9:26am: MLB has issued a statement acknowledging that the league has “discussed the idea of staging games at one location” but emphasizing that it has “not settled on that option or developed a detailed plan.” The announcement makes clear that the league is exploring many possibilities for responsibly holding a 2020 season and has continued to “interact regularly with governmental and public health officials” in support of that mission.
Ultimately, per the statement, MLB is “not ready at this time to endorse any particular format for staging games in light of the rapidly changing public health situation caused by the coronavirus.”
12:16am: Because of the coronavirus, we already know that at least part of the 2020 Major League Baseball Season – if it occurs – could take part in Arizona. Jeff Passan of ESPN sheds more light on what may be a strange baseball season, writing that all 30 major league teams might play spectator-less games “in the greater Phoenix area,” including the Diamondbacks’ home stadium (Chase Field) and 10 nearby spring training venues, if not other facilities. Agent Scott Boras said that Chase Field could host as many as three games a day, Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reports.
Should this plan come to fruition, it might allow the league to begin its season sometime in May. The players wouldn’t be thrilled with possibly having to spend months away from their families, Passan notes, though the fact that they’d be receiving a paycheck is enticing. Plus, high-ranking members of the Major League Baseball Players Association talked Saturday “with health officials who offered the plan as the clearest way for baseball to restart,” writes Passan, who adds that the union and the league started discussing the idea Monday. Their talks on the matter are likely to continue this week.
If a season does take place, it would likely require a two- to three-week spring training tuneup beforehand, per Passan. And if someone from one of the organizations happens to contract the coronavirus then or during the season, “officials do not believe that a positive alone would necessarily be cause to quarantine an entire team or shut down the season,” Passan writes. Rather, the possibility may lead to expanded rosters and more players receiving major league service time, which is appealing to the union.
So, in the event that the campaign gets underway in Arizona, what might it entail? Passan lays it out in his piece: Owing to social distancing, we could see an electronic strike zone and no mound visits from catchers and coaches. There’s also a chance of seven-inning doubleheaders to increase the number of games played. Nothing about this is ideal, but for the league and its fans, it could be better than no baseball at all.
Nothing about the HEAT. They’ll be stroking out on the field
It’s doable. 9 a.m. starts like rookie league..Night games at 8 p.m., still hot but no sun. Three games a day at Chase including a matinee.
Phoenix in the summertime is nearly always 100 degrees by noon and often a lot hotter. Most days it wouldn’t be much less than 90 degrees at a 9AM game time. Who’d be watching those 9AM starts on TV, and if that isn’t the point, of playing them, what is?
3 games in the dome a day and then 10-12 evening games at the facilities. Rookie league play 9am games to still have there season till the MLB teams can leave.
People stuck at home would be watching them. That would be noon local time starts in the east. Plus, eastern fans are not likely to stay up to watch games starting at 11PM local time.
For sure. Good thing is in Arizona the sun goes down earlier in the venting than most other places since they do not turn the clocks ahead. Where as in June most places sun sets at 830/9 around the US, Arizona is around 740.
In theory the broadcasts could be delayed to normal game times in the “home” city. Might work if the games were played without spectators and the scores not released until the games are broadcasted.
Still, they’d have to figure out how to play as many as 15 games a day in Arizona. Even if they could schedule three a day at Chase, 12 other spring training fields would be required. How many do they have?
Theres backfields for B games. Why not use those?
9 am is noon on the east coast
Game one at Chase Field goes 15 innings. We could have around the clock baseball.
it’s no different than what kids do in travel ball. I’ve seen teams of 11 year olds playing doubleheader’s in low 90’s heat
Why is everybody whining about the heat. I have spent all of my life in Texas, and we would play games in the middle of July when it was 100 degrees out with 100% humidity. We got over it. You drink tons of water, an sweat ten pounds off, but if you love the game you get over it. Arizona is a different kind of hot (that I haven’t yet experienced), because there is very low humidity. But I can tell yu that the heat isn’t that big of a deal.
BTW if you think the 80’s – 90’s are hot days, then go to Texas… You’ll feel thankful.
Also, us in Texas bundle up big time when we have a 40 degree day (that’s really cold to us). It’s literally a POLAR opposite from the northern states. And when I played in the 40’s and in the rain, it was painful, I’ve always hated playing in the cold… I guess there is a flip side to everything…
I grew up in the brutally hot and humid summers of the northeast, but lemme tell you, nothing compares to Phoenix in the summertime. It is just a whole other planet of heat. Not 100 degrees, 115 degrees. Just because you don’t feel yourself perspiring as much doesn’t mean you aren’t. The moisture is sucked right out of your body by the intense heat and dryness.
