A dramatic lightning strike at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium generated national headlines for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Montgomery Biscuits (Class AA; Southern League) this morning on NBC’s Today Show.
There are two parts to this story. First, photojournalist Chris “Squeaky” Johnson was honored by the Blue Wahoos before Sunday’s game, as he was asked to throw out the first pitch. That went well. But before he did there was a 90-minute rain delay, when a hellacious storm roared through Pensacola. Johnson — the man of the hour — also filmed the storm and caught the following:
Lightning strike to the scoreboard at @BlueWahoosBBall stadium! @weartv pic.twitter.com/adzg3RTAyk
— Squeaky (@WEARSqueaky) July 12, 2015
That lightning strike knocked out the scoreboard, obviously.
But wait — there’s more! The whole incident makes NBC’s Today show, as Al Roker introduces the weather-related aspect of the storm, followed by a panel discussion about the Biscuits’ logo:
Pretty good national television exposure for two Southern League teams — even if the poor scoreboard bore the brunt of any damage.