's and his hands semi-dry.

No way to play unless it's a really light rain.

Yea baseball just wasn't meant to be played in the rain.

I was playing very low-level rec slow-pitch. Raining cats and dogs. The aluminum bat slupt (we’ll see if anyone remembers this) and nearly hit the third-baseman. Too dangerous when very wet. Different from soccer which I played collegiately and refereed for forty years.

Forty years. Let me ask you. Why do high schools in Louisiana play their soccer from November -February, coldest and wettest part of year.

Complete misery and agony watching my kids in 35 degree and light rain.

Good morning, Dawg. Good question. In Ohio, girls and boys played August through early November, the traditional months. When I was a kid in Saint Louis, only had boys’ soccer (1960s), and they played from two weeks after the end of American football through March. The preceding is context.
Currently in Missouri, boys play in the fall and girls in the spring. In that way, girls can play softball in the fall, when weather is more predictable, i.e., August-November, and soccer from February onward.
My best understanding as to why Louisiana plays February onward is that it is just too hot to play down there in August and September and that softball has a better chance weather-wise in the fall. Other southern and southwestern states play like Louisiana does for like reasons
When I grew up in Saint Louis, there was no organized youth soccer during the summer, because it was too hot. I hope this was helpful.

Let me add some context. I believe here it’s because as you noted, softball here plays in spring. So that’s a no go for soccer.

What the issue here is football- meaning many teams use the football field as there soccer field, and the two don’t mix. So we wait till football ends.

However, once you have seen your kids spend a tournament day in the frost in shorts and short sleeves, no snivel gear, frozen on a lip sided scoring gane, it makes you wonder who’s watching.

In Ohio, American football plays from August through state finals in early December. Boys’ and girls’ h.s. soccer from August through state finals in early November.
Frosh FB on Thursdays in the stadium and jv at 1000 hours on Saturdays. Frosh and jv soccer inside or outside os stadium, depending on FB.
I agree about standing in the cold rain, sleet and snow to watch. That ain’t no damned good. Refereeing, at least you’re moving. In my life, no matter what the weather, I wore shorts to referee on the field or to play. Had to know what the players were feeling.

That’s a great take- wanting to know what the player feels. Interesting.

Yea, in the stands the parents are dressed like Eskimos, with propane heaters; yet yelling at their kids for not hustling or missing a shot or pass.

Talk about irony.

[12xu]

Anyone who's ever thrown a wet ball knows you have little control over where it's going.

No one wants a pitcher throwing 95+ MPH trying to control it since he could really hurt the hitter while P. Manning's wet ball wouldn't do any damage to anyone.

Not to mention a hitter trying to pickup the spin thru the rain drops while keeping the water out of his eye's and his hands semi-dry.

No way to play unless it's a really light rain.

Yea baseball just wasn't meant to be played in the rain.

Golf is another game that doesn't tolerate rain well . Have played in it when light and steady .. that's why they make 2 man golf umbrellas. The problem in golf is that if raining too hard , the greens can't take the water too long and since they are undulating puddles emerge and then you can't putt the ball thru the water. Scary part for golf is that some goofballs wont leave the course when thunder/lightning in area . several golfers every year get zapped out on courses.

True story ! I worked as ranger at our course . Lightning thunderstorm was moving into our area . Pro asked us to 'clear the course' .. Would drive sounding the air horns . Came upon one hole and I sounded the horn driving up to guy in fairway ready to hit his 2nd shot to green.
Hey ,sir , we need you to stop play and head into the clubhouse now .. Lightning in the area .
Guy replies 'Can't I just finish this hole and go in ? I looked at him .. Sir, do this consider your next show landed on the green and you 2 putted for par. Put that on your scorecard and drive in . We want you to be able to come back and play another day.

Oh OK he said , Yeah, I will take my par and go ! Thanks !
I thought Oh boy ! It worked .
The worse ones were guys who were 'bosses' at their workplace. were not the types to have anyone else tell them what to do .

Golfs not a sport...it's a game

George Carlin said the same about baseball.

