Noted weather dork Mike Trout now has his own weather balloon
Mike Trout’s fascination with the weather has been well documented.
His passion for it is such that he even made an appearance on The Weather Network as a field correspondent when Winter Storm Jonas ripped through the East Coast last month and hit Trout’s hometown of Millville, New Jersey, about as hard as the Los Angeles Angels star hits a baseball.
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And now he’ll be able to provide viewers with even more information the next time he’s called upon to deliver an update. We learned through MLB.com that Weather Network meteorologist Jim Cantore gifted Trout a weather balloon, perhaps as a thank you for his TV work this offseason.
What exactly is a weather balloon and what does it do? Here’s the detailed definition from our good friends at dictionary.com:
A balloon used to carry instruments aloft to gather meteorological data in the atmosphere. Weather balloons are tracked by radar, Global Positioning System, or theodolites. The balloon itself usually contains devices to measure temperature, pressure and humidity, although it can contain specialized devices to measure the ozone in the ozone layer. Filled with hydrogen or helium gas, weather balloons can reach 35 km (22 mi) in altitude before disintegrating due to the decreased pressure of the lower stratosphere.
That’s some heady stuff right there, and Trout is over the moon about it, according to MLB.com:
“I’m really excited about that,” Trout said, with a big smile on his face, before the Angels’ first full-squad workout on Wednesday.
Remember when Manny Ramirez infamously wore sunglasses with an MP3 player attached to them during a game? If Trout is ever seen fidgeting with technology in the outfield, we’re going to guess he’s just checking to find out where the wind is blowing in time for his next at-bat.
Talk about taking analytics to another level.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
