We know from experience or just observation how much wind can affect a sporting event.

It made the difference Sunday in The Players Championship when Paul Goydos came up short on the infamous island hole, costing him a playoff loss to Sergio Garcia.
Baseball, too, is subject to wind-blown disasters. With winds gusting over 30 mph in Winthrop on Monday in the Ramblers’ game against Lisbon, nearly every fly ball was an adventure. But how about a 50-foot throw?
In the third inning, Winthrop second baseman Bryan Lawson fielded a routine ground ball off the bat of Lisbon’s Kyle Neagle. Just as Lawson went to throw to first base, a vicious gust of wind erupted and blew the throw — all of 50 feet — off course.
“Did I see what I thought I saw?” Lewiston Sun Journal sports writer Randy Whitehouse asked.
Yep, a wind-blown throw of 50 feet. Lawson was assessed an error but the blame lies primarily with Mother Nature.