The calls for postponement came around noon Wednesday when the rain was coming down the hardest. The fields were flooded and conditions were not safe, prompting a handful of area baseball and softball games to postpone them for Thursday.
Among the teams affected was Temple City, which had a a home game scheduled against South Pasadena. The big Rio Hondo League showdown pitted San Marino at Monrovia, which hoped to avenge a 2-1 loss in the season opener. Both games will be re-scheduled for Thursday at the same time (3:30 p.m.) and site. In softball, the San Marino at Monrovia game also was re-scheduled for Thursday.
The postponed games mean teams affected, in this case the Rio Hondo League, will be forced to play back-to-back games with games already scheduled for Friday. The forecast calls for 20 percent chance of rain Thursday and 70 percent chance on Friday. If rain Friday again postpones games they will be re-scheduled for Monday, per the league constitution. San Marino baseball is scheduled to play at South Pasadena while Temple City visits La Canada. The La Canada softball team resumes league play at home against Temple City on Friday night, which also could be affected by rain. Alhambra baseball also could be affected, which hosts Montebello at 3:15 p.m. in Almont League play at Moor Field.
Pasadena’s baseball team also was affected by rain. The Bulldogs will resume the Gladstone tournament final at 1 p.m. today at Gladstone against Charter Oak.
Coaches will deal with Friday if and when the rain comes, in the mean time they’ll push forward. But the fact they’re now faced with consecutive games is not an issue. Most teams resuming league play are coming off tournament play where they played three to four consecutive games, and some are coming off doubleheaders in nonleague play.
“It’s no big deal,” Temple City coach Barry Bacon said. “We play back-to-back later in the season because of track and swimming finals.”
If there’s one major downside to postponed games is the logistical nightmare created by the rain. Athletic directors are faced with re-scheduling buses, making sure enough umpires are available for re-scheduled games and coordinating with team parents/boosters who put together snack bars. Not to mention parents who already have coordinated with their employers and/or worked around their schedules to make afternoon games that were scheduled well ahead of time.
“That’s the unfortunate part when somebody takes time off work to catch a game they’ve scheduled ahead of time,” Bacon said.
If teams had the luxury of playing under the lights that would minimize the effects caused by rain.
“If I had lights we’d have a lot of night games,” Bacon said. “It’s less of a stress on parent work schedules. If the rain stopped like it did just now (late afternoon) we could go out there, prepare the field and have it ready by 6.”
Only a handful of area teams play under the lights: Arcadia baseball at home (usually on Fridays), Maranatha at Brookside Park and La Canada softball at home.