Yup. I have lived in areas with high humidity and high temperatures like New Orleans and Austin, but nothing is close to the searing hot days in Phoenix. When it is 120 degrees you pray for a little bit of humidity to lower the temperature. There is no way they can play outdoor games in June, July, August, and most of September.
Let’s not forget that the D-Bags play half their games in Arizona regularly
Let’s also not forget that Chase field has a retractable roof, which is closed for most day games.
Lets not forget the Dbacks play in a retractable dome so your point is not relevant
Ha even the rangers go on the road every week or two for a respite.
I grew up in New Jersey. In high school we started playing games in February when it was in the 30s…it sucks to foul a ball off in that weather lol
I’d much rather play in the texas heat then the New Jersey cold.
All true, but us Texans are a different breed. Lol
Ignorant remark
It’s funny that heat is only a topic in professional baseball. What about the youth and select leagues that play in weekend tournaments where they can play over 5 games in 3 to 4 days? Heat is a part of life and baseball is life. As long as you are properly hydrated and replenished then play ball!
y’all pay attention to the news right? Arizona is the safest place to play as the high heat kills off the covid 19.
That heat theory has not been proven. Living in Temecula California I hope the heat kills it though.
The heat does not kill it. It’s doing well in Florida, Texas, the South, Thailand, India, where it’s almost always hot.
Gambling on the heat is a poor bet.
Source for that? There is no proof that high heat is effecting it. Look at other hot, humid countries right now. I’m looking forward to your source and more information on this.
I agree, and have been wondering why this isn’t being looked at publicly. I am in FL, and haven’t seen any data to suggest the heat is having a meaningful effect.
Morons asking for sources on here lol I swear the dumbest people in the country use this site don’t they
yeah tis rather frustrating.
dajohnston330…..
According to the medical journal The Lancet…… a study of West Africa published 4/1/20…… “To conclude, early comparisons between the number of confirmed cases in the worst affected European countries and the west African countries with confirmed COVID-19 cases do not support the hypothesis that the virus will spread more slowly in countries with warmer climates.”
thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109…
Thank you!
Thanks for the info
Bull!
Bull to “stroking out” comment.
dry heat with little moisture. Players have availability to water regardless.
Having to play in Arizona, even if it’s near 100 there is much preferable to playing at some location in Florida where it’s a wet heat with temperatures in the high 80’s to low 90’s as anyone would know who has been at both locations instead of just looking at temperatures.
i’ve lived in texas, where humidity is over 80% most days and nights. also lived in phoenix, where humidity was less than 10%. when humidity reached 35% in phoenix, people were dropping like flies.
Gets into the mid-80’s overnight. Maybe some midnight or 3AM games. Not sure if these spring training fields even have lights though.
If you have to fundamentally change so many aspects of the game, put me in the “no baseball is better” camp. Will they be allowed to tag a runner out, or will social distancing rules override that?
In a thoroughly tested and mostly isolated population such as the players would be, the need for and benefits from social distancing would be reduced.
Personally, it would be better than no baseball as I watch 98% of games each year on TV anyway.
And the catcher and batter are literally less than 6 six apart.
If catchers and pitchers avoid going to there mouths you can have handwash stations in the dugout in-between innings. They could rotate through the balls more and re use ones without scuffs later after disinfecting since no fans would get them.
Heck yeah… if EVERY SINGLE DETAIL goes perfect, we can have the weirdest damn season ever!! HOORAY!!!
I don’t think they’re changing that much. The mound visits would be the most significant, followed by the 7-inning double-headers, but if the batters, catchers, and umps wore the medical masks and they changed out the balls more often, I don’t see how it becomes that big a deal. Playing in the heat would suck, but let’s be honest: only the pitcher is really exerting himself for a sustained period. Even then, let him have a water bottle behind the mound and he’ll be fine.
You wouldn’t need this. put a line of 25 of those 5-10 minute testing stations in each clubhouse and make it part of a pre-game routine. Better yet, put them near the facility entrances and make it part of the routine to enter the facility.
The test results are not instantaneous. It may take a few minutes to collect the sample, but as I recall it takes days to get the test results.
Agreed “Apple Pie and Baseball and America”. Now it is Baseball and $$$$ and ?????????????????????????????
death.
