CHICAGO SPORTS WEATHER
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BASEBALL AND WEATHER

Tips & Strategies for Coaches and Players
You've trained hard. You've perfected your skills. You know you are prepared to play baseball, but are you prepared to play your best in challenging weather.

Weather can affect the performance of individual players and the strategic decisions of coaches. For optimal results coaches and players should be aware of forecasts and how weather conditions affect baseball player physiology, sports performance and safety.


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There are three main concerns of weather: Safety, Performance and Comfort.

Safety because lightning can cause death or serious injury. Safety because heat stress and dehydration can cause illness, weakness that results in impaired biomechanics and injury, or even heat stroke and death.

Performance because wind, sun, moisture, heat, and humidity can wreak havoc on baseball aerodynamics, playing field friction, baseball players senses and judgment, and player performance (speed, power, acceleration and stamina).

Comfort because extreme temperature and sun can cause discomfort, such as headaches from staring into sunlight, sweating with wet, heavy clothing, chills, stinging hands during batting in cold weather, and tight, cold muscles. A superior athlete can tough out unfavorable weather conditions, but that doesn't mean preparation isn't necessary to alleviate conditions that challenge optimal performance.



Weather Conditions & Strategies
SAFETY: Lightning
Thunderstorms are somewhat random because they don't always follow the same direction or speed and they can develop rapidly in proximity without much warning of a prolonged approach. Therefore absolute protection from lightning strikes is impossible, but lightning safety guidelines can greatly reduce the risk of injury or death from lightning. Individuals must take full responsibility for their own safety and adults must take responsibility for the safety of children. In June 2002, Daniel Rice, a little league coach was struck by lightning and severely injured while he checked the playing conditions of the baseball field at Cooper Middle School in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. He died two days later in the hospital. Two baseball teams had been waiting for more than an hour to see if storms would pass and their game could begin.

Anytime you are at a playing field, identity safe and not so safe locations for protection during a lightning storm. Keep in mind that no place outdoors or near outdoors is absolutely safe from lightning.

Large enclosed structures like a school building tend to be safer than smaller open structures like a dugout.

In general, fully enclosed metal vehicles, such as cars, trucks, buses, and vans with the windows rolled up provide good shelter from lightning.

While inside a vehicle or a building structure, avoid contact with any metal or conducting materials or surfaces. Be especially careful of outdoor structures (like a metal backstop, telephone pole or a tree) that are highly susceptible to lighting strikes that might have some conduction path (even a wet clothesline or telephone line) to a seemingly safe building or vehicle.

AVOID the following outdoor locations:
High places and open fields, isolated trees, baseball dugouts, unprotected gazebos, open concession stands, rain or picnic shelters, communications towers, flagpoles, light poles, bleachers (metal or wood), metal fences, convertibles, golf carts, open water (oceans, lakes, swimming pools, rivers and ponds).

Also when outdoors, do not use a cell phone or other electronic device, such as an iPod or other MP3 player, which might not attract a lightning strike, but may cause more trauma and burns to the face and head if there is a lightning strike on or near a person.

When inside a building, avoid use of a land line telephone, taking a shower or bath, washing your hands, doing dishes or any contact with outside exposures such as a metal door, window frame, electrical wiring, telephone wiring, cable TV wiring, clothesline, or plumbing.

Guidelines for Storm Conditions
If you can see lightning or hear thunder there is some degree of risk. Obviously, the closer the storm, the higher the risk -- as indicated by increased intensity of light, visible lightning stroke, louder thunder and smaller time interval between lightning and thunder. If the time delay between a flash or stroke of lightning and thunder is less than 30 seconds, individuals should seek safer locations. Keep in mind that fatal lightning strikes can occur during the approach of the storm, the middle of the storm, and immediately after the storm. Rarely, passing storms can send a "bolt out of the blue" with a surprising strike that can be fatal while blue skies are overhead.

Don't hesitate to use a NOAA weather radio, lightning detection system, or a cell phone service (my-cast.com) that provides a weather radar image, lightning strike maps and specific weather warnings. However, don't let technological services override real time observed conditions and common sense. Individuals should also be aware if a tornado watch or warning has been issued with the approaching thunderstorm. While enclosed vehicles are relatively safe for lightning storms, vehicles are dangerous in tornadoes. Individuals must seek protection, preferably in a basement during a tornado.

Coaches should have an action plan for their baseball team for storm situations with players aware of safer locations and a procedure for head count protocol as part of the plan.

