Come Monday the MLB executive office will be on a conference call with all of the team owners to apprise them of the plans to reestablish baseball for a condensed 2020 season. Then on Tuesday the announcement will officially be made to the media to allow them to spread the word and help fuel the enthusiasm for a return to somewhat normal existence.
Under the structure being discussed there is going to be an abbreviated season lasting from 78-82 games starting in July after a three-week second spring training initiated to prepare the players to begin the season for real. The geographic split being bandied about is one in which the teams would not play their regular division and league rivalries, but instead will concentrate on game playing against people in their geographic area. For a team like the Mets that means lots of games against the Yankees, Phillies, Orioles and Red Sox.
As far as the logistics, something being discussed is not the traditional three game series, but instead holding six game series which will minimize travel needs and theoretically reduce the risk of virus infection from swapping in and out of several places to get the games played.
Not everyone is on board with this particular scenario. Some would advocate fewer days off, an increased number of doubleheaders, extension of the season later into October and other variations to increase the payload to perhaps as many as 100 games. Of course, not everyone is in agreement with these approaches and it will be interesting to see what comes out of the team conference call on Monday.
A lot of details need to be ironed out before they can move forward. For example, Canada is much more restrictive about immigration and requires anyone entering the country to go into mandatory 14-day quarantine. That obstacle would make it nearly impossible to include games in Toronto’s home ballpark, but it is possible for them to play their games at their spring training location in Florida or at a minor league stadium.
One of the hardest obstacles for the league and the players to overcome is player salary. The league will maintain since there is reduced revenue without fans in the stands and other income that normally comes with their attendance at the games it is fair for the players to share in the loss. They are discussing a 50% pay rate if they wind up playing half the games normally scheduled. While the players union will not like it, that rate and rationale does make some sense.
No one has really addressed what will happen if the virus spreads. If a player or clubhouse employee becomes infected, does that mean the entire season must come to a close or that the one team immediately affected is forbidden from playing? The league is charting waters it’s never before crossed, so lots of things are very much up in the air.
No one is completely clear on how rosters will be handled. With the indicated reduction in minor leagues and the limited flexibility of moving people around, it may mean there is a taxi squad of extra players available to transfer to the major league team in the event of injury or poor performance. Again, no one is absolutely clear on how this would work.
So what is the feedback? Do you think they are ready to come back in this fashion? Are they rushing things? We all want baseball, of course...
9 comments:
Reese,
I think they could come back but will need to figure out many of the details that you point out above. They will then need to let us know their plan for the safety of all participants. I thought the story this morning from the Minor League Hudson Valley Renegades was a good start and they probably won't even have a season.
As much as we all want baseball, I just hope they're not putting profits ahead of safety.
It seems to now be only about the bucks.
One premature death would be too much. Try to imagine if one of your favorite Mets would test positive for this after being exposed to someone and eventually died.
My vote would still be to wait until next years and let the billionaires become multi-millionaires.
With some governors abiding by the rush to reopen, I asked the question of my friends and relatives how restaurants that opened up for dining room service do business? After all, if the law says you must wear a face mask when out in public, how do you eat? Did someone invent a large sized mask that you could slide up and down to get the fork to mouth? Did they figure out how to isolate you from others? Yet the parking lots were full. So much for social isolation.
They should allow any players to opt in, or out, of playing this year without penalty. You just don't get paid. If I am a Verlander and want to stay safe with my family and not play, God bless you.
It would provide opportunities for other marginal players, who would be more than willing to take the chance and play.
Queens has been an epicenter. Infection rates are falling, and July 1 is 50 days away. It could be much safer. But play in Queens? The Bronx? It will remain risky, most likely, even if at largely lower levels. I will tell you this: de Blasio wants it. Cuomo wants it. Their budget deficits are enormous. They get lots of payroll and other tax revenues from baseball. They really want it.
I have found that I have lost a great portion of my love for this game this off season. This virus robbed me of what I thought would be the most exciting year in a decade and the current ownership greed has left a very bad taste in my mouth.
I pray they make the right decision here for the players and their families, not their investment position.
does anyone remember the 1968 / 1969 Pandemic? I turned 20 that winter, but I sure didn't remember it, but google it. 100,000 Americans died out of a total population of 205 million, which would be 160,000 deaths today, yet it was no big deal, because there was no 24 hour cable news stations or always connected social internet. the nation didn't shut down most businesses, and the president wasn't on for 1.5 hours every night with a news conference. we were only 20 years past WWII, in the middle of a cold war, and everyone understood that life wasn't perfect and you had to face all sorts of risks, even the chance of getting the flu and perhaps dying. if you're 'mature', especially with underlying conditions, shelter at home and practice social distancing, but if you're 'young' like most players and have no underlying conditions, get on with your life. and I know that cutting the speed limit on highways in half will also save lives, but I don't that's worth it, either. hope I didn't offend anybody...
Jon, I think Wolf Blitzer was a hippie and reported on it from Woodstock. But no the first I ever recall hearing about the pandemic of 1968-69 was this spring. I must have been doing my HS homework and missed it back then. Or watching the Knicks.
If they do allow crowds, no MLB stadiums will be allowed to sell Corona beer, which should help
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