Good morning.
Earlier today, prognosticating groundhog Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, and so predicted six more weeks of winter. In the USA Today story linked above, reporter Doyle Rice connects Groundhog Day to the celebration of Candlemas:
Groundhog Day has its origins in an ancient celebration of Candlemas, a point midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, according to the climate center.
Superstition has it that fair weather was seen as a prediction of a stormy and cold second half to winter, as noted in this Old English saying:
“If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.”
National Geographic’s published 9 Things You Didn’t Know About Groundhogs (of the ordinary kind.)
Meanwhile, in Whitewater, we can expect a Sunday of sunshine and a thirteen-degree high temperature.
Friday’s FW poll results are in, and 54.55% of respondents picked Denver to win the Super Bowl, with 45.45% selecting Seattle.
On this day in 1905, professional baseball makes its debut in the Badger State:
1905 – Professional Baseball Arrives in Wisconsin
On this date the Wisconsin State League was formed, bringing professional baseball to five Wisconsin cities. The six-team league began play the following summer with franchises in Beloit, Green Bay, La Crosse, Oshkosh, Wausau, and Freeport, Illinois. The league lasted through 1914, although its named was changed to Wisconsin-Illinois in 1908.