Here is Carlin's famous dialog about baseball vs football in its' entirety:

Baseball is different from any other sport, very different. For instance, in most sports you score points or goals; in baseball you score runs. In most sports the ball, or object, is put in play by the offensive team; in baseball the defensive team puts the ball in play, and only the defense is allowed to touch the ball. In fact, in baseball if an offensive player touches the ball intentionally, he's out; sometimes unintentionally, he's out.

Also: in football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and all sports played with a ball, you score with the ball and in baseball the ball prevents you from scoring.

In most sports the team is run by a coach; in baseball the team is run by a manager. And only in baseball does the manager or coach wear the same clothing the players do. If you'd ever seen John Madden in his Oakland Raiders uniform, you'd know the reason for this custom.

Now, I've mentioned football. Baseball & football are the two most popular spectator sports in this country. And as such, it seems they ought to be able to tell us something about ourselves and our values.

I enjoy comparing baseball and football:

Baseball is a nineteenth-century pastoral game.
Football is a twentieth-century technological struggle.

Baseball is played on a diamond, in a park.The baseball park!
Football is played on a gridiron, in a stadium, sometimes called Soldier Field or War Memorial Stadium.

Baseball begins in the spring, the season of new life.
Football begins in the fall, when everything's dying.

In football you wear a helmet.
In baseball you wear a cap.

Football is concerned with downs - what down is it?
Baseball is concerned with ups - who's up?

In football you receive a penalty.
In baseball you make an error.

In football the specialist comes in to kick.
In baseball the specialist comes in to relieve somebody.

Football has hitting, clipping, spearing, piling on, personal fouls, late hitting and unnecessary roughness.
Baseball has the sacrifice.

Football is played in any kind of weather: rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog...
In baseball, if it rains, we don't go out to play.

Baseball has the seventh inning stretch.
Football has the two minute warning.

Baseball has no time limit: we don't know when it's gonna end - might have extra innings.
Football is rigidly timed, and it will end even if we've got to go to sudden death.

In baseball, during the game, in the stands, there's kind of a picnic feeling; emotions may run high or low, but there's not too much unpleasantness.
In football, during the game in the stands, you can be sure that at least twenty-seven times you're capable of taking the life of a fellow human being.

And finally, the objectives of the two games are completely different:

In football the object is for the quarterback, also known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his receivers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.

In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! - I hope I'll be safe at home!

[sikeston bulldog2]

Anyone who's ever thrown a wet ball knows you have little control over where it's going.

No one wants a pitcher throwing 95+ MPH trying to control it since he could really hurt the hitter while P. Manning's wet ball wouldn't do any damage to anyone.

Not to mention a hitter trying to pickup the spin thru the rain drops while keeping the water out of his eye's and his hands semi-dry.

No way to play unless it's a really light rain.

Yea baseball just wasn't meant to be played in the rain.

Golf is another game that doesn't tolerate rain well . Have played in it when light and steady .. that's why they make 2 man golf umbrellas. The problem in golf is that if raining too hard , the greens can't take the water too long and since they are undulating puddles emerge and then you can't putt the ball thru the water. Scary part for golf is that some goofballs wont leave the course when thunder/lightning in area . several golfers every year get zapped out on courses.

True story ! I worked as ranger at our course . Lightning thunderstorm was moving into our area . Pro asked us to 'clear the course' .. Would drive sounding the air horns . Came upon one hole and I sounded the horn driving up to guy in fairway ready to hit his 2nd shot to green.
Hey ,sir , we need you to stop play and head into the clubhouse now .. Lightning in the area .
Guy replies 'Can't I just finish this hole and go in ? I looked at him .. Sir, do this consider your next show landed on the green and you 2 putted for par. Put that on your scorecard and drive in . We want you to be able to come back and play another day.

Oh OK he said , Yeah, I will take my par and go ! Thanks !
I thought Oh boy ! It worked .
The worse ones were guys who were 'bosses' at their workplace. were not the types to have anyone else tell them what to do .

Golfs not a sport...it's a game

George Carlin said the same about baseball.

