Rain Delay

Apparently when the forecast calls for a 30% chance of rain that means it's going to rain for 30% of the day.

Hmmm. Didn't see that one coming.

We hit the road by 7:15 a.m. to pick up a teammate and his mom and get up to Antigo by 9 a.m. Since it allegedly was going to be 80-some degrees with that 30% of rain, the CRV was packed with everything from a cooler to blankets and umbrellas. We were prepared.

The first game started at 10 a.m. and it was pleasant. Partly sunny and breezy and temps probably in the mid-60s. Good for fans and good for the boys. But they got hot and cranky quickly when we got to losing. Big time.

We played a Marshfield team that wasn't necessarily a lot better than us. We just happened to hit all of our balls right to them. Had a hard time getting on base. Whereas they managed to knock their hits to the "holes" and got on. We lost 11-3 and had about 10 minutes before game #2 was to start at noon.

It suddenly got cloudy and windy and cooler. We knew something was up. Those who could tap into the radar on their smart phones confirmed it. So we grabbed our umbrellas and jackets just in case.

We only got as far as the second inning against Wausau, down 2-1, and it started to rain. In no time it was pouring. It was coming down sideways and it was right into the dugout so the boys had no place to go. While we parents went to our vehicles. The smart 13- and 4-year-olds tried to squeeze into two places of shelter -- a small shed and the porta-potty. I'm not kidding. You know teenage boys and their potty humor. Yikes. Glad they didn't knock it over.

We basically waited it out at the field for half an hour and it was not letting up. So we got word we needed to head to the other field where games were also being played. By the time we got there, of course the rain had moved through and their fields were all a mess, too.

We honestly sat there in our vehicles -- in the rain -- for more than 2 more hours before a decision was made that the rest of the games for the day had to be called off. There was no way the fields would be in condition to play -- especially since it still hadn't stopped raining.

So they decided to wipe the slate clean and start fresh tomorrow. They won't count today's games -- wins or losses -- and redrew the teams for the bracket. Now tomorrow they will hold it as a single-elimination tournament. We go up and play at 10 a.m. and we need to win to play again later. Otherwise, we come home.

We were just glad to get going home and get out of the cold. Funny thing was we were cold and cranking the heat, but when we got back to Rapids it was 20 degrees warmer and muggy. They did get some rain here but the softball games nearby were still going on.

So we got to see our neighbor girl play and make the rounds catching parts of games that other friends' daughters were in. Didn't hang around too long. Had to come home and wash Carter's muddy white baseball pants so he can do some more damage tomorrow.

We hope.

I'm not even bothering to look at the forecast!