Despite Irma, many games get go-ahead
Amid the misery in Florida caused by Hurricane Irma, the state still has places to play football and baseball.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were the latest to announce they will play at home this weekend. The team spent three nights in Houston because of the hurricane.
Team President Mark Lamping said EverBank Field in Jacksonville passed its final NFL inspection Tuesday to gain clearance to host a game. Stadiums in Tampa Bay and Miami also were declared safe after structural engineers found no damage related to Irma.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Chicago Bears as scheduled Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. It will serve as the Bucs’ season opener.
The Bucs’ game last Sunday at Miami was postponed until Nov. 19 because of the storm.
In college football, No. 22 South Florida will play host to Illinois on Friday, also at Raymond James. USF Athletic Director Mark Harlan said the Bulls determined their game could be safely played as scheduled without hurting recovery efforts.
No. 23 Tennessee and 24thranked Florida will play as scheduled Saturday in Gainesville. Florida Field sustained only minor storm damage to signage.
Florida (0-1) canceled its home opener last week against Northern Colorado because of the hurricane.
Florida Atlantic plans to return today to its campus in Boca Raton and hopes to play its scheduled home game Saturday against Bethune-Cookman.
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens was determined to be safe for the Hurricanes, who are scheduled to play the next game there Sept. 23 against Toledo, and for the Dolphins.
In baseball, Marlins Park, the home of the Miami Marlins, suffered some minor damage, with a portion of the rubber and plastic membrane on the stadium’s retractable roof ripping off. The ballpark did not have any flood or water damage.
Since most of the county was without power, the Marlins could not say whether their series with the Milwaukee Brewers would be played in Miami as scheduled this weekend.
The Tampa Bay Rays are scheduled to fly home today from New York and host a threegame series against the Boston Red Sox beginning Friday night.
Tropicana Field did not sustain any major damage, according to reports, but there are widespread power outages throughout the county.