Nature's verdict

 Well, let's face it. 'Twas an odd idea to begin with.

A major-league baseball game at a NASCAR race track? Who thinks up these things, anyway, and why does he or she still have a job?

Because, listen, NASCAR and baseball have at least as little in common as the London Symphony Orchestra and your burnout neighbor kid's garage band, but never mind that. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, possibly high on some energy drink/essential oil hybrid, said, "Imma do it anyway." And behold it came to pass.

 Behold, Saturday night rolled around, and here were your Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves, showing up to play a game on a baseball diamond laid out, somehow, in the infield of Bristol Motor Speedway in eastern Tennessee. Johnny Bench, representing the Reds, and Chipper Jones, representing the Braves, threw out the first pitch. Then NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott threw out other first pitches.

Then God or Noah or someone said, "Nah."

Dialed up a biblical deluge, someone did, and a mess ensued. Bats slipped out of players' hands. Puddles formed on the makeshift playing surface. The Field of Gearhead Dreams, or however it was styled, quickly became a potential Field of Bream, suitable only for casting and reeling. Why, just look at that big'un hiding out there behind second base!

At any rate, after one inning, MLB gave up the ghost. Suspended the game until this afternoon, when they're hoping for better weather.

By that time the fans in attendance had already sat in the rain for 2 1/2 hours, waiting out a delay that happened before the first pitch was even thrown, and then a second delay. 

In the meantime, MLB tried to make it an Event. There were food trucks and a Ferris wheel and batting cages and live music. Tim McGraw and Pitbull performed. The players rode around Bristol's notorious oval in the back of pickup trucks with their uniform numbers on them. For about half a minute it didn't seem weird at all, playing a baseball game in the infield of a racetrack.

Just guessing here, but they likely picked Bristol not only because it would be an MLB game in a state that doesn't have major-league baseball, but also because it's one of the few NASCAR venues where the fans sit right on top of the racetrack. And even at that, visual evidence seemed to show a fair amount of the seating was ridiculously far away from the infield diamond.

But, hey. It was new, it was different, and, even if nature seemed to render a thumbs-down verdict yesterday, maybe today they'll play a major-league baseball game at Bristol Motor Speedway. And Rob Manfred -- baked to the gills this time on Jolt Cola and deep-fried Double Stuf Oreos -- will be on to his next curious notion.

How about an MLB game in the infield at Churchill Downs? Or on Centre Court at Wimbledon? Or somewhere on the grounds of Augusta National?

Pete Crow-Armstrong patrolling Amen Corner. Paul Skenes throwing BBs from the 13th green. Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani swatting balls into the azaelas.

Ground-rule double if they land there on the bounce. Home run on the fly.

And free ambulance service for all those fossilized coots in their green member jackets, who surely would be stroking out at such blatant sacrilege.

Whatta you say, Rob?