As much as I love baseball, I tend to agree with u. Especially, in a sport where fans already want to put an asterisk next to everything.
They should be focused on providing a full season in 2021. Not rushing to hold a half-season without crowds in Arizona only to have a major league player catch the virus and have the shutdown happen all over again.
No they should play.
Sports. More important than life.
No, no, but sports is important TO life.
Im with you scott
COVID is currently threatening to overtake Cancer as the second leading cause of death on a daily basis (Cancer is about 1,440/day; COVID is hovering in the 1,000-1,300+ range for 6 days now; today it has spiked 1,400 in the first 14 hours of the day). Then it’s only about 300 deaths per day more to overtake Heart Disease as the leading cause of death each day (about 1,770). Nothing to sneeze at.
I couldn’t agree more. It sucks but it is probably the best approach.
Planning a 2020 season would help prepare for 2021. No one knows what the world is going to look like next year.
Also people want some semblance of normalcy and entertainment. Of course not at the cost of safety, but if MLB can play games safely it would do wonders for morale. Also think of the ratings. If they stream these games nationally, everyone would be watching a lot of baseball. It’s a longshot, and I don’t think it’ll be safe enough, but if they can make this work in Arizona, I’m all about it.
oh yes the ratings. we’d all benefit from TV ratings.
I would prefer a 30 or 60 game season to this stupid idea.
be careful what you s
wish for. if they wring their hands for too long you might not get either.
But the hand wringers run things now.
COVID is currently threatening to overtake Cancer as the second leading cause of death on a daily basis (Cancer is about 1,440/day; COVID is hovering in the 1,000-1,300+ range for 6 days now; today it has spiked to 1,400 in the first 14 hours of the day). Then it’s only about 300 deaths per day more to overtake Heart Disease as the leading cause of death each day (about 1,770). Nothing to sneeze at.
You already said that Mo. Stop being such a doomer. It’s as if you thrive on reporting only negativity.
versus just ignoring reality. keep living in your fantasy world where everything is rainbows and butterflies.
There’s a lot in between doom and rainbows. You’re skipping quite a bit.
How exciting!
It would be like spring training games after the novelty wears off.
The players and coaches wouldnt make “spring training moves” in games that count though. Just have fake crowd noise and drape green screen material on the seats we can cgi a crowd in live!
sponsors can pay to be the crowd. they may never go back…
Lets get the season going by making it so 52 people can play a game in MLB THE SHOW 20 and have everyone play as themselves..
idk why this isn’t a thing… not in this context, but I dunno why you cant have maybe 9 people per team where each one plays a given position and the game plays like RTTS for each player involved.
They could also use the back fields in AZ. There’s enough fields in AZ to play all 15 games at 6 am. Then show the games in prime time. Just don’t release the results. But, maybe a better solution is to play the games in Southern California. You don’t need stadiums, just enough room for the fields and places to put the tv cameras.
“Just don’t release the results.”
Made me laugh!
Have you learned nothing from baseball history?
Instead of a real season, they should form six division teams and just round robin a few times. Give us something we’ve never seen before instead of trying to half-a** a bad solution.
Doesn’t matter to me anyways. Unless it’s a national TV game, I’m not getting any local games because MLB has some of the worst TV deals in sports.
All MLB TV deals should be suspended so ALL fans have access to ALL games if they do this. MLB TV Deals are the worst.
If you have an mlb.tv sub theyll refund if you ask nicely.
NBA league pass is far worse.
It’s the kind of simple logic that has always eluded Manfred. If you want to grow the game, make it accessible to people.
those messy territorial rights have a tendency to get in the way too, but yes Manfred has done nothing to make the game accessible to a larger audience, instead he’s employed gimmicks to shave 4 minutes off games.
I don’t understand how your suggestion is not just an alternative “half-a**” solution. I’m not poo pooing your idea at all. I think it’s interesting. I’m simply saying you offered an out-of-the-box solution as did the MLB. Everyone is spitballing at this point. I don’t see the need to criticize anything yet.
Would they be better off playing at Chase Field,San Diego,Anaheim,LA,SF,Oakland?
You could mix 5-6 teams in each city,then mix them.
A lot cooler in California than AZ
But a lot more travel. I’m sure the players would ideally rather play there, but more travel = more exposure and that’s exactly what the league wants to avoid. Plus, in Arizona, you have more stadiums to work with, so most teams can play in the evening, making the games more available on TV.
