Rain, rain, go away … Mother Nature rains on Cardinals' parade
Notes from
Nick

SMU baseball coach Nick Whaley is writing a daily postcard, giving fans a closer look at the Cardinals' spring trip to Tampa, Fla.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As we sit in our hotel rooms, waiting for the sun to come out and the fields to dry, we are grateful for the NCAA basketball tournament and March Madness.

Clearly the guys are disappointed, but all was not lost. We were able to take the practice field and get in some BP before the rains came again. It was beneficial for our outfielders to read the ball off the bat against a cloudy sky. We also had enough time to complete our dynamic warm-up routine and play catch.

As the weather improves throughout the day, we are holding out hope that the tournament director will find us a field and we can get in a nine-inning contest under the lights. Because we are here for a short period of time, the director will do everything within his power to get us games.

Thankfully, next spring we will get a full week off during spring break, because Easter is early in 2008.

Fortunately for us, the school is investigating the possibility of a permanent schedule change with a consistent March break. This would greatly benefit spring sports and make losing games like today less painful.

In order to make the most of our time in Florida, we are going to hit the parking lot to complete our daily defensive drills and some dry pitching mechanics. We will not allow a little rain to dampen our spirits or prevent us from making progress on this trip.