Tarpaulins

Given the amount of rain Malibu has had this season (and the fact that it has rained much of the afternoon and evening), it seems like a good time to discuss an often overlooked baseball topic: tarpaulins. Tarps are a required accessory for major league fields (except in the case of domed stadiums). Most high school and college fields, however, do not have tarps. Why not? Cost. Tarps large enough to cover a baseball infield start at $1500 (without a roller).

Here are a few baseball tarp facts:

• Abner Powell, the owner of a professional team in New Orleans, is credited with being the first to use a tarp to cover a baseball field. When? 1889.
• The Pittsburgh Pirates were the first major league team to use a tarp to cover the infield during a rain delay. It happened on May 6, 1906. (Let's be sure to mark the centennial of that event next season.)
• A dispute over when to roll out the tarp got groundskeeper Bill Butler ejected from a Class A South Atlantic League game on May 23, 2003. Butler, who works for the Lakewood (N.J.) BlueClaws, is believed to be the only groundskeeper ever ejected from a professional baseball game.

The forecast? More rain Thursday night, but clearing on Friday. No tarp will be needed in Malibu this weekend!