Too much travel and too close to highly populated areas. Increases the chance of players getting sick and derailing the whole thing. Arizona has lots of facilities all close together. The players would be able to travel to each stadium without worrying about airplanes or interacting with a lot of the general public. There would be no significant travel time so schedules would be easier. Even doubleheaders when necessary.
While I think the players union would never agree to this, I think it’s the best option and the only chance we have at a 2020 season. That being said, I still think we’re a long way away from being safe enough for this to happen. We’ll see how the world looks in a few weeks,
so, how are they going to apply social distancing in dugouts and pens? it looks like greed replaced sound reasoning.
If the players are constantly getting tested, the assumption would be that they’re all healthy and allowed to be exposed to each other. The idea would be the players would be isolating with themselves, not their families, fans…etc. Which is exactly why the players union will reject this in a heartbeat. That being said, I think this is one of the better ideas I’ve heard so far.
I just don’t think we’ll have a 2020 season at all.
Huge revolt if players get constant test kits while medical pros on the front lines can’t.
Vizion – with people walking around Walmart wearing hefty bags duct taped to their bodies head to toe, sound reasoning was lost a long time ago.
Praying we get baseball
thoughts and prayers
Me too. It’s just a very complicated goal right now.
Either do it the right way, or don’t do it at all. See you in 2021. MAYBE !!
Funny, isn’t it, that in the wake of sickness and death,
Life CAN go on WITHOUT Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey, Soccer, The Olympics, etc..
Now perhaps we will be able to get our priorities straight and readjust compensation based on what people do to earn a living,
Why Arizona? It’s so hot. Why not try somewhere in the middle of the country where the virus has not taken hold? There are several states that have very few corona case at all. If there are no fans coming, then what difference would it make?
Because the facilities are close to one another. That is why they didn’t pick Florida. I think the motivation is to attempt to salvage games lost and save travel money and other expenses if they played in their home parks.
But I’m with you. It sounds like the league is trying to save a buck or two with this idea.
Well it’s also isolating the players for their safety. I don’t think it’s about saving money.
Um….yeah, no kidding it’s about isolating. Thanks there wizard. And yes, money is another component that is not topping the list. It is however on the list. Do you have any more stupid comments to contribute Hayes?
Sure. Purple monkey dishwasher. Thanks for the insult! Good talk.
Also I wasn’t trying to respond to your comment, so I’m not sure why it appears below your comment. The phone app is a little wonky.
You just proved my point. If you’re lost you should probably stick to reading and stop posting. It’s not the app, it’s you. Your problem is solved and you are welcome.
You are a barrel of sunshine helping me get through the traumatic events of the last few weeks. Never change.
They would be playing in Spring Training facilities, which at least have facilities that can accommodated major league baseball. No other part of the country has so many of these parks so close together. Teams can bus it rather than fly.
The amount of available stadiums in a close proximity due to spring training. The middle of country doesn’t have the stadiums needed.
So no baseball in 2020, got it
This just doesn’t feel right, nor do I think it’ll work
Nothing feels right. The world has been forever changed by this virus. I’d take this over no baseball, but I think we’re still a long way away from even this plan.
Everybody saying they won’t watch will be watching 4 games a day….
All seems like a long shot to me. How are the teams going to get speciality testing when there is still so much need everywhere. Where I live people still can’t even get tested. And if the virus really does live on a surface for weeks; how can Mlb put every team in that dugout over a weeks time ? Also there is no way Mlb can still pay these full salaries in a season like this either. How can u pay a 200 mill salary if you play 3/4 times a week at random times ? Don’t give me the they’re rich crap- these owners have lost 10’s of millions or more each perspectively as they all depend on a growing stock market to expand their wealth.
Keep cracking away at it though ! Love to have baseball in any form!
I don’t have high hopes for a 2020 season at this point. If one player or employee gets sick during the season this whole thing is derailed. That being said, I do appreciate that they’re discussing options. I just don’t see the players union agreeing to players being isolated in Arizona even though it does seem like the safest option at the moment.
I don’t have high hopes for you comments but you still attempt to make a contribution. Again, thank you for nothing.
Geez. Nice guy.
Curious. When did Agent Scott Boras become the spokesperson for MLB?
when it affects his bottom line.
DISGUSTING!!!! MLB cannot be Equal to the task and Sacrifice as the general public and other businesses.???? Sad that their economics take precedent over the health, safer and well being of their players and the vendors that vendors and employees that would service the parks in Arizona..
