The nip in the air, the early sunsets, the unending promos on Fox. It must be October, when a baseball player’s thoughts turn to … mule deer and grouse?
“Good hunting weather,” Colorado first baseman Todd Helton said last Sunday after Denver was coated with a blanket of snow.
Forgive us for channeling Jimmy Dugan, but: There’s no snowing in baseball! Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig must have gotten a mile-high headache as he pondered snowstorms arriving just as the World Series shifts to Colorado this weekend.
Relax, Bud. The forecast is calling for cool — but not freezing — temperatures for the three games Saturday through Monday. And there is no snow in sight.
But after watching Colorado’s boys of summer practicing in a few inches of the white stuff, RedEye realized this isn’t the first time we’ve seen some unusual scenes in sports.
Here are some of our favorites.
Bobsledding in Jamaica
“Cool Runnings” wasn’t just an amusing John Candy movie. It was loosely based on the true story of the Caribbean country’s foray into the winter sport. The Jamaicans made their Olympic debut in 1988 and came off as a mistake-prone novelty act. In 1992, they finished ahead of both U.S. teams.
Football in Europe
Europeans love their football. But do they like our football? NFL Europa’s championship game, the World Bowl, drew 48,125 fans for this year’s game in Frankfurt, Germany. Not bad, but the NFL disbanded the European league in August to concentrate on other international marketing opportunities.
Golf in Dubai
Before the United Arab Emirates plopped palm-shaped islands into the Persian Gulf, the desert country created lush, green Emirates Golf Club. It’s no mirage. Just ask Ernie Els and Tiger Woods, who both have won the PGA European Tour event there, appropriately called the Dubai Desert Classic.
Hockey in Florida
Oh, NHL, what have you done? The list of former Stanley Cup champions reads like a guide to gritty, cold-weather cities where rugged kids learn the sport on frozen ponds — Edmonton, Detroit, Pittsburgh. That no longer is the case. The past three Cup champions are Tampa Bay, Carolina and Anaheim.
