The weather forecast for the Phoenix area Saturday does not look conducive to baseball at all:
Saturday
Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 68. Breezy, with an east southeast wind 10 to 15 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Saturday Night
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 11pm, then a chance of showers. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. Breezy, with a west southwest wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Now if you read that, would you try to play baseball at all?
The Cubs are going to give it their best shot. Saturday’s spring training opener against the Oakland Athletics, originally scheduled for 2:05 p.m. CT (1:05 Arizona time) has been moved back to 7:10 p.m. CT (6:10 p.m. Arizona time).
Now look at that forecast again. Does it look like it’s going to not be raining in the evening, either?
I suppose it’s possible, so the Cubs are going to give it a shot, at least for now. The team says if you have tickets for the game, the parking lots will open at 2:10 p.m. and gates will open at 4:10 p.m. local time. No ticket exchange is needed. The team also notes:
With high rain accumulation expected through the day, parking at Sloan Park could be limited. The Chicago Cubs and City of Mesa encourage guests to carpool, take public transportation or utilize ride sharing services.
Most of the parking lots at Sloan Park are on grass fields. Those fields tend to go underwater quickly when it rains. There’s a flood watch out for the entire Phoenix metro area and again checking the forecast, the possibility of three-quarters of an inch of rain is equivalent to almost a full month’s worth of rain in one day.
Anyway, mark your calendars for a night game — if they play at all.