These games MLB will depend on America to want to watch. Boycott!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A case of $$$$$$$$$$$$$ over people.
Completely disagree. People want a return to normalcy. Sure there’s money involved, but it’s also about getting the world back to normal. I don’t see it as pure greed. The players get paid whether the season happens or not. The owners are still rich whether the season happens or not. While greed is certainly involved in some scale, I think this is more about trying to return to the norm. Maybe I’m just naive though.
This is “NOT” Normalcy. Arizona?. Changed rules??? Virus? Formicing fans to watch their home teams Not Play at Home. WHY???? $$$$$$$$ !!!!! This has nothing to do with playing America’s game.
So you’d rather no baseball at all? It’s just an idea to get fans some baseball the safest way possible. We can all watch on TV. I wouldn’t allow fans at any of these games, but I’d rather watch on TV (if they can do it safely) than get nothing at all.
I mean I get it. It’s not normal, but the world changed dramatically and there is 100% chance that the 2020 season cannot be played in normal circumstances. So I’d rather some baseball than none at all.
sure let’s distort the tradition and history of the pastime just so you can get your baseball b8n3r. get a new hobby like the rest of us have.
People are already tired of seeing and hearing Coronavirus 24/7. Would be nice to have something new to help pass the time. and get one’s mind off of the virus even for just a couple of hours. You may boycott but far more people will be watching on TV or listening on the radio for some new entertainment. Lighten up Francis!!!
You win the award for the most punctuation in a single post. Congrats. Now let’s play baseball.
I hope they can come up with a plan. Would be great to have even a part season.
I agree, because a little baseball is light years better than no baseball.
duh, thanks captain obvious. but you offer an argument that is a fallacy because you’re omitting the risk involved.
How does this plan not result in a disproportionate financial windfall for the D-Backs organization?
Does the term revenue sharing ring a bell to you? I would imagine that they would split the revenue equally among all teams since no team would have true home games.
We had baseball all through World War I and II. During Korea, during Vietnam. Through the 1918 pandemic. If there is a way to make it happen we should. We all need something to root for.
Last I checked, wars were not contagious. It wasn’t until the middle of fall of 1918 that the Spanish Influenza hit hard. It lasted into February 1919 in most of the country. During that period the country was shut down to slow the spread, in much the same way as is being done today.
Sure if there’s a safe and responsible way to play ball, we should, but not if it requires unknowing everything we’ve learned about infectious diseases over the last 100 years. If we’re inviting the sort of mortality rate today that came from the Spanish Influenza we’d be talking 1.5-2.0M deaths. Just so we know.
COVID is currently threatening to overtake Cancer as the second leading cause of death on a daily basis (Cancer is about 1,440/day; COVID is hovering in the 1,000-1,300+ range for 6 days now; today it has spiked 1,400 in the first 14 hours of the day). Then it’s only about 300 deaths per day more to overtake Heart Disease as the leading cause of death each day (about 1,770). Nothing to sneeze at.
Wouldn’t want to be a pitcher throwing in 100 degree heat. Great for the hitters. If MLB thought they had a HR problem before, they haven’t seen anything yet. Do the spring training fields even have normal MLB dimensions in the outfield?
people are dying everywhere, especially in n.y and all the commish can think of is playing baseball? taking undue risks if anyone in basedall dies he will be sued till he only has skin and bones.
I have wondered that also is baseball willing and able to take the risk. If one player, stadium crew, tv crew gets sick, worse case dies are they responsible. Also the idea of test kits, why would baseball get special treatment, access to them. Also any hospital bills if someone needs treatment. I get we all want baseball but there is so many questions and risks right now.
Orlando? Domes? Mexico City? Hawaii? OKC? Tampa Bay? Miami? Jacksonville?
yankee stadium!
“Nothing about this is ideal, but for the league and its fans, it could be better than no baseball at all.”
I’ll take no baseball at all before this crap. Where’s my refund Mr Dewitt, for my opening day tickets that are 2-3 times higher than the same seat 2 days later? I don’t want a voucher. Dave in Joliet Il
No. Not until everyone in the country is tested for covid-19. Is it really worth even more people dying so you can watch baseball? I love the game and always have but to act like spring breakers is unconscionable and reprehensible.
You understand that testing 350 million Americans, many of whom have no interest in being tested is logistically impossible, right?
You understand that being tested isn’t equivalent to a treatment or a vaccine, right?
Testing is a red herring.
