Game Day: Rain, Rain, Go Away

■ Based on the latest Weather Radar and the traffic cams from just west of Columbia, it's starting to look like there's a chance the rain and storms may arrive in Columbia and pass on through in time for baseball to be played this evening.

■ Utility player becoming leader for Missouri baseball team (Columbia Missourian)

Coach Tim Jamieson said his first impression of Nicholas was that he was very mature and knew what he wanted.

“He has a plan,” Jamieson said. “He has a vision. He wasn’t going to be able to accomplish it where he was, so he wasn’t afraid to go backwards a step to go where he wanted to go.”

Nicholas continues to make an impression with his support of his teammates, but Jamieson said the real statement he has made is with his bat. Nicholas has hit so well that Jamieson has made him the club’s cleanup hitter.

■ Baseball America has a scouting report on Brooks Pinckard, rhp/of, Baylor and two other Bears

He's got great stuff, great stuff. He's got kind of a little different arm action, but he came in and was 90-95 with a good, hard slider. It was 78 mph on the slider, and he threw it for strikes. For being a position player, a two-way guy that hasn't pitched a whole lot, I was pretty impressed with the way he pitched. His velocity dropped a little bit when he threw for a second day in a row, to like 88-91, but that was understandable and nothing to worry about for me.

■ And continuing with the theme of "or not", I will not be posting the Player of the Month poll like I have done in years past. The stat crunching takes too much time.