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We All Love Baseball, But It's Not That Important

Fortunate scheduling will allow Triple-A New Orleans and Double-A Mobile to play out their schedules this weekend on the road, but the season has ended early for the Double-A Mississippi Braves (and in turn the Carolina Mudcats). The Braves haven't played since Sunday, and the team announced Wednesday night that it was canceling its four-game series with Carolina that was scheduled to begin Friday. The M-Braves, who play in the Jackson suburb of Pearl, fled the path of Hurricane Katrina and have been staying at a hotel in Atlanta since Monday. Hundreds of thousands of Mississippi residents, including many in the Jackson area, remained without power Thursday. "The decision to cancel the remaining games may be one of the toughest ones we've had to make. There are so many factors that went into this decision such as park damage, power outages, team safety, travel and housing, and gas and supply shortages," general manager Steve DeSalvo said. "We've come to the conclusion that it's just the right thing to do. This area of the country, and perhaps the entire country, is feeling the devastating affects of this terrible disaster. Everyone needs to focus on their personal safety and that of their loved ones." Mississippi was not in contention for a Southern League playoff spot and finishes its season with an overall record of 64-68. Carolina will complete a suspended game followed by a regularly scheduled game in Jacksonville today to complete its regular season, but the Mudcats will be in the playoffs when they begin next week.

Michael Brown, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, urged people to make cash contributions to organizations.

Cash donations "allow volunteer agencies to issue cash vouchers to victims so they can meet their needs. Cash donations also allow agencies to avoid the labor-intensive need to store, sort, pack and distribute donated goods. Donated money prevents, too, the prohibitive cost of air or sea transportation that donated goods require."

FEMA listed the following agencies as needing cash to assist hurricane victims:

* American Red Cross, 800-HELP NOW (435-7669) English, 800-257-7575 Spanish.

* Operation Blessing, 800-436-6348.

* America's Second Harvest, 800-344-8070.

* Adventist Community Services, 800-381-7171.

* Catholic Charities, USA, 703-549-1390.

* Christian Disaster Response, 941-956-5183 or 941-551-9554.

* Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, 800-848-5818.

* Church World Service, 800-297-1516.

* Convoy of Hope, 417-823-8998.

* Lutheran Disaster Response, 800-638-3522.

* Mennonite Disaster Service, 717-859-2210.

* Nazarene Disaster Response, 888-256-5886.

* Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, 800-872-3283.

* Salvation Army, 800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769).

* Southern Baptist Convention -- Disaster Relief, 800-462-8657, ext. 6440.

* United Methodist Committee on Relief. 800-554-8583.