With an announcement from MLB roughly five minutes ago, tonight’s NLCS Game One has been moved back a day. And just like that, it’s official: CSTB super-correspondent Sam Frank and I will not be paying $85 to watch Jeff Weaver pitch in the rain. I mean, at least not tonight.

Tim Kurkjian is reporting on ESPN News than Tony La Russa will not juggle his postseason rotation to get ace Chris Carpenter into the action earlier in the series, meaning that Jeff Weaver will pitch tomorrow against Tom Glavine, Jeff Suppan in Friday’s Game Two (presumably against John Maine), and Carpenter to go for the Birds against Slo-Mo Steve Trachsel when the series heads to St. Louis for Game Three. Kurkjian also said that Game Three in St. Louis will be “excitement-oriented.” A nice turn of phrase to be sure, but even the most excitement-oriented crowd can be tamped down by Trachsel’s typical 45-second between-pitch resin bag ritual.

Unconfirmed: the implication that tonight’s cancelation is as much due to Mike and The Mad Dog’s on-radio demands that the game be called off. They carry a lot of weight in this town — and, at least in Francesa’s case, also carry a lot of fatty snacks and a two-liter of Diet Coke — but whatever the explanation of the rainout, be it the actual rain, the sad death of Cory Lidle or the prospect of having to listen to Russo when he’s really peevy, it’s obviously the right thing to do.