Weather Factor

It looks like the temperature will be in the 40s for tomorrow's game 6 at Wrigley. For those of us in Florida, that sounds very cold. To be honest, I'm not sure if I keep my freezer that cold. Unless some kind of a front moves in, I'm sure we'll hear a lot about this leading up to the game.

And I'm sure it will matter - it's cold. The players will notice. It was 90 degrees for the last game in Miami. I'm sure the buzz will be that this will work against the Marlins. Maybe it will - we'll see. But really, how is it any different for the Cubs than the Marlins?

Both teams are playing on the same field at the same time. And it's not like the Cubs were assembled from twenty-five Chicagoland natives who honed their skills playing baseball on snow covered sandlots wearing shorts and t-shirts. Sammy Sosa is from the Dominican. Moises Alou resides in Florida. Alex Gonzalez (the Chicago version) was raised in Miami. Mark Prior, Tuesday's pitcher, was raised in Southern California.

I could go on, but even I am getting a little bored with the illustrations. The point is that while the weather may be a factor tomorrow, it will likely impact both teams. It's been hot all summer - none of these guys are acclimated to the cold much more than each other. It certainly isn't like the Cubs played 30 games in the cold last October.

... but at the same time, if the temperature is in the 30s or 40s tomorrow, I sure wouldn't want to be the guy who gets jammed by a Prior fastball.