Weather Or Not.

The way today started in North Texas is how I hope next week is looking when people decide whether or not to stay in town or go to the lake. Nice and dark and cloudy with a sinister look of rain in the skies. This was definitely the case early Saturday evening...

All set to catch some Ranger baseball at 6 pm. Work day now done I am heading home from Las Colinas. What was a blistering 101 degree is about to change. I see dark and threatening clouds in the distance out Oklahoma way. The clouds seem to follow me as I drive south sixteen miles.

One constant about summer weather in Texas is that if it's just sunny/hot the wind blows in the south/southeast. When that wind pattern decides to blow south, some serious damage is about to hit.

6:45 pm I decide to not bring my camera with all the threats of wet weather. New camera, want to keep iyt in a semblance of good health. The wind is howling, not blowing. The skies are resembling cottage cheese marked by charcoal ash. I see lightning in the distance...

7:04 pm the Ranger-Philly game starts. The mercury at the Ballpark reads 84 degrees. Two of my regulars inform me the temperature has fallen some twelve degrees since 6:30. I start to take notice. By 7:20 pm the winds increase, the thunder and lightning become more noticeable, the temp drops to 79 degrees. Thats over a 22 degree drop in North Texas. When my ears began to pop I knew what was coming...

Vicente Padilla did not have his best stuff. His tosses were as fair-weather as the current state of climate. Even as the rain began to fall in the 4th inning after 8pm local time the mercury continued to drop all the way to 73 degrees. Heavy lightning began to flash all around Arlington by 8:20. Chuck Morgan ordered all fans in the upper sections to move to the lower bowl as a precaution. At no time did play get halted by the umps and the light show was unbelievable. This was Cole Hamels and the Phillies night. An 8-6 win in conditions that weren't fan friendly yet a welcome change from the summer norm.

It is rare to see that sharp a drop in the readings. Reminded me of a game back on 8-6-05 when the Orioles came to Arlington on a day when the starting temp was 94 and it dropped to 67 before heavy rains befell the players and fans. Kam Loe pitched a 9th inning that resembled a monsoon.

It was frustrating to once again not see the Rangers cross that two-over barrier. I believe once they do, a huge winning streak may be in order. Chris Davis hit a monster homer in his first game as a Ranger! Nice!

Congrats to Dustin Nippert for tossing a no-hitter at Oklahoma City this day...and winning! More than I can say for the Anaheim Angels...

Over and out in Big D

Mr Will