Top 10 Things to Do In a Baseball Rain Delay

Are the Yankees going to play their Opening Day game, at the new Yankee Stadium against the Detroit Tigers, in 3 hours, as scheduled? I don't know, it's drizzling here in Central Jersey, 42 miles from The Stadium.

We may have a delay. Of a few minutes, a few hours, of an entire day. Tomorrow's weather report isn't looking too good, either.

Top 10 Things to Do In a Baseball Rain Delay

10. Call Your Mother. My mother would insist that I put this one on the list. But it's my list, so it goes at the bottom -- or is that the top?

9. Get a Snack. If you were already at the ballpark, or watching the game on television at a bar, this shouldn't be too hard.

8. Read a Newspaper. Read the game's best chroniclers, and catch up on the latest baseball gossip. Actually, if you want the latest...

7. Go On the Internet. Baseball message boards can exercise your mind -- if not always your wit.

6. Watch Another Game. In this era of satellite television, if one game is being delayed, or has been called off, there's almost certainly another one going on. As Jimmy Buffett would say if he's a baseball fan, "It's gametime somewhere." Your game delayed? Change the channel!

5. Read a Book. Preferably a baseball book. At the end of every chapter, check to see if play has resumed.

4. Tell Old Baseball Stories. The taller the tale, the better. If you're watching on TV, you might get this from the broadcasters. The beloved broadcasters who used to be players tended to be masters at this: Phil Rizzuto and Ralph Kiner in New York, Richie Ashburn in Philadelphia, Herb Score in Cleveland, George Kell in Detroit, Ron Santo and Jimmy Piersall in Chicago, Mike Shannon in St. Louis, Jerry Coleman in San Diego.

3. Play Baseball Highlights On Your DVD or VCR. Of course, you can only do this if the delayed game you were watching is on TV. If you're watching the Yankees on the YES Network, they will most likely show a Yankeeography.

2. Watch a Baseball Movie On Your DVD or VCR. Again, you can only do this if you were already at home, watching on TV. But in most cases, you'll pick one with, at least for a team you like, a happy ending -- a luxury you are not guaranteed for the actual game.

1. ... Well, this particular blog post is rated PG. You're going to have to use your imagination. But a woman who loves baseball? Her price is above A-Rod's.