There are many things we ponder in life, like why did the Howells take luggage for a year on a three-hour tour in Gilligan’s Island, and why most 7-Elevens have locks on their doors when they are open 24 hours. Finally, the most curious thing ever is why Donald Duck wears a towel when he comes of the shower if he never wears pants to begin with.
If there is a similarity to all this in baseball terms, ponder this as for the Dodgers’ series finale in Pittsburgh, which is rumored to have rain for the third day in a row: Why do the Dodgers have a tarp?
For all of you that don’t know what a tarp is, that’s perfectly fine because as Dodgers fans, we’ve only seen it come out 17 times since 1961. Think of it this way, it is more rare to attend a Dodger Stadium when it rains than it is to be at a game where a pitcher is at his ultimate peak and throws a perfect game.
There should be a Dodgers jacket or umbrella in Cooperstown right now. The only other stadium that could boast a better stat is The Big A down south, which has had only 12 since 1966.
“Think of it this way, it is more rare to attend a Dodger Stadium when it rains than it is to be at a game where a pitcher is at his ultimate peak and throws a perfect game.”
Baseball fans in Southern California don’t know how blessed they are. In the past decade, the Red Sox lead the way with 31 rainouts, followed by the Mets (28), and Yankees (24).
The thing is, does anyone know what the Dodgers’ tarp looks like? Is it blue? Does it have their logo? And where is it stored?
That tarp could have its own episode of Unsolved Mysteries.
As you know about California, there is no time for interruptions. It is like any soccer and football game, because if it rained in Los Angeles during a baseball game, play would continue on. The society here doesn’t like delays, it’s Hollywood, and the show must go on.
You would have to go back to April 17, 2000 for the last Dodgers rainout, a game against the Astros. Since then the team has played 1,691 home games without a rain out.
Remember two years ago when a piece of a 7.5-magnitude earthquake jolted the stadium and the crowd stayed in their seats. The play continued on the field, the players and crowd just ignored that the ground was moving back and forth violently beneath them.
The Giants and Athletics cancelled their game in the 1989 World Series. The Dodger game was just a meaningless one in July.
In Texas and Arizona they had to build stadiums to protect fans from the heat. At Dodger Stadium, a frozen lemonade and ice-cold beer is all you need for protection.
So as fans have to endure probably the third weather delay in a row. Just look outside your window and be happy that you live in the place where rainouts are non-existent and your teams can spend extra money on players, not tarps.
Well if you are up for another baseball mystery to ponder. Did you know that the Astros had a rainout in the ninth wonder of the world, The Astrodome. It happened on June 15, 1976.
So I guess anything is possible, even an 18th rain out at Dodger Stadium, and the need for a tarp in Los Angeles.
