FanHouse HurricaneKatrina

Bizarre story this morning out of Tempe. It appears the program's practice field bubble/dome was destroyed during a flash storm yesterday. From the Arizona Republic:

Russell Schilt, a 22-year-old ASU student, said he walked about the school's practice facility to see the bubble roof in shreds from the storm. Schilt said he was surprised at the damage the new building took.

"The bubble dome had complete deflated," he said.

The DevilsDigest message board is discussing the improbable damage.

Fox 10 just had a camera guy out there and said police told him that there are "pieces" of the dome all over the place. It looks like The Devil Dome......is no more, thanks to a VERY wicked storm/storms that are blowing through tonight.

And

It definitely happened. Just texted my sister in the band, everyone from the football team to the band are freaking out right now.

Crazy. ASU famously hosted LSU almost immediately following Hurricane Katrina, but as another SEC team heads to town in a few weeks it will be Arizona State of all places picking up the pieces of a destructive natural phenomena.

Update: Aftermath photos from Pitchfork Post (thanks Brian)

(Via: WildWest)

Cleveland Indians left-fielder David Delucci is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana so when Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast back in 2005 he took it very personally. Through a foundation he started called Catch-22 For Blue, Delucci was able to raise over $100,000 to donate for hurricane relief.

When Katrina first hit, Delucci cut the Red Cross a check and it was doubled by the Texas Rangers, his team at the time. He also signed some baseballs to sell at a home game for $22 each, and they sold out before the first pitch.

"All game I'm thinking, 'I've got to do something,'" Dellucci recalled. "I called my agent that night and said, 'We need to put together a foundation to take this money and distribute it where I see fit.' Then I went out during the next game and was trying to think of ways to raise money. I was playing left field and coming up with ideas."

That idea was a rubber bracelet much like the Lance Armstrong "Livestrong" bracelet. On the bracelet was the phrase "Louisiana Lagniappe," which is a southern Louisiana phrase meaning "to give a little extra."

Well, 40,000 of the bracelets were sold, and the money was donated but as Delucci spent his offseason in Louisiana he couldn't help but wonder where a lot of the money has gone.

"Some areas are really moving forward and really rebuilding," he said. "But some areas are moving very slowly. You would think they would be further along in the rebuilding process than they are. I think there's a block in between what is being donated from other citizens around the country and what is actually filtering into the needy people down there. Nowadays, you don't know exactly where your money is headed. I wanted the people who donated money to feel confident that it was all going where I advertised it to be going."

As far as the money Delucci has donated, he knows exactly where it's going. Not just to people of New Orleans but other members of the Gulf Coast who were affected.