When Will the 2020 MLB Season Begin? (Poll)

[Moose Milligan]

2 minutes ago, 24fps said:

 

Rob Manfred "Nothing off the Table" for MLB's Possible Schedule Post-Coronavirus

Bleacher Report article:  https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2883115-rob-manfred-nothing-off-the-table-for-mlbs-possible-schedule-post-coronavirus?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_medium=referral

 

I'm less optimistic than Rob.

 

The southern hemisphere is neutral.  Why not December or even January?  Actually this is not a terrible idea.

It's a terrible idea.  You can't have these guys cram a bunch of games in and play into December or January and then give them a month and a half off and ramp up spring training in mid-February.  

I want sports back as much as anyone else but I'm suspect that this is going to be a race between the MLB and the NBA to figure out who can be the first to have a completely captive audience.  Which could be a pretty bad idea if you've got a bunch of athletes that are a bit rusty all of a sudden trying to compete at a high level.

This all said, I don't think there's much to speculate on.  I'm thinking the NBA loses the rest of their season and there's no baseball season at all.  This whole pandemic is still on the upswing, there's no telling how long it could last.

[Mr. Chewbacca Jr.]

5 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

It's a terrible idea.  You can't have these guys cram a bunch of games in and play into December or January and then give them a month and a half off and ramp up spring training in mid-February.  

I want sports back as much as anyone else but I'm suspect that this is going to be a race between the MLB and the NBA to figure out who can be the first to have a completely captive audience.  Which could be a pretty bad idea if you've got a bunch of athletes that are a bit rusty all of a sudden trying to compete at a high level.

This all said, I don't think there's much to speculate on.  I'm thinking the NBA loses the rest of their season and there's no baseball season at all.  This whole pandemic is still on the upswing, there's no telling how long it could last.

A lot of these articles are misleading. They take a quote from Manfred saying, "We're open to anything" and then list a bunch of nutty ideas from Scott Boras.

Manfred has straight up said he's not expecting to play 162 games. I think they'll try doubleheaders to increase some games - but like you mentioned, I can't see the season going late into the year because 1) It'd impact next season 2) There's a chance of another surge of this in the winter.

One thing I could see them being interested in is playing the World Series in a neutral site. It'd allow them to experiment with making it something like the Super Bowl.

[atomic]

 

 

9 minutes ago, 24fps said:

 

Rob Manfred "Nothing off the Table" for MLB's Possible Schedule Post-Coronavirus

Bleacher Report article:  https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2883115-rob-manfred-nothing-off-the-table-for-mlbs-possible-schedule-post-coronavirus?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_medium=referral

 

I'm less optimistic than Rob.

 

The southern hemisphere is neutral.  Why not December or even January?  Actually this is not a terrible idea.

Meanwhile Doctor Fauci said expect there to be waves of the disease. For it to go away and then come back again.  Unless the majority of players have gone through the disease and recovered or there is a vaccine I am not sure how you have games.

And who knows if there will ever be a vaccine.  There is no Vaccine to prevent HIV.  

Maurice Hilleman created 8 of the 14 vaccines that children are given.  He created 40 vaccines in his lifetime. He is said to have saved more lives than anyone in history.  Yet most people never heard of him.  And his one note of fame is he received death threats from anti-vaxxers.  

[atomic]

3 minutes ago, Mr. Chewbacca Jr. said:

A lot of these articles are misleading. They take a quote from Manfred saying, "We're open to anything" and then list a bunch of nutty ideas from Scott Boras.

Manfred has straight up said he's not expecting to play 162 games. I think they'll try doubleheaders to increase some games - but like you mentioned, I can't see the season going late into the year because 1) It'd impact next season 2) There's a chance of another surge of this in the winter.

One thing I could see them being interested in is playing the World Series in a neutral site. It'd allow them to experiment with making it something like the Super Bowl.

Make the World Series one game.  That might make it more interesting. Or just have the season be double elimination playoffs.  

[Moose Milligan]

3 minutes ago, Mr. Chewbacca Jr. said:

A lot of these articles are misleading. They take a quote from Manfred saying, "We're open to anything" and then list a bunch of nutty ideas from Scott Boras.

Manfred has straight up said he's not expecting to play 162 games. I think they'll try doubleheaders to increase some games - but like you mentioned, I can't see the season going late into the year because 1) It'd impact next season 2) There's a chance of another surge of this in the winter.

One thing I could see them being interested in is playing the World Series in a neutral site. It'd allow them to experiment with making it something like the Super Bowl.

