CHICAGO -- The small and soaked crowd here at Wrigley field was given a reason to cheer shortly after 1 p.m. when the Cubs grounds crew came on the field to remove the tarp.

No official announcement has been made about a start time, but the 1:20 p.m. scheduled time is toast. I'll guess 1:40, 1:45 as I watch the grounds crew squeegee the puddles just behind shortstop.

The Cubs put in a new drainage system in the offseason. Might as well find out early in the season just how well it works.