Here is Carlin's famous dialog about baseball vs football in its' entirety:

Baseball is different from any other sport, very different. For instance, in most sports you score points or goals; in baseball you score runs. In most sports the ball, or object, is put in play by the offensive team; in baseball the defensive team puts the ball in play, and only the defense is allowed to touch the ball. In fact, in baseball if an offensive player touches the ball intentionally, he's out; sometimes unintentionally, he's out.

Also: in football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and all sports played with a ball, you score with the ball and in baseball the ball prevents you from scoring.

In most sports the team is run by a coach; in baseball the team is run by a manager. And only in baseball does the manager or coach wear the same clothing the players do. If you'd ever seen John Madden in his Oakland Raiders uniform, you'd know the reason for this custom.

Now, I've mentioned football. Baseball & football are the two most popular spectator sports in this country. And as such, it seems they ought to be able to tell us something about ourselves and our values.

I enjoy comparing baseball and football:

Baseball is a nineteenth-century pastoral game.
Football is a twentieth-century technological struggle.

Baseball is played on a diamond, in a park.The baseball park!
Football is played on a gridiron, in a stadium, sometimes called Soldier Field or War Memorial Stadium.

Baseball begins in the spring, the season of new life.
Football begins in the fall, when everything's dying.

In football you wear a helmet.
In baseball you wear a cap.

Football is concerned with downs - what down is it?
Baseball is concerned with ups - who's up?

In football you receive a penalty.
In baseball you make an error.

In football the specialist comes in to kick.
In baseball the specialist comes in to relieve somebody.

Football has hitting, clipping, spearing, piling on, personal fouls, late hitting and unnecessary roughness.
Baseball has the sacrifice.

Football is played in any kind of weather: rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog...
In baseball, if it rains, we don't go out to play.

Baseball has the seventh inning stretch.
Football has the two minute warning.

Baseball has no time limit: we don't know when it's gonna end - might have extra innings.
Football is rigidly timed, and it will end even if we've got to go to sudden death.

In baseball, during the game, in the stands, there's kind of a picnic feeling; emotions may run high or low, but there's not too much unpleasantness.
In football, during the game in the stands, you can be sure that at least twenty-seven times you're capable of taking the life of a fellow human being.

And finally, the objectives of the two games are completely different:

In football the object is for the quarterback, also known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his receivers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.

In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! - I hope I'll be safe at home!

That’s it. Awesome

[rockondlouie]

Anyone who's ever thrown a wet ball knows you have little control over where it's going.

No one wants a pitcher throwing 95+ MPH trying to control it since he could really hurt the hitter while P. Manning's wet ball wouldn't do any damage to anyone.

Not to mention a hitter trying to pickup the spin thru the rain drops while keeping the water out of his eye's and his hands semi-dry.

No way to play unless it's a really light rain.

Yea baseball just wasn't meant to be played in the rain.

I was playing very low-level rec slow-pitch. Raining cats and dogs. The aluminum bat slupt (we’ll see if anyone remembers this) and nearly hit the third-baseman. Too dangerous when very wet. Different from soccer which I played collegiately and refereed for forty years.

D a m n

Yea I played soccer and football games in the rain, fun!

But no way you can play baseball in anything but a light sprinkle.

[rockondlouie]

Anyone who's ever thrown a wet ball knows you have little control over where it's going.

No one wants a pitcher throwing 95+ MPH trying to control it since he could really hurt the hitter while P. Manning's wet ball wouldn't do any damage to anyone.

Not to mention a hitter trying to pickup the spin thru the rain drops while keeping the water out of his eye's and his hands semi-dry.

No way to play unless it's a really light rain.

Yea baseball just wasn't meant to be played in the rain.

and then we have Gray whining he can't grip the ball because it's too hot

Yea sweaty fingers also makes for a poor grip

Good old spidertack sure helped, now long gone.

[butsir01]

Mebbe the umps could rub up the baseballs with ‘tack, if they even still do that.

[AnExParrot]

Mebbe the umps could rub up the baseballs with ‘tack, if they even still do that.

