In a memorandum issued to baseball operations employees around the game, commissioner Rob Manfred stated that he “fully anticipate[s] baseball will return this season,” per a report from Jeff Passan of ESPN.com.
The message was delivered alongside less optimistic news: while already expected, the league has officially suspended the contracts of uniformed non-player employees and other baseball ops staffers. Many clubs have nevertheless promised salaries through at least the end of May, though not all have done so.
Manfred also acknowledged that it’s “very difficult to predict with any accuracy the timeline for resumption of our season.” The persistent message from the league and from public health officials largely remains the same: the course of the disease and broader public response and needs will largely dictate what’s possible for baseball.
It’s still notable to hear such relatively hopeful messaging from the commissioner. The league has continued to gin up potential scenarios for getting the 2020 campaign underway. The latest is a three-state possibility.
Like most of the ideas floated to this point, the latest concept would focus on delivering games on television but without spectators on hand. But it’s not yet clear that MLB is giving up entirely on hosting fans at contests at some point in 2020.
In a chat with Jack Curry of YES Network (Twitter link), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases chief Dr. Anthony Fauci contemplated a scenario in which there could possibly be some in-person attendance in 2020. Labeling in-person attendance “conceivable,” Fauci nevertheless cautioned that it’s likelier the game will only return to our screens in the near-term. Ultimately, he said, “it’s gonna be the virus that determines what the timetable is.”
It’s still largely speculative at this point, but a paying gate would certainly help the league deal with some of the thorniest issues it faces. A full-throated disagreement blossomed yesterday between the league and union over player salaries in a no-fan scenario. And legal action is brewing over the lack of refunds for 2020 tickets.
How is everybody here doing? Both in your own lives, and without baseball as well?
Honestly, this season is a wash to me. I don’t see baseball coming back, especially with fans, until next season.
On top of that, all the crazy rule changes and ideas they’re working on just to salvage the season — no leagues, modified roster sizes, games in 1 or 2 cities — it just seems silly to me, like it’s not baseball.
That’s just me though. Some days I handle it better than others. The place (hotel) I work at just closed, but I am 1 of 5 people (out of 110) that are still there while it’s closed, so I’m still employed at least, but… I’ve worked 40 days in a row now (by choice).
Anyway, I digress. Hope everybody is doing OK. Baseball would make this a lot better.
I’m bored, but I guess the silver lining is that I’m getting a lot of work done around the house lol.
I spent my 1200 at home depot.
So Superstar Car Wash question for you is the season a “Wash” for you because you are in the car wash business or just because you really think it is a wash?
Is this a play on words superstar tell us tell us.
I’m in Ny, bored as well without sports, a gym, eating out, going to stores, etc.
But I still have a regular 9-5 job so thankful for that. Seems like NY will be last in terms of when everything opens up again. But I try not to dwell on it because it just makes me more agitated and stressed.
I was trying like mad to find day of the week underwear as the days are all blending together. Then I realized, who am I kidding? I’ve been going commando for three weeks. Stay safe & sane everyone.
This is the American dream @Stealing signs.
I see nothing wrong with waking up at 10, showering and putting the pajamas back on.
Agree. Don’t like these silly proposed rules changes.
This is my busy time off year so I hardly notice. Summer is when things slow for me and I always look forward to catching dozens of games, MLB MiLB or independent, I don’t care I’ll watch a little league game just to be at the ball park, that’s kinda weird though when people ask which kid is mine and I have to hide my face behind my full length trench coat and say “none of them”, they look at me weird just cause I’m wearing a trench coat in 95+ degree temperatures.
@Not a, you made me laugh out loud! The trench coat image was too much. Thank you! I needed the LOL.
Regarding the OP, I’ll take ANY televised baseball at this point. I agree, it may be weird with mixed leagues, shorter inning games/double-headers, no live fans cheering……or whatever else they do to open the season and get some games in…..I don’t care. I’ll take pro baseball in any form right now!!
I’d rather see a two state plan of Texas and Arizona. Florida is just an irresponsible state (So many young people in Miami and Florida in general), I’d just expect a lot of parties and stuff for their teams (I’m not trying to generalize the entire state btw, most people in Florida are good, but it only takes a few people to make the virus spread again). There are also SO many minor league parks in Texas and AZ plus their MLB parks. And it would only keep it down to two states instead of three, but I don’t make decisions.
Hey man come on now your just trying to steal the thunder for your own state of Texas we see what you are doing, we want some love here in Florida too man
It could work in the Tampa area though. Three games a day at the Trop and morning/mid-day games at Steinbrenner field or the other spring training fields in Clearwater, Dunedin, or Bradenton. Morning games would avoid the daily rain and heat of the summertime. The Trop is looking pretty good now in the face of possibly no baseball!
If more sites are possible it gives us a greater possibility of the season actually happening. We have some great ballparks here in Texas but the problem is they are spread out so much
I don’t care what the eventual plan is, I just want baseball back
Good to hear that optimistic news, and I really do hope that, the public health situation permitting, we see some form of baseball this year, even if it is not exactly what we are used to
No baseball till 2022
What logic brings you to this conclusion?
Probably a doctor
Probably not a good one, then.
Logic doesn’t play a role in anything anymore, really.
It will be fun to come back and see all the wildly incorrect doomsday scenarios posted here and elsewhere when the opposite happens. If I were a more petty person, I’d take down names and mock them relentlessly.
I see no point of resuming the game this season since it’s most likely to close again once some fan catches the virus (not a flyball) in the stadium unless Manfred is willing to still continue even then. If he does, he should really be fired.
Even if they play without fans, what happens when a player gets it? Is the rest of his team quarantined? If all teams are playing in 1 or 2 stadiums in Texas or Florida, are they quarantined since they were probably in proximity of the infected player(s)? Such a mess.
