September 29, 2022: Hurricane Ian Shreds Florida

September 29, 2022: Hurricane Ian hits the Gulf Coast of Florida, causing severe damage in the Tampa Bay area. In terms of strength, it was the 5th-biggest American hurricane yet measured. At least 137 deaths were attributed to it, making it the deadliest to hit Florida since the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935.

Particularly hard-hit was the area around the city of Fort Myers, about 125 miles south of Tampa and 150 miles northwest of Miami. The causeways connecting Pine Island and Sanibel Island to Florida's mainland both collapsed. The famed Fort Myers Fishing Pier was also wrecked.

Ironically, the cruel actions of Governor Ron DeSantis, a racist Republican who had dropped hints about running for President in 2024, to fly illegal immigrants out of Florida to States that had voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, may have been the right thing to do, because it got them out of the path of the hurricane. Ian was significantly reduced by the time it got up to the Northeast, where I live: We got 4 straight days of rain, but no flooding.

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September 29, 2022 was a Thursday. There was an NFL game played that day, and a Florida team was in it, on the road. But that didn't mean it would be safe for that team.

The Miami Dolphins lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, 27-15 at Paycor Stadium (formerly Paul Brown Stadium) in Cincinnati, but the result wasn't the worst of it. The preceding Sunday, they pulled off a big upset against the Buffalo Bills, 21-19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. But their quarterback, Tuanigamanuolepola "Tua" Tagovailoa, who led the University of Alabama to the 2017 National Championship, suffered a concussion and had to be removed from that game.

In this game against the Bengals, just 4 days later, Tua got sacked by Josh Tupou, and hit the back of his head on the artificial turf. At first, it looked like he was paralyzed. He did not move for 8 minutes until the ambulance came onto the field. He was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, regained full movement, was discharged, and was allowed to fly back to Miami with his teammates.

Still, the Dolphins fired their medical staff. That was not enough. Too many players have suffered and eventually died as a result of football-inflicted head trauma. Usually, the effects are long-term. But five players have died as a result of playing in professional football games in this country, the last being Chuck Hughes of the Detroit Lions in 1971. Six if you count Darryl Stingley, who lived nearly 30 years after his 1978 paralysis which did, indirectly, lead to his death. I don't want there to be another.

There were also Major League Baseball games played on this day:

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 5-3 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Cleveland Guardians beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 2-1 at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals, 10-3 at Comerica Park in Detroit.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-0 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Javier Assad and 2 relievers pitched a 6-hit shutout.

* The Miami Marlins beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-2 at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 4-3 at Target Field in Minneapolis.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres, 5-2 at Petco Park in San Diego.

* The Los Angeles Angels beat the Oakland Athletics, 4-2 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Shohei Ohtani pitched 8 innings to raise his record to 15-8, allowing only 2 hits and 1 walk, striking out 10; and he went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies, 6-4 at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

* And the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers, 10-9 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The Mariners had the longest Playoff drought in MLB, having not made it in 21 years. The Mariners blew a 7-4 lead going into the 7th inning. Each team scored a run in the 10th. The Rangers scored a run in the 11th, but the "ghost runner" of Jarred Kelenic and 3 straight singles by Dylan Moore, Luis Torrens and J.P. Crawford gave the M's the win and clinched a Playoff berth.