ping pong table: TODD JONES: Rain delays don't wash options away

Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes during rain delays? It depends on when the rain starts.

The best of the worst-case scenario is when rain delays a game that hasn't started. This one is easy. The only guy who has a bad time is the starting pitcher. He's antsy, he paces.

If the game is delayed at the start, the home team's general manager decides whether to call off the game. A lot goes into his decision. Is a big crowd expected? You hate to say that, but we're in the entertainment business.

For most clubs, a sellout means making about $1 million on tickets, food and parking. So it's not easy to just bag the game and play a doubleheader the next time the team comes back to our park. Another factor is the weather forecast for the next few days. If bad weather is coming, the GM might try to play a game that he normally would postpone.

If we are in a rain delay with a team outside of our division, then you beg, borrow and steal to get that game in. With the unbalanced schedule, it might be the only trip that team makes to our park all season. Very few rainouts are never made up, so the team might have to come back and play us on an open date.

In 2004, the Marlins had about five games rained out in the last month of the season. They had to play the Expos at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field on one of their off days. That is the worst.

If the rain delay comes once the game has started, the decision on whether to continue belongs to the umpires. The crew chief is now the boss. It's up to him and him alone to decide when the field is unsafe to play. Yes, we all want to play every game. But no one wants to see anybody get hurt.

Passing the time in the clubhouse

Different paths have evolved for how players kill time during rain delays. The clubhouses in the major leagues are like your living rooms nowadays. In the Tigers' home clubhouse, there are about 15 to 20 televisions. There's video to watch of the opposing team. There's a great food room.

But be careful.

If you think the game is rained out and you eat a lot, and then the game resumes, you could have real problem.

The clubhouse has couches, saunas, Xboxes, you name it. If you have to kill time, this is the place to do it.

In Cleveland, the clubhouse has a Ping Pong table. During a rain delay, Ping Pong is where it's at. Guys who play it never need to stretch or prepare when the game is back on. I've seen guys come out of the Ping Pong room in a full sweat. Ping Pong is just as good as hitting off the batting tee.

Tigers reliever Todd Jones writes every week in The Mitt. Contact him at tigers@freepress.com.