I hope you realize this virus may never fully go away. It is the reality of life. Everyone has to push on and hope for the best. The alternative is to shut everything down for years. Then what do we do when COVID-20 (just making this name up but I hope you get the point) comes along?
There is some kind of middle ground between “carry on” and “shut everything down for years” that incorporates a potential vaccine, herd immunity, test (including antibody) availability, and a general adaptation to a lifestyle considerate of the residual risks associated with the virus.
Of course the risk will have to be balanced and, like GoYanks, I think operations will (incorrectly) come to a grinding halt accompanied by some public outrage WHEN someone tests positive at or around a “non-essential” resumed activity.
Public outrage shouldn’t influence public or health policy.
The 23 million people who have lost their jobs in the last month are probably pretty outraged at the moment.
Public outrage should always play a role in public policy. Our nation was set up with a government of the people, not a government that tells the people what to do
Start the season without fans, and no managers, coaches or support staff over the age of 50.
You know young people are getting it and dieing also.
Very few. The majority of deaths, unfortunately, are the elderly, those with secondary and tertiary health issues, and the obese,
But it happens…in his statement he is implying won’t happen. Not a foolproof plan. So there is still risk for a player or staff member.
The death rate of people under 65 without underlying conditions is extremely low, way under the death rate of flu, dying in a car wreck, and many other things. Many
Teams will be scrambling to find new managers, coaches and support staff.
Spectators will NOT happen. NO CHANCE! I want positive news but my state Massachusetts just canceled school for the rest of the year along with several other states. If the least at risk population cant congregate the fairly more at risk are unlikely to be as able to as well..
Its not unreasonable to think late in the season there can be fans in 1 out of every 4 seats.
One fan in every 4 seats would set attendance records in Miami and Tampa.
Difference is most schools would end in the next couple of months anyway, baseball would go to November at minimum
As little as I trust Manfred (and probably more accurately, the owners he is the puppet for), I have to wonder if this is a “reaction announcement” to the news posted earlier of attempts being made to file class-action lawsuits. If he/they keep floating the “hey, it still might happen” scenario, they can likely keep the money longer.
This is what I was just thinking. As long as there is any possibility that games might resume with fans, MLB gets to hold everyone’s ticket money. But realistically, I live in California where the governor and the mayor of Los Angeles have already pretty much ruled out sporting events with fans for the remainder of the year. Even if somehow games played in AZ or TX allowed fans, how can my tickets I purchased for Dodger Stadium games be transferable? MLB execs holding our money is a complete travesty. I need to feed my family right now.
Don’t buy season tickets if having money to feed your family could become an issue.
Try to be a little more sympathetic. You don’t know that person’s situation. Maybe they bought tickets way in advance of this pandemic and were put out work because of the pandemic. Every little bit helps right now
Buying season tickets for a professional sports team is not some $5 high school play. If you are not completely financially stable do not do it. If your season tickets were payed for with a chunk of a paycheck to paycheck you should not have bought them. If you don’t have enough money to feed your family with income cutting off, you should absolutely not have season tickets.
They didn’t say season tickets. Of course you don’t buy season tickets living paycheck to paycheck.
Fans should be given at least the option to get a refund if they so choose. I highly doubt games will be played in their home parks this year so what does it matter if they have to wait for it to be “cancelled”. It’s stupid. At least give fans an option
If a 2020 MLB season can be carefully and thoughtfully executed, it would be a huge moral boost!
Place NL west in Seattle, AL west in Phoenix, NL central in Houston, AL central in Milwaukee, AL east in Miami, NL east in Toronto. No homefield advantage, 2 games be per day, @ 1pm& 7pm, one team off each day, play 30 games vs each div opp (4) for 120 game schedule June 1-Sept 30, all games played in divisional time zones for TV with local broadcast & ESPN Fox broadcast for all tv revenue. No rainouts since all games in domes, regular playoff format in the domes. No fans at games.
No fans in the domes, but all fans will see their team on local TV in their time zone.
He has to hold out hope, however false, that a full schedule with fans in their own parks is possible. With the lawsuits being organized, if not filed, against the owners, officially cancelling even one day of the 2020 would obligate the owners to refund tickets. This way he can keep stringing those fans and lawsuits along.
What lawsuits? I was unaware the owners are currently facing litigation.
It seems that lawsuits are in the “getting prepared” stage for now…
mlbtraderumors.com/2020/04/mlb-ticket-lawsuit-seek…
Ah! I guess the success of this may depend on the contractual obligations between seller and buyer. If part of the purchase states something about refunds not allowed for certain reasons then it maybe hard to get the refund outside of a complete shutdown. If there is not stipulation, then the tickets should be refunded.
We could get back to normal faster if dumb dumb protestors and their even bigger dumb dumb fuhrer would just suck it up and not actively make things worse.
Or if the democrappers would work for what is good for America and not their left wing loon agenda.
Or if the democrappers would work for what is good for America and not their left wing loon agenda.
I think what would be best is if both of you went away, though I place more blame on njbirdsfan for starting this stupidity.
No politics
I emailed the team’s ticket office requesting full refund on my 12 tix. After a week, they finally replied asking me for ticket information and now they have provided me a full refund. Thank you Halos….
Resign!!
The parks that are in Az. are in the middle of mostly retired communities. I got to go to one spring training game before it was shut down. I miss baseball so if they do play in Az. and let fans in, I will be there. I have made over 300 mask free of charge because I love to sew and had the supplies. People who wanted to donate I accepted and raised money for the veterans outdoors. My son-in-law is a 20 year plus retired veteran and is part of the organization. Anyway it kept me busy and from missing watching my team the Rangers.