Sunday, August 23
The 235th day of the year with 130 days left
We are in the 34th week of 2026

3 days until school begins

Mike Kilroy (Explore Clarion) previews the 2026 Central Clarion Wildcats football team. Click Here for article

My Blog for the past month & the past 18 years

Today's temperature is forecast to be MUCH COOLER than yesterday.
Normal Temperature for this date: 80°/56°
Yesterday: High 80°, Low 53°, Hourly Average 65°
Yesterday was the coolest of the past 29 days
Forecast for first football game: Kickoff temperature 71° (sunny) - end of game 64° (clear)
Records for Clarion on August 21 : 94° (1993) 37° (1952)

radar

Click Here for up-to-date hourly forecast for Clarion

Recent Daily Highs and Lows
Clarion, PA

Verse of the Day

Click on the above image for my Devotion Page

A Look Back

It's On My Calendar

last 4 / next 4

Today's games to keep an eye on:

Blue Jays at Yankees 1:35 pm
Cubs at Mariners 4:10 pm
Braves at Brewers 7:10 pm

The Royals have won 7 straight.
The Phillies have won 8 in a row.
The Dodgers have won their last 5.
The Pirates are 30-42 vs. teams at or over .500
When Leo Rivas came to bat for Seattle (vs. Cubs) with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Mainers probability of winning the game was 5%. He got a single and the probability went up to 9%. Randy Arozarena was next. He belted a walk-off HR that took the WPA (winning pct added) up 91%.
Sanchez (16-4, 2.51) goes for win #17 on Sunday
The Padres have won 21 of their last 30
The Phillies 15-5 in their last 20
PCA has 5 HR in his last 6 games
Jordan Walker has 12 RBI in the past 7 days
Dylan Cease has the most K's in the past 30 days (54)

Bad Luck Bucs?

The discrepancy between the Pittsburgh Pirates' actual record (63-68) and their Pythagorean record (68-63) stems from poor sequencing, bullpen underperformance, and bad luck in close games. While their actual record shows a sub-.500 team, their positive +59 run differential (653 runs scored vs. 624 runs allowed) indicates they play like a winning team on paper.

Why the Pirates' Records Diverge

Inefficient Run Distribution
They win blowout games by massive margins.
Those extra runs inflate their run differential.
They cannot carry extra runs over to the next game.
High-Leverage Bullpen Failures
The team has suffered from costly blown saves.
Relief collapses turn potential wins into close losses.
The front office overhauled the bullpen to fix this.
Clutch and Cluster Variance
Opponents cluster hits better in high-leverage spots.
The Pirates underperform with runners in scoring position.
Statisticians view this gap largely as "bad luck".

Over a full 162-game season, a team's actual record usually regresses toward its Pythagorean record. The metric suggests the Pirates possess a more talented roster than their current standings show.

ESPN's Top Players of Yesterday

Players of the Week

The current MLB Players of the Week for August 10–16, 2026, are Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso (American League) and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll (National League).

Alonso earned his sixth career weekly award—and his first with the Orioles—by batting .545 with two home runs.

Carroll claimed his third career NL honor after hitting .409 with seven extra-base hits to power the Diamondbacks' offense.

Current Hitting Streaks