It was only the eighth time since Cashman Field opened, in 1983, that a game was postponed due to rain. What's most fascinating to me is that they don't have an infield tarp at this ballpark. Actually, fascinating is an understatement. I'm amazed, flabbergasted, astonished, mesmerized by this factoid.
It's incomprehensible to me that a ballpark in the year 2015 would not have a tarp. They have smaller covers for the pitchers mound and home plate area, but not the infield.
Granted, they don't need one very often. Eight rainouts in 32 years is proof. Before our game was washed out on Saturday, the previous rainout was August 25, 2008. They've had games postponed due to wind (last year) and a power failure (July 3, 2011) more recently than rain.
I heard Las Vegas 51s manager Wally Backman tell people that he was told by groundskeepers they used to have a tarp. But the last time they rolled it out, it had been so long, it was covered in fungus and unusable. The team just decided not to buy another tarp. Hey, every dollar counts for a minor league team, but this Saturday was the very rare instance when not having a tarp hurt the team.
The 51s sold over 8,000 tickets for the game. They were expecting a huge crowd. It was a Saturday night. They were giving away Jacob deGrom t-shirts. Fans were lined up outside the ballpark awaiting the shirt and the game.
If a tarp existed, they would have covered the field and kept the infield dry. The rain stopped around the time the game was supposed to begin. If it was any other ballpark in the league, you take the tarp off, repair a few areas, drag the infield, the water drains in the outfield, and you play ball. Maybe we start 30 or 45 or even 60 minutes late.
That was not possible at Cashman Field because the infield was a mud bowl, with enormous puddles in the dirt.
That was not possible at Cashman Field because the infield was a mud bowl, with enormous puddles in the dirt.
Hey, rain is good. Nevada needs it. California needs it. We got a rare Saturday night off in Las Vegas.
Of course, when people told me about how lucky I am to get a night off in Vegas, I remind them that we still have a 12:05 pm game the next day, then a doubleheader on Monday, followed by another day game. Doubleheader are not fun. It's at least 14 innings, and filling the 20-25 minutes between games, while trying to get your scorebook ready, is a hassle. I know #FirstWorldProblems.
For the next visit to Las Vegas, in July, I'll post photos of the ballpark when it's dry. The second day was windy, but clear. The last two days are splendid with warm weather and no wind. But since it was so rare to see water in southern Nevada, I'll just load you up with more photos of what a ballpark looks like when the team does not own a tarp.
And this is what it looks like when you have an open radio booth, with no windows to close and keep the rain out of where you're trying to broadcast.
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