Lena Blackburn Baseball Rubbing Mud is still used to give some grip to new balls.

[butsir01]

Mebbe the umps could rub up the baseballs with ‘tack, if they even still do that.

Lena Blackburn Baseball Rubbing Mud is still used to give some grip to new balls.

And with the way that they give baseballs away today, it must take two hours just to do that.

[scoutyjones2]

Anyone who's ever thrown a wet ball knows you have little control over where it's going.

No one wants a pitcher throwing 95+ MPH trying to control it since he could really hurt the hitter while P. Manning's wet ball wouldn't do any damage to anyone.

Not to mention a hitter trying to pickup the spin thru the rain drops while keeping the water out of his eye's and his hands semi-dry.

No way to play unless it's a really light rain.

Yea baseball just wasn't meant to be played in the rain.

I was playing very low-level rec slow-pitch. Raining cats and dogs. The aluminum bat slupt (we’ll see if anyone remembers this) and nearly hit the third-baseman. Too dangerous when very wet. Different from soccer which I played collegiately and refereed for forty years.

Forty years. Let me ask you. Why do high schools in Louisiana play their soccer from November -February, coldest and wettest part of year.

Complete misery and agony watching my kids in 35 degree and light rain.

Good morning, Dawg. Good question. In Ohio, girls and boys played August through early November, the traditional months. When I was a kid in Saint Louis, only had boys’ soccer (1960s), and they played from two weeks after the end of American football through March. The preceding is context.
Currently in Missouri, boys play in the fall and girls in the spring. In that way, girls can play softball in the fall, when weather is more predictable, i.e., August-November, and soccer from February onward.
My best understanding as to why Louisiana plays February onward is that it is just too hot to play down there in August and September and that softball has a better chance weather-wise in the fall. Other southern and southwestern states play like Louisiana does for like reasons
When I grew up in Saint Louis, there was no organized youth soccer during the summer, because it was too hot. I hope this was helpful.

Let me add some context. I believe here it’s because as you noted, softball here plays in spring. So that’s a no go for soccer.

What the issue here is football- meaning many teams use the football field as there soccer field, and the two don’t mix. So we wait till football ends.

However, once you have seen your kids spend a tournament day in the frost in shorts and short sleeves, no snivel gear, frozen on a lip sided scoring gane, it makes you wonder who’s watching.

In Ohio, American football plays from August through state finals in early December. Boys’ and girls’ h.s. soccer from August through state finals in early November.
Frosh FB on Thursdays in the stadium and jv at 1000 hours on Saturdays. Frosh and jv soccer inside or outside os stadium, depending on FB.
I agree about standing in the cold rain, sleet and snow to watch. That ain’t no damned good. Refereeing, at least you’re moving. In my life, no matter what the weather, I wore shorts to referee on the field or to play. Had to know what the players were feeling.

Why do you need to know what the players are feeling as a ref?

[butsir01]

Do you know where they are physically and psychologically and can adjust how loosely or tightly you call the match.

[greyhawk]

Anyone who's ever thrown a wet ball knows you have little control over where it's going.

No one wants a pitcher throwing 95+ MPH trying to control it since he could really hurt the hitter while P. Manning's wet ball wouldn't do any damage to anyone.

Not to mention a hitter trying to pickup the spin thru the rain drops while keeping the water out of his eye's and his hands semi-dry.

No way to play unless it's a really light rain.

Yea baseball just wasn't meant to be played in the rain.

I was playing very low-level rec slow-pitch. Raining cats and dogs. The aluminum bat slupt (we’ll see if anyone remembers this) and nearly hit the third-baseman. Too dangerous when very wet. Different from soccer which I played collegiately and refereed for forty years.

D a m n

Yea I played soccer and football games in the rain, fun!

But no way you can play baseball in anything but a light sprinkle.

i played hs ball here in st louis -- we started practicing with hitting machines inside in late february --- the worst conditions i ever played in was a light snow shower.... try picking up a flyball among all the snowflakes. it was brutal.