Small Post for a Friday Morning

After all the talk about how many early-season games were cancelled due to poor weather, and whether baseball should be played in early April in certain cities, someone actually decided to do some *gasp* research into the matter. Arizona State University alum Dr. Greg Goodrich of Western Kentucky University researched select cities for miserable baseball weather and concluded that Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh should not host any home games until after April 10, at which point the increased risk of "miserable baseball weather" becomes negligible. The Minnesota Twins plan to move to an open-air stadium, which would mean they shuold delay their home season's beginning until April 15. Toronto has a dome, so no info for that city if it were to switch to an open-air stadium. On the subject of poor scheduling, you have to wonder not so much about (just) why those cities had home games, but also why certain teams were scheduled to visit during those times. Most notable, the Seattle at Cleveland series that was cancelled, and will be a royal pain to makeup, as it was the only scheduled series between the two teams in Cleveland, plus the two cities are about 2,000 miles apart, which makes meeting on their mutual off days tricky.The Indians, naturally, do not wish to play any "home" games in Seattle (the Milwaukee situation was a bit different as they were playing the Angels, who did not have a homefield advantage there). The Giants and Pirates were unable to play a couple of games in Pittsburgh, but that was on the 14th and 15th, late enough to be more flukish, and making up those games will be annoying for those teams as well (I believe they settled on a mutual August off-day following the two teams' meeting in San Francisco, preceding a Pirates' homestand and the Giants' series in Florida). In short, don't schedule home games for those teams in early April, and, if you do, schedule them against division rivals.

Researchers have managed to rediscover three lost texts in a parchment. Basically, John Myronas had erased writing on several parchments in the 13th century to write his own book (a not uncommon practice). What is unusual is finding three manuscripts of decent importance that were not previously known to exist (by Archimedes, Hyperides, and a commentary on Aristotle's Categories).

Also, back on the baseball front, I'm surprised that with all the stories in recent years, nobody is saying anything about Alex Rodriguez and steroids. So, from here until I get tired of it, I shall give him the nickname Steroids, Jr.

Jake Peavy struck out 16 Diamondbacks through seven innings the other day, but was lifted from the game. I think he should have been left in to go for the record. Sure, he'd thrown 117 pitches already, but Nolan Ryan through twice that many in a game before. Pitchers these days are babied too much.