(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
 First exhibition baseball-games cancelled
Nederlands
  AMSTERDAM / ROTTERDAM (Neth.) -
Coming Sunday (March 4), the exhibition baseball-season was to open with two games on the schedule.
However, both games were cancelled earlier this week due to the extreme cold weather conditions that hit the country the past few days.
Also, when weather conditions would have been favorable, it would have been questionable whether or not the games were played, as at both sites, work is currently done at the fields.
Last Wednesday, it was the coldest February 28 in history since weather measurements were first officially recorded in 1901.
At De Bilt, where the temperatures are officially recorded, it was minus 4,6 degrees Celsius (23,7 Fahrenheit).
It not only was the coldest day since February 2012, it also broke the old record of minus 1,6 degrees (29 Fahrenheit), which was recorded in 1904!
...Galileo Galilei...
(painted by Justus Sustermans, ca. 1636) |
There is only one day in Dutch weather-history this late in the Winter (November-April), that was colder.
That was March 6, 1942 when a temperature of minus 4,8 degrees (23,4 Fahrenheit) was recorded.
Here, some more weather history.
In 1593, legendary and famous Italian astronomer, physician and mathematician Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) invented the thermoscope, which is the predecessor of the thermometer.
With that, Galileo recorded the first weather measurements.
At De Bilt, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), founded in January 1854, records temperatures since 1901.
However, measurements are recorded consecutively in the Netherlands since 1705 when weatherman, cartographer and astronomer Nicolaus Samuelis Cruquius (1678-1754) started doing so in the city of Delft.
Before that, Nicolaes Janszoon van Wassenaar (ca. 1570-ca. 1630), a doctor from Amsterdam, already performed some weather measurements between 1622 and 1630.
That was also done between 1627 and 1637 by Isaac Beeckman (1588-1637), who was one of the first to have a weather station in Dordrecht.
Unfortunately, their measurement have been lost.
For the record, near Hoofddorp (the site of baseball- and softball-club Hoofddorp Pioniers), there is a small village with the name of Cruquius.
The village is named after the steam pumping station (and now museum) De Cruquius, which in its turn was named after the above mentioned Nicolaus Cruquius, who was born as Nicolaas Kruik on the island of Vlieland.
Kruik later latinized his name to Cruquius.
The pumping station houses the largest steam engine in the world.
By the way, in September Hoofddorp is the site of the inaugural Super Six baseball- and softball-tournament of WBSC Europe.
From the history of the weather, back to baseball.
Reigning Dutch champion Curaçao Neptunus and vice-champion L&D Amsterdam Pirates were scheduled to open the exhibition-season coming Sunday at their home-site in respectively Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Both teams were to play against their second teams, which both play in the second hightest league ('Overgangsklasse').
Weather permitting, two games will be played on both Saturday and Sunday the following week (March 10-11).
On those days, four of the eight big league-teams have games scheduled.
Quick Amersfoort and Silicon Storks, who both will make their comeback at the highest level this year, then will get into action.
Quick Amersfoort plays two games against Amsterdam Pirates and Storks meets Neptunus twice.
HCAW was to play two games against its second team, but they already have been cancelled.
The regular season opens on Thursday, April 26.
(March 2)
Complete Exhibition & Regular Season Schedule
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