If You're Caught: Posture for An Imminent Lightning Strike
Being struck by lightning is not an option, but there are last resorts to take if you are caught in the open and you have that "Uh Oh" feeling that you are about to experience a lightning strike. Some people report feeling their hair stand on end from a build up of static charge prior to the lightning discharge. The leader or upward stroke may also be heard as a sort of crackling noise very close. Also, some people report a slightly acrid ozone-like odor from inhaling ionized or charged air that occurs in the area of the lightning strike. If you have that gut-wrenching, heart-sinking feeling you are about to be struck, DO NOT fall to the ground with outstretched arms. If lightning strikes some elevated part of your body -- say your head or shoulder -- you don't want a major portion of the current going to the ground across your chest via outstretched arms with hands touching the ground. You want to minimize the chance of grounding out the current across the chest where the heart beat is more likely to be interrupted and possibly cause cardiac arrest. You also don't want to be laying on the ground, because Ground Current Effect spreads the electric energy across the surface of the earth from a nearby lightning strike. Ground Current Effect causes about half of the reported injuries from lightning strikes. Direct lightning strikes account for 5 percent or less of lightning injuries.

The following posture is recommended to minimize trauma from a lightning strike:

Remove any headphones or earbuds that you might have in your ears and cover your hands over your ears to help reduce the chance of ruptured ear drums from the immediately close and extremely loud thunder that accompanies a lightning strike. Hand covering over the ears might also prevent the charge from entering the ears and damaging the ear canals, nervous system and brain.

Close your eyes to help prevent seeing the intense light in such close proximity and to prevent burns to open eyes or damage to the nervous system and brain via the eyes.

Crouch with your feet on the ground (some recommend to tiptoe on the balls of the feet, but that could be difficult for people with poor balance).

Injuries from lightning include superficial burns, severe burns, broken jaw, dislocated jaw, skull fracture, trauma from being thrown during muscular contractions, barotrauma (e.g., ruptured ear drums), eye injury, neurologic damage, respiratory arrest and cardiac arrest.

People should not huddle together in imminent strike situations. If someone is struck by lightning, the victims are not energized, and CPR should be performed if necessary.

SAFETY: Heat Stress and Heat Illness
Even slight fluid loss can impair performance and excessive fluid loss can increase the risk of heat injury from headache, to heat exhaustion to heat stroke. Individuals respond differently to heat load, which comes from air temperature, direct sunlight, humidity and ground temperature. Individual physiology and behavior causes different sweat rates, different metabolism, different nutritional status, different body weights and body composition status (lean: fat ratio) -- all of these factors affect an individual's ability to tolerate heat.
Acclimation is the body's adaptation to heat stress over a period of days or weeks. Chicago weather can often jump from the 50's to the upper 80's with high humidity. This gives athletes little time to become heat acclimated, so fluid replacement and heat precautions are important. Also during an entire baseball season in Chicago, playing field temperatures can range from the 30's to over 100°F.

Clothing material and color are important considerations and are as variable as the weather conditions we experience. A baseball player might call on clothes to do the following: Divert water, repel water, shed wind, wick away moisture (usually sweat or water that's accidentally gotten through to inner layers), keep warm, absorb light energy and convert to heat or keep cool by reflecting light energy or holding just enough moisture to enhance evaporative cooling. Light colored clothing, such as white, light blue, yellow tend to reflect light and heat, while black, brown, navy blue colors tend to absorb heat and light. While the outer environment changes with changing weather, the athlete's inner environment changes with changing levels of exertion, level of fitness, body mass index and internal insulation (bodyfat percentage). In other words, there are too many variables to give a magic formula. Inner layer clothing, such as name brand Under Armour are made of excellent materials that help keep athletes dry by wicking away moisture and preventing that heavy water-logged clothing feeling, which can also chill and athlete. Changing conditions such as the sunlight being obstructed and unobstructed by clouds and cause sweat and then chilling of athletes. Modern clothing materials, especially the inner layer, help prevent unwanted conditions. The modern clothing materials can also help prevent excessive fluid loss via sweating.

Optimal fluid consumption is conducted by following a schedule, not by depending on thirst. If a baseball player is thirsty, fluid loss may have already impaired performance. Fluids with carbohydrates help players during later innings by maintaining higher fuel available in the muscles, liver and bloodstream.

It is important to drink about 16-32 ounces of water or Gatorade about 60 to 90 minutes before practice or games.

Drink another 8 to 16 ounces of water or Gatorade within 30 minutes of practice or games.

Drink cold water or Gatorade regularly during practice and in the dugout between innings or while your team is at bat. Be careful not to drink too much all at once so you are not sloshing in your stomach and slowing down your running.

