It was a dark and stormy night ...

We're in the 46th minute of a rain delay at Great American Ball Park. From what we hear, it's been a stormy evening throughout the Tri-State area.

It began to hail while we were sitting in the Pittsburgh dugout earlier in the night. When the civil defense sirens began to wail, some of the Pirates players - who obviously weren't raised in the midwest - asked what that meant.

Free-spirited outfielder Craig Wilson perked up when he heard the sirens meant the conditions were ripe for a tornado to develop in the area. Other Pirates players seemed less amused.

Frankly, as it approaches 8 p.m., many of us in the press box aren't sensing the comedic value of our situation either.