R-C Sports Notebook: Will there be more foggy football?

There are still two and a half weeks until the first official day of football practice at Douglas High School, but the memory of that fateful playoff game against McQueen High School last November undoubtedly remains fresh on the minds of the returning players.

I had the opportunity to watch a video of the highlights of that game recently and one couldn't help but notice that amazing cloud of fog that rolled in at the midpoint of the second half.

It was simply bizarre. The cloud dispersed almost instantly once the game was over and the players were off the field.

But that was nothing new.

In the last five years, unusual weather has become a big part of Douglas Tiger playoff lore.

In 2002, the Tigers' promising season ended in the first round of the playoffs as Galena snuck past Douglas while Keith "Duke" Roman Field was transformed into a literal mud pit. The Tigers had been 7-2 overall and 5-1 in league play up to that point.

It was that game in particular that many pointed to when the idea of installing artificial turf on the field was first presented.

The next year, considered the dream team of Carson Valley athletics, the Tigers rolled through 11 consecutive wins before a freak snow storm centralized directly over Minden dumped several inches of snow just before kickoff of the Northern 4A Regional championship game against Reno.

Reno exploded out of the gates and rolled to a surprising 34-14 win.

Many around the region have since said that had the game been played anywhere else that night, the win would have gone to Douglas.

And then there was last year.

The fog rolled in as Douglas had rallied late to close the score to 14-12 against McQueen.

At its thickest point, McQueen running back Styker Ngongseke broke free untouched for a 54-yard game-sealing touchdown for the longest play from scrimmage all season against the Tiger run defense.

At that point in the game, visibility was less than 10 yards. From the video I recently saw of the play, you can't even see the offensive backfield before Ngongseke broke free.

The question that has been on my mind lately is what if that's not the last we've seen of the fog?

Is it scientifically possible that the new field at Big George Ventures Sports Complex may create its own weather?

Stick with me on this one.

I was mulling it over with a friend the other day, and we got to wondering what actually causes fog like what we saw against McQueen.

I've since discovered a natural phenomenon called steam fog.

Also known as evaporation fog, it is considered the most localized form of fog and it is created by cold air passing over much warmer water, or moist land.

Now, I'm not saying the football field is a body of water, but I'll be very interested to see how this plays out once the football season reaches the colder months in the coming years.

One thing we have noticed about the field at Douglas is that it collects plenty of heat during the day.

On a warm day, it is a good 10 to 20 degrees hotter at field level than it is just several feet away. This is probably due to the several inches of recycled rubber pellets that act as padding dispersed among the artificial blades of grass.

This is nothing special, as many hundreds of pro football teams, colleges and high schools from around the country have installed this turf without incident.

It would seem the catch will be if moisture gets trapped within or near the surface, as it might with an elaborate drainage system installed several months before the turf was actually laid down at Douglas.

With the East Fork of the Carson River running just behind the field about 100 meters away at its closest point, its a fair bet that there will be a regular exchange of moisture covering the field during the autumn.

But the heat and the moisture will be just two of the needed parts.

It's once the cold air rolls in that we, in my rough theory, will begin to see similar events to the McQueen cloud.

Because cold air is more dense than warm air, in calm weather cold air will pool at ground level. If there is a surplus of warm moisture at field level coupled with the body heat of the several hundred players and thousands of spectators, it stands to reason that we'll again see fog.

Of course, it would take a very specific type of day, with a strong dose of dew, snow or rain in the morning, clear sunny skies during the afternoon and chilling temperatures once the sun disappears for the night. But that's nothing atypical for Carson Valley.

With time, this is something that could simply become part of the Tiger mystique.

Supposing that the fog indeed became a regular visitor on October and November nights, Douglas would get experience playing in those conditions and be able to use the situation to its advantage.

Only the opposing teams would have to make the adjustment, whereas last November both McQueen and Douglas had to adjust on the fly.

It's the same reason the Green Bay Packers used to excel on the frozen tundra at Lambeau Field before the underground heating and drainage system was redone.

We're talking about a character that could play a strong supporting role in the future chapters of Northern Nevada high school football, if it ever shows its face again.

Now all we need is a catchy nickname.

Shawn Estes had a strong start last week, boosting his hopes of returning to the big leagues this year.

The 1991 Douglas High graduate made his fifth appearance on Friday in the minor leagues in the last month in his comeback attempt, making an impressive start for the Padres' California League Class A team, the Lake Elsinore Storm.

The 34-year-old Estes threw four shutout innings, striking out four, allowing three hits and walking none over four innings. He was slated to throw between 55 and 60 pitches.

Where Estes makes his next appearance is unclear, but it could be higher up in the Padres organization. Before Friday, Estes made four appearances with the Padres Rookie League team in Arizona, allowing three runs and striking out 10 over seven innings.

The left-handed pitcher is coming off reconstructive surgery to his left elbow in June, 2006 and last made a Major League start on April 6 of that year for the Padres.

Yet another riddle, adapted from Dom Forker's Baseball Puzzlers:

Suppose it is the bottom of the last inning with the score tied and one runner on base with no one out.

Douglas attempts a hit-and-run play and the batter smacks the ball to the right side of the infield.

The runner's helmet came off as he bolted for second base and the ball actually caroms off the runner's helmet on the ground and rolls down the right-field line.

The now hatless runner rounds the bases and scores the apparent winning run while the second baseman hopelessly chases after the errant ball.

Does it count?

See below for the answer.

Raphael Matos and James Hinchliffe, Sierra Sierra Enterprises. The two drivers for Minden's open wheel racing team had a banner weekend at the Streets of Edmonton Grand Prix. Matos won both races of the doubleheader and Hinchcliffe took third in the first race and claimed pole position during qualifying.

Yes. A batted ball that accidentally strikes a helmet remains in play. The umpire must view the play as if the ball never hit the helmet.