It is also important that you get to know your body and learn how it responds best to different fluids, including protein drinks, carbohydrate drinks such as Gatorade, and water. Players with different carbohydrate and insulin sensitivity may respond better to a specific drink with less or more carbohydrate or less or more protein in the drink. Some individuals maintain a more stable blood glucose level with protein ingestion during prolonged athletic activities. An athlete can determine the best drink by judging their level of alertness during practice -- comparing different fluid replacements. Avoid soft drinks. Use fruit juices and energy drinks with extreme care. Sports drinks with added carbohydrates and electrolytes are best for most people. Keep in mind that thick drinks with low water ratio are not good under any circumstances in a heat stress environment. Water rehydration takes priority in these situations. Take care not to overhydrate because this can dilute the body's electrolytes and cause irregular heart rhythm and even cardiac arrest.

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Performance for Players and Coaches
Wind Direction and Speed
Take note of the playing field orientation and the weather forecast wind direction. Outfielders can prepare for playing deep or shallow depending on the batter and the wind direction and strength. Infielders and catchers should pre-plan their potential flyball-chasing paths and beware of coaches boxes, on-deck circles and bleachers and be prepared for pop-ups that might drift toward the bleachers.



Batters might adjust their swings depending upon wind speed and wind direction. When the wind is blowing in, a hitter doesn't want much upward trajectory on the ball because the wind will lift the ball and shorten the horizontal distance. For you mathematicians, that's less 'x' and more 'y.' Line drives fare better against the wind because they will carry further compared to fly balls. If the wind is blowing out, a hitter can try to hit a more upward trajectory because the outward wind will help carry the ball further. So weather can be an important factor in the batter's decision on how to hit the ball.

Playing Surface
Moisture and grass length can slow down ground balls dramatically. Defensive players must be prepared to sprint extra hard to charge the ball to have time to make plays on base runners.

Wet grass can also make it more difficult for outfielders to make effective throws of a wet, slippery ball. Keep in mind that night games can bring dew on the ground, especially in spring games and late summer and fall games.


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Sun Position
The baseball season is long from March to October. The sun rises and sets more in the north during summer games and more likely due east and due west during spring and fall games. Early morning games and evening games during sunset can give baseball players an extra challenge being blinded by direct sunlight. Mid-day hours the sun is highest in the sky -- mid-summer it is over 70 degrees high in the sky (altitude) at about 12:47 p.m. and most likely to cause a fly ball to be lost in the sun. Players should be mentally prepared for keeping an eye on the ball in the sun and also be prepared with eyewear for different sunlight angles compared to different field home plate orientations. Even the best players will lose the ball in the sun, but they are talented at guessing the trajectory of the ball and re-acquiring the path of the ball. Players should also be prepared for shadows and contrast which can fool the senses. Older players may have more difficulty with changes in lighting on the playing field as older eyes do not accommodate as rapidly to different light intensities.

Air Temperature
Warm air is less dense than cold air, which allows the baseball to travel slightly faster. Less dense air also means less drag, so curve balls have less curve and sinkers will have less sink in warm weather. Curve balls work better, sinkers work better and knuckleballs have more junk on cold nights.

Batted ball trajectory is the height, angle and distance of the batted baseball. Because of the hot and humid effect of fatigue on muscles and breathing, we say the air is heavy; but the air is actually slightly less dense when the air temperature and humidity is higher. That's because the molecular weight of water is less than the average molecular weight of the relatively constant mixture of the other gases of dry air (nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and other trace gases). Hotter air also means the molecules have more space between them. Therefore, baseballs carry slightly further in humid air than in dry air. Temperature has a greater effect on air density than humidity. Hotter air with the spread out molecules is less dense, so the ball carries further in hot air. So the ideal weather for the cleanup position is hot and humid with the wind blowing out.

Cold temperature definitely causes bat sting when player grips are not tight enough and when the ball is not hit solidly by the bat. Cold air can also increase the need to keep muscles warmed up, especially among pitchers. All defensive players throw, which is a high-velocity stress to muscles and joints. Throwing cold increases the risk of injury to joints and muscles. Especially in cold weather, players should use elastic tubing (e.g. SPRI exertube/red medium resistance) to keep shoulder rotator cuff muscles and arm muscles warm with internal and external should rotation exercises and elbow flexion and extension exercises. The tubing can be attached to a fence or other fixed object and the exercises should be performed while at bat players are in the dugout. Defensive players who are not on the playing field should also keep themselves ready with light resistance exercises with the elastic tubing. Legs and core muscles should be warmed up with sideline jogs and sprints and hamstring and calf stretches.

Weather and Joints
BAROMETRIC CHANGE AND COOLER TEMPERATURES DO AFFECT JOINT PAIN
You've probably heard people say that certain weather brings out old "war" or "sports" injuries. Extra care for muscle and joint warm-ups are recommended in weather with dropping barometric pressure and dropping temperatures.

By merging data collected from an Online Glucosamine Trial (a large scale study of an over-the-counter arthritis treatment) with NOAA data, researchers were able to compare the influence of changes in barometric pressure and surrounding air temperature on patients with knee arthritis.