Storm Pounds Through Gaps in Chase Field Roof, Drenches Fans with Rain Water
Retractable roofs are big, cool and expensive, and like any other big, cool and expensive thing ever made, they're prone to some annoying hiccups.
In the case of the retractable roof at Chase Field, it has some problems with its "being a roof" function—or, more specifically, the part where it shields those beneath it from the elements.
Gaps in the roof's structure made their presence known thanks to a heavy rainstorm that dumped down on Phoenix during Monday night's game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres.
The rain trickled through the roof and fell predominantly on a section of unlucky fans seated behind home plate.
Now, I don't exactly know how to rate this type of phenomenon on the spectrum of retractable roof fails.
While it's not great that the giant moon roof you dropped millions on isn't doing its job well, it may not be as bad as stubbornly refusing to use your expensive roof until rain begins pouring into the stadium, as the Miami Marlins did earlier this year:
At least the Diamondbacks used the roof—that's what it's there for.
Also, I don't envy the guys who have to go up there and find the breach in the roof's armor. It's made of 9 million pounds of steel, according to the Diamondbacks website, so it could take a while to find and patch things up.