I realize I have posted this a few times but it needs to be said and read:
COVID is currently threatening to overtake Cancer as the second leading cause of death on a daily basis (Cancer is about 1,440/day; COVID is hovering in the 1,000-1,300+ range for 6 days now; today it has spiked to 1,400 in the first 14 hours of the day). Then it’s only about 300 deaths per day more to overtake Heart Disease as the leading cause of death each day (about 1,770). Nothing to sneeze at.
Epidemiologists had projected the peak for May 12. That has been pushed back to June 9. It’s all in flux. All we know is that the number of deaths per day is still increasing.
I think a key point out of the piece is if someone from the organization would get COVID-19 during the season ” officials do not believe that positive alone would necessarily be cause to quarantine a whole team or shut down the season”. So you can forget the doomsday scenario of no season. It appears that they’ll do whatever it takes to play at least 80-100 games this year even if they’ve got to spend a month in front of no fans in Arizona.
Also remember players stop earning a paycheck at the end of May. I know we’ve got this epidemic going on but this appears to be a clear case of being all about money.
A gerryrigged format played at Mickey Mouse ballparks is not better than no baseball at all.
you do know the Commish is speaking for the owners and so the words coming out his mouth is what the owners want…
If their isn’t a season no MLB players who already made $$$ is going broke since lot of them already got paid… It not like they can blow through $5-60 mill in a yr…
Florida because have Football Staduims Jags Bucs,Dolphins homes,Cracker Jack Stadium,Rays,Marlins Homes and so on.
I understand there are reasonable concerns about contagion.
But:
Stadiums will be empty.
The country has to reopen at some point.
These are peak healthy athletes mostly under 40.
A year off their baseball life is huge to a player in their prime.
It’s likely those that don’t want to play can stay out without having to be listed as retired.
Expanding the rosters makes sense.
Strike zone radar allows the HP umpire to stay well back from the catcher.
Video replay is so advanced it’s often better than the naked eye.
This is a doable thing.
AZ has a dry heat FL is an overbearing humid heat in the summer.
Expanding rosters and perhaps letting players come back into a game after they hydrate for a few innings may be an option.
Or perhaps an intermission of some sort.
Take siesta’s during the peak heat of the day.
Eliminate the All Star Game in 2020.
Eliminate spitting and spitballs
(Probably the most controversial part … LOL)
They could play into the winter there if necessary.
Even hold the playoffs and WS there.
There’s many many ways to do this.
It’s certainly worthy of taking a serious look at this.
I was born/raised in LA, split time now between Phoenix &LA and am a season tix holder at Camelback. I have fam in Ala and spent many summers there in my childhood, that heat/humidity is awful but…..doesn’t hold s candle to the otherworldly, summer heat in Phx. in Spring training EMT’s are helping fans…zero cloud cover. Its not just hot in summer….its 100+ hot for 60+ consecutive days last summer. No way anyone plays a day game outside of Chase starting after 9am. Its 90 degrees at 9am already! Makes sense to have games in Az, but outdoor,midday games are not feasible.
Passan is worthless, he imagines 99% of his rumors. How he went to ESPN from yahoo is beyond me.
ESPN want social justice warriors. Passan is a good fit.
That IS no Baseball at all!
Electronic Strike Zone?
I love baseball and really miss it. If they were to resume play May 1st they would have lost about 41 games, just to many to make up. And if play is to resume you need a least a two week training camp.
All the plans like playing 7 inning games, playing all the games in Arizona, electronic strike zone , no catcher / pitcher visits. This makes the game like a sand lot game. I comes across as a desperate attempt at a money grab.
If they haven’t resumed normal play by the 81 game mark, you call the season a wash. And as for the players if your scrap the season each player under contract gets 1 mil for the scraped and the lost year is not added to the length of contract. In other words is the season is abandon under normal play and you had a three contract then going into 2021 you still have a three year deal. Fairs fair
What is MLB going to rely on? Herd immunity?
Dr William Hanage, a professor of the evolution and epidemiology of infectious disease at Harvard, wrote that such a policy would result in large numbers of people dying and the NHS being overwhelmed. He reflected the general bafflement among many experts, because “herd immunity” is typically achieved via widespread vaccination against a disease. There is no vaccine for Covid-19, and “herd immunity” without a vaccine assumes that the vast majority of people who recover from the coronavirus will then be immune, which has not yet been conclusively established.
Woefully insufficient testing, no vaccine. No baseball.