Game 4 pre-game: A little wet, but night should be fine
Oct 16th, 2007 by Bill Burt
I arrived here about an hour ago, at 4:30 p.m., and the early story is the weather. It has been overcast the entire day. A few sportswriters made the 60-mile trek to Canton, Ohio, to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (more on that later). It was dry the entire trip until we got back here to downtown Cleveland around 3:30 p.m.
The infield is covered and batting practice for both teams was moved inside.
Local weather reports say we could get a few spots of soft rain throughout the evening. Estimates are 30 percent chance of precipitation from the start of the game, 8:27 p.m. through midnight.
There are spots of sunlight in a few areas of the clouds which tells me, an amateur weatherman, that the game will be played with probably no interruptions.
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Josh Beckett is meeting with the media right now. What will be addressed is the issue of him possibly pitching tonight’s game, which won’t happen. A Sports Illustrated writer says the Red Sox are making a mistake with the series in doubt from the Red Sox end.
Personally, I disagree. Sure, Beckett pitched on three days rest when he shut out the Yankees in Game 6 in 2003 World Series clincher, but these circumstances are different. If this were the World Series, I may be inclined to agree, but it isn’t.
While I believe the Indians are in control of the series, this is no time to panic. Anyway, I’ll get some quotes from Beckett and get back to you.
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Our trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame was a lot of fun. It was my second visit there. I went 2-years ago with my son while out at the Frozen Four in Columbus, Ohio.
I highly recommend the trip. The Patriots are prominently displayed in a few areas, including one area honoring their 21-game winning streak, the longest in NFL history.
About a half-dozen Tom Brady jerseys are seen throughout the facility. There is already a glass case with Ellis Hobbs cleats and gloves from his 108-yard kickoff return earlier this season.
The best part for me is the room which holds all of the busts. The room is not only the biggest in the facility, but it’s the nicest. It is darkened with small back-lights with each bust. It really is special.
There are also a few area about the history of the NFL, particularly when it officially started in 1920. Ohio really played a role in saving pro football, which appeared to have died after some early momentum in the first two decades.
By the way, a little trivia here: Do you know who was the first president of the NFL? Answer will be at the bottom.
The employees there are very friendly (isn’t everybody outside of New England friendlier than us?).
The cost is $16 for adults and $10 for children. Personally, if you really want to put some time here, I wouldn’t bring a child under 12. There is not a lot of interactive things, which kids usually eat up.
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Here is a quick quote from Beckett on him not pitching tonight on three-days rest:
“We wouldn’t be where we’re at without Tim Wakefield. He won 16 or 17 games for us. I think in that aspect, he deserves to start tonight. Obviously, I don’t get paid to make those decisions, and I definitely support Terry Francona … Just like he backs us up, we back him up.”
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Youngstown, Oh. native Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik, the WBC-WBO middleweight champion will throw out the first pitch.
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Trivia answer: Jim Thorpe.
