I'm not even going to pretend I know much about baseball other than to say that every year it seems that an American team is crowned world champion so they must be getting something right.
What I do enjoy, though, is the art of the sporting prediction and this weekend Rudolpho "Rudy" Jaramillo, the hitting coach for the Texas Rangers, came up with a forecast that sets the bar so high it's difficult to see it ever being topped.
You know all this [expletive deleted] that's going on around the world, weather-wise, well, we're seeing it in Arlington [location of the Rangers Ballpark]. The jet stream at The Ballpark ain't what it used to be. That's changing. I think it'll help our arms.
Jaramillo's observations were later put to Ian Kinsler, the Ranger's second baseman. "Global warming?" he sniffed. "Well, whatever."
Kinsler did appear to agree, however, that the conditions are subtly changing at the Ballpark. "It depends on where you hit the ball and what time of year it is," said Kinsler. "Rudy is right in that balls you think you tagged will sometimes get knocked down at the warning track. But a lot of days early in the season, the ball jumps to center field, then by June, from the edge of the berm all the way around past our bullpen [in right field], you can go for several weeks at a time when anything hit in the air will fly out of there."
No, I don't understand a word within that whole paragraph either, but I love the idea that sportsfolk are now factoring climate change into their game. What other sports could this now apply to?
Cricket is an obvious candidate with its high dependency on climatic conditions. Skiing is another; there have already been some high-profile events cancelled in recent years due to lack of snow and some low-lying ski resorts now fear for their long-term future.
I can't see football suffering too much, though, with their retractable roofs and all-weather pitches. England fans should bank "climate change" as an excuse, though, for the next time their team is knocked out of a major tournament. It will make a change from "we didn't practise penalties enough", or "our players were exhausted after a long season".