Well I hope he's not listening to Scott Boras.  I'd laugh my ass off if he said "We're open to anything except what Scott Boras has to offer, no matter how logical it is."  

I don't think there's any way the MLBPA agrees to doubleheaders.  They'll complain (somewhat validly) that it's too much stress after having been off for so long.  

We also need to keep in mind that if they wanted to start in mid-May, they're going to need some ramp up time.  That guy from the Blue Jays said the other day that he thinks they'll need a month to get ready.  I'm not sure how accurate that is, but for arguments sake let's say that's true.  That would mean they'd have to start getting ready around April 15th.  I'm not sure if that's going to be possible.

Best case, I think there's an 81 game season which, to me and probably all of us, is better than nothing.  But whoever goes on and wins the World Series...its just not the same.

[Can_of_corn]

17 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Well I hope he's not listening to Scott Boras.  I'd laugh my ass off if he said "We're open to anything except what Scott Boras has to offer, no matter how logical it is."  

I don't think there's any way the MLBPA agrees to doubleheaders.  They'll complain (somewhat validly) that it's too much stress after having been off for so long.  

We also need to keep in mind that if they wanted to start in mid-May, they're going to need some ramp up time.  That guy from the Blue Jays said the other day that he thinks they'll need a month to get ready.  I'm not sure how accurate that is, but for arguments sake let's say that's true.  That would mean they'd have to start getting ready around April 15th.  I'm not sure if that's going to be possible.

Best case, I think there's an 81 game season which, to me and probably all of us, is better than nothing.  But whoever goes on and wins the World Series...its just not the same.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28951069/mlb-union-weighing-variables-related-potential-restart-season

Quote

Multiple players told ESPN they are willing to play a significant number of doubleheaders -- as many as two per week -- to make up for lost games and try to get as close to a full 162-game schedule as possible.

 

[Can_of_corn]

If they are going with two doubleheaders a week just let teams play with their full 40 man rosters.  That way the MLBPA gets extra service time for their members.

[UpstateNYfan]

The Southern Hemisphere is not neutral....Ecuador has severe restrictions, Brazil has outbreaks...they are into Fall, new outbreaks. Geeezzz, this is a pandemic, get serious.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

[atomic]

Seriously baseball has zero importance. And the owners,players and agents have enough money that this isn't going to cause them irreparable harm money wise. Baseball players are young and healthy.  If they are available they could help deliver food or work at hospitals.  All this self-centered things from Manfred and Boras is pretty sickening.  

[Going Underground]

 

[eddie83]

1 minute ago, Going Underground said:

 

Sometimes comments like this grate at me. I know what he is getting at but who knows how many rich people have donated money? Just because it isn’t made public doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. 

[eddie83]

18 minutes ago, atomic said:

Seriously baseball has zero importance. And the owners,players and agents have enough money that this isn't going to cause them irreparable harm money wise. Baseball players are young and healthy.  If they are available they could help deliver food or work at hospitals.  All this self-centered things from Manfred and Boras is pretty sickening.  

Wanting to play your sport and bring some level of normalcy back to the world is not being selfish. 

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, eddie83 said:

Wanting to play your sport and bring some level of normalcy back to the world is not being selfish. 

FDR certainly thought it was important.

[Mr. Chewbacca Jr.]

58 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Well I hope he's not listening to Scott Boras.  I'd laugh my ass off if he said "We're open to anything except what Scott Boras has to offer, no matter how logical it is."  

I don't think there's any way the MLBPA agrees to doubleheaders.  They'll complain (somewhat validly) that it's too much stress after having been off for so long.  

We also need to keep in mind that if they wanted to start in mid-May, they're going to need some ramp up time.  That guy from the Blue Jays said the other day that he thinks they'll need a month to get ready.  I'm not sure how accurate that is, but for arguments sake let's say that's true.  That would mean they'd have to start getting ready around April 15th.  I'm not sure if that's going to be possible.

Best case, I think there's an 81 game season which, to me and probably all of us, is better than nothing.  But whoever goes on and wins the World Series...its just not the same.

That was my immediate reaction too - but the more I read, the more it seems a large number of players are in FAVOR of doubleheaders. They want the stats.

When Manfred is saying ramp up in mid-May, that means "Spring Training." So, a month to get ready - then you're starting Regular Season games in June. That's the best case scenario at this point. I'm by no means an expert, but the more I've been reading, I'm cautiously optimistic that is do-able.