Series Shifts From Miami To Mittens Indians, Marlins Square Off In Chilly Game 3

Jim Leyland saw the foreboding sky and heard the grim forecast. A frost warning for Monday night, snow flurries later this week.

The World Series weather concerned the Florida Marlins manager. Not so much, however, for the way it might aggravate Bobby Bonilla’s hamstring or affect Al Leiter’s grip.

“I’m more worried about the cold for my mom more than I am the players,” Leyland said at an off-day workout. “But I’m not going to buy her a fur coat today, I can tell you that.”

Suffice to say, Leyland’s 85-year-old mother, Veronica, could use one when she attends Game 3 tonight. Temperatures may drop into the upper 30s by the end of the evening, and it might be even frostier on Wednesday.

In fact, these could become the first World Series games with snow since the 1979 opener in Baltimore between Pittsburgh and the Orioles.

Florida and the Cleveland Indians, tied 1-1, both got a feel for what may come during Monday’s practices, held in blustery, 50-degree conditions.

The Marlins traded in the T-shirts and shorts they wore while taking batting practice in the 77-degree heat before Game 2 for heavy pullovers, as did the Indians.

Players on both teams wore gloves - not the kind made by Rawlings, either - while standing on the sidelines.

Not that anyone was complaining. At least, not yet.

“I found that this kind of weather is kind of a mind over matter,” Indians manager Mike Hargrove said. “If you don’t mind, it really doesn’t matter.”

Marlins second baseman Craig Counsell, a Notre Dame alum, said he was actually looking forward to having an October chill in the air.

“I grew up in Milwaukee, I went to school in South Bend, so this is outstanding weather,” he said. “I can’t wait to go out and play in it, to be honest with you.

“To me growing up, this is always what the World Series was played in, weather like this,” he said. “It’s the World Series, I don’t care what the weather is going to be like. It’s not going to be a factor from my standpoint. You’ve got to deal with it. If you let it affect you, you’re crazy.”

No doubt, it won’t bother the Jacobs Field crowd too much. Remember, some of these fans are the same ones who stood bare-chested in the Dawg Pound when the old Browns played in December.

“Hitting a baseball in cold weather is not a lot of fun,” he said. “If you don’t hit it just right, it hurts.”

Charles Nagy, who will start for the Indians against Leiter, did not sound disturbed.

“I don’t mind it so much,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do about it, you can’t change the conditions.

“I’ve pitched in cold weather before, but nothing can really prepare you to go out there,” he said. “It’s going to be cold.”

Agreed Leiter: “The biggest problem with the cold is the slick feeling on the ball. The balls become like cue balls.”

And in the end, it’s the same for both sides. Even though Cleveland and Miami have different climates, it’s been a while since either team felt anything close to what’s in the forecast.

“I really believe that we haven’t played in any colder weather, really, than the Marlins have the last couple of months,” Hargrove said. “This is the first time that we’ve run into cold weather since April, so I don’t see it being an advantage or disadvantage for anybody.”

Back in April, the Marlins dealt with sub-freezing conditions when they visited Chicago. Leyland said he could tell his team was preparing for a similar situation in Cleveland.

“I saw a lot of coats on the plane,” Leyland said. “I’ll tell you one thing, I’ve always been straightforward with my players. It’s pretty hard to tell your players, like that day in Wrigley Field, that it wasn’t cold. I mean, I didn’t go out there with short sleeves myself.

“It’s cold, so what?” he said. “They know it’s cold, I know it’s cold, the other dugouts know it’s cold. That’s part of the game this time of year.”