How cold is too cold?
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mid to lower 40's is too cold......although its regularly done.....improper warm up times for pitchers being the crucial issue......
Yesterday stated with frost on the ground got to the park for batting practice at 9 am and it ended up being a tremendous baseball day about 40 but no wind or snow.
My kids played ball in SE PA. What occurs may be more of what is necessary than what is preferred. I don't like to see baseball played under 50 degrees. But given there are less than three months from game one to state finals some bad weather has to be overlooked.
I remember watching high school games where the temperature was in the low 40's, but the wind chill was in the upper 20's. My kids played under some terrible conditions. A lot of the high school fields were in wide open, windy areas.
I played high school ball in New England. One time I stepped out the batters box to tell the umpire I was having trouble distinguishing the ball from the snow flakes. The temperature had dropped twenty degrees from the start of the game.
I remember playing college games at UMaine where there were snowbanks around the field. UVM wasn't much more pleasant in the spring. The coldest I've ever played in was an April game at Harvard. Their wide open complex is right off a river the wind shoots down.
Someone posted an article here last year showing UMaine-Presque Isle had to play all away games due to weather.
I remember watching high school games where the temperature was in the low 40's, but the wind chill was in the upper 20's. My kids played under some terrible conditions. A lot of the high school fields were in wide open, windy areas.
I played high school ball in New England. One time I stepped out the batters box to tell the umpire I was having trouble distinguishing the ball from the snow flakes. The temperature had dropped twenty degrees from the start of the game.
I remember playing college games at UMaine where there were snowbanks around the field. UVM wasn't much more pleasant in the spring. The coldest I've ever played in was an April game at Harvard. Their wide open complex is right off a river the wind shoots down.
Someone posted an article here last year showing UMaine-Presque Isle had to play all away games due to weather.
In the NW, we play in just about any weather except heavy rain (and if we have a turf field, maybe even then). We played earlier this year in light snow.
Your lower end choice isn't quite low enough for us.
Your lower end choice isn't quite low enough for us.
Lower.
I would have no problem holding practice at 40 degrees. Dress properly and it shouldn't bee an issue. You can always go over bunt coverages, base running, run down drills, etc.
I go to school in upstate New York. Can't tell you how many sprints I've ran in a driving snowstorm. These temperatures aren't nearly cold enough to stop us from getting outside.
Lower, especially in early spring!
We played a game in 18-20 degree temps in Illinois.
Regularly practice in just below freezing temperatures.
Regularly practice in just below freezing temperatures.
OK, I guess it's time to stop coddling my players. Outside we go!
y'all talking about 
?
We've played many games in 40's here in MN. Snow flurries, strong wind, fans in heavy coats are not uncommon during HS season.......summers are great!
With underarmor type garments and proper warm up, I have no problems with it being under 40 and playing outside. It does get a bit ridiculous with frozen ground. Field turf fields help a lot and you better have batting gloves. Welcome to NE baseball...
It's 46 and sunny today. Let's play two and have a picnic between games.
Son made his first Spring start two years ago here in Tampa , temp at first pitch was 28 . For a Florida boy that is cold .
There were times in the spring we wished the weather would bump up to football weather.
To me its more about the wind than the temperature. 50, cloudy with 20-25 wind is much worse than 40 sunny and no wind.
quote:Originally posted by Coach Bob:
OK, I guess it's time to stop coddling my players. Outside we go!
Where in MI do you coach, Coach Bob?
quote:Originally posted by Who's on First?:quote:Originally posted by Coach Bob:
OK, I guess it's time to stop coddling my players. Outside we go!
Where in MI do you coach, Coach Bob?
Suburb of Detroit
Which one? I grew up and played in Berkley.
Last year my son's team drove an hour on a bus to play a scrimmage in sub40 degree weather with the wind howling. I was one of two parents who made the trip and it was awful. The kids seemed unphased.
The first summer we moved to Connecticut from Houston my son was at a game where it was 80 degrees. The coach told the kids who weren't in the game to sit in the shade. At 80 degrees? My son couldn't understand what he was talking about. He hadn't played in weather as cool as 80 since March.
Either way, you get used to it. My son will tell you he prefers being cold early in the season then comfortable throughout the summer, but I know others would take a different view.
Summer baseball is spectacular around here.
The first summer we moved to Connecticut from Houston my son was at a game where it was 80 degrees. The coach told the kids who weren't in the game to sit in the shade. At 80 degrees? My son couldn't understand what he was talking about. He hadn't played in weather as cool as 80 since March.
Either way, you get used to it. My son will tell you he prefers being cold early in the season then comfortable throughout the summer, but I know others would take a different view.
Summer baseball is spectacular around here.
@ Who's on First, my team is out of Novi, but we have kids from up and down the 275 corridor.
@ Everyone else who commented: the VERDICT....
So thanks to your persuasion we didn't cancel or postpone due to weather last night.
Location: Commerce Twp, Michigan (NW Suburb of Detroit)
Game time temp: 42
Wind: 15-25 MPH
Skys: Mostly cloudy
Precip: Heavy Sleet for most of 1st inning
Reminder, I coach 12u travel...some of the boys were loving it (the ones wearing long underwear) and some were not.
The funniest moment was when they were all whining about cold hands. I may have crossed a line when I showed them where to put their hands that was the warmest spot on their bodies (front waistband).
I got a few, "ewwww's" and a couple of boys that might have enjoyed that too much....like I said 12u's.
Game result: 22-4 scrimmage win, a great amount of batting practice, and 5 different pitchers throwing a very good inning a piece.
Hopefully, that is the last cold one, but I doubt it...thanks to all for the peer pressure gained intestinal fortitude our team gained from the experience.
@ Everyone else who commented: the VERDICT....
So thanks to your persuasion we didn't cancel or postpone due to weather last night.
Location: Commerce Twp, Michigan (NW Suburb of Detroit)
Game time temp: 42
Wind: 15-25 MPH
Skys: Mostly cloudy
Precip: Heavy Sleet for most of 1st inning
Reminder, I coach 12u travel...some of the boys were loving it (the ones wearing long underwear) and some were not.
The funniest moment was when they were all whining about cold hands. I may have crossed a line when I showed them where to put their hands that was the warmest spot on their bodies (front waistband).
I got a few, "ewwww's" and a couple of boys that might have enjoyed that too much....like I said 12u's.
Game result: 22-4 scrimmage win, a great amount of batting practice, and 5 different pitchers throwing a very good inning a piece.
Hopefully, that is the last cold one, but I doubt it...thanks to all for the peer pressure gained intestinal fortitude our team gained from the experience.