MLB looking into starting the season in MAY

[Uli2001]

I didn't see a thread, so here it goes.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29004498/mlb-union-focused-plan-allow-season-start-early-arizona

I hope this proposal to play in empty stadiums in Arizona is not serious, because it's laughable. It shows how out of touch league executives are.

[DrungoHazewood]

I get that this seems really strange, because it is.  But the reasoning is that getting paid something is better than not getting paid at all.  Some revenues from TV are better than no revenues at all.  The complications are many, including what happens when a team has multiple players who get the virus and need to be quarantined?  That seems pretty likely.

We hear all kinds of stories of pro athletes being bankrupt within a short amount of time after being out of the league.  You know that there are MLB players who essentially live paycheck to paycheck, counting on their salary to pay for their $2M house and the house they bought for their mom and house they bought for their best buddy, and the $2500 a month for their Aston Martin, and the attendant for their pet tiger.  That's the kind of guy who wants to play in front of no fans in Arizona. 

[scOtt]

If, and this is a big unknown if, IF the games are televised to the HOME RSNs, MASN YES NESN etc., then I'm all for it.

Butts in front of screens means revenue for the league and the teams. Means the players get PAID. It's all FAR from ideal but it is what it is in these strange days.

 

 

[scOtt]

Not to mention... it might not mean 4 1/2 months of isolation. This virus could abate enough that real baseball in real stadiums with fans would be possible before September/October.

[Enjoy Terror]

I just wonder what happens when you start throwing 26+ in a locker room and someone picks up the virus? Like, say the Yankees have Gleyber, Cole, Tanaka, and four members of the bullpen get this thing.... do the Yankees still play games?

[Aristotelian]

6 minutes ago, scOtt said:

If, and this is a big unknown if, IF the games are televised to the HOME RSNs, MASN YES NESN etc., then I'm all for it.

I think TV would be the whole point. Would get the league some revenue and give us fans some entertainment while we are still in semi-lockdown.

[jarman86]

7 minutes ago, scOtt said:

If, and this is a big unknown if, IF the games are televised to the HOME RSNs, MASN YES NESN etc., then I'm all for it.

Butts in front of screens means revenue for the league and the teams. Means the players get PAID. It's all FAR from ideal but it is what it is in these strange days.

 

 

Without a doubt they are televised.  Production quality may be unknown.  Maybe a camera behind home plate that doesn't move like college teams and maybe one or two cameramen controlling established cameras remotely or on-site.  My guess is it would be one camera crew covering the game and it would have announcers remotely.  This is done with Olympics and European soccer games.  

[DrungoHazewood]

11 minutes ago, Enjoy Terror said:

I just wonder what happens when you start throwing 26+ in a locker room and someone picks up the virus? Like, say the Yankees have Gleyber, Cole, Tanaka, and four members of the bullpen get this thing.... do the Yankees still play games?

If it's the Yanks or Sox I think the only correct options are to have them use minor league players or forfeit.  Anyone else they just postpone the games.

[DrungoHazewood]

7 minutes ago, jarman86 said:

Without a doubt they are televised.  Production quality may be unknown.  Maybe a camera behind home plate that doesn't move like college teams and maybe one or two cameramen controlling established cameras remotely or on-site.  My guess is it would be one camera crew covering the game and it would have announcers remotely.  This is done with Olympics and European soccer games.  

I just came up with the greatest idea ever: Have Tom Davis roam around the empty stadium, giving the out-of-town scores and pretending to steal the non-existent people's food like it's a bizarro version of HTS in 1989.

[UpstateNYfan]

Has anyone watched late night shows without audiences?? It has largely failed. Comedians, entertainers, pro athletes etc need a live audience for it to be enjoyable. The games will be nothing more than a scrimmage, get 'er done, adios. Players get paid, teams will get T revenue. Baseball (and other team sports) are not exactly good role models for hygiene. Spitting, throwing drinks, gum, etc around, and some poor dugout guy cleans up their shit. Social distancing?? These guys away from family are not going to sit in a hotel room and watch TV. A dozen or so games in AZ each day, night..... I think temps are commonly in the upper 90's +.  As Enjoy Terror said, what if a team member tests positive? Do you really think he is likely to be the only positive on the team? And for those that pity the overstretched finances of players, think about all the small businesses that are NOT likely to come back. Baseball will come back, the players and teams will once again make huge sums of $$$. This MLB plan, driven by owner billionaires will be an embarrassment to the game IMO.

[jarman86]

4 minutes ago, UpstateNYfan said:

Has anyone watched late night shows without audiences?? It has largely failed. Comedians, entertainers, pro athletes etc need a live audience for it to be enjoyable. The games will be nothing more than a scrimmage, get 'er done, adios. Players get paid, teams will get T revenue. Baseball (and other team sports) are not exactly good role models for hygiene. Spitting, throwing drinks, gum, etc around, and some poor dugout guy cleans up their shit. Social distancing?? These guys away from family are not going to sit in a hotel room and watch TV. A dozen or so games in AZ each day, night..... I think temps are commonly in the upper 90's +.  As Enjoy Terror said, what if a team member tests positive? Do you really think he is likely to be the only positive on the team? And for those that pity the overstretched finances of players, think about all the small businesses that are NOT likely to come back. Baseball will come back, the players and teams will once again make huge sums of $$$. This MLB plan, driven by owner billionaires will be an embarrassment to the game IMO.

I still watch Daily Show religiously, and you are right, it is weird, but to me it is also better than nothing.  That is my approach on pro sports.  It will be weird if they start, just like it was weird to watch the O's/White Sox game during the riots.  I don't recall hearing any cussing, but its been awhile. 

Sponsors/teams/television stations with contracts are losing money.  They want to clog that gap.  Players who are pending free agents don't want to miss a season or be ppd one season away from free agency.  I think everyone is getting a bit cabin fever and for players sitting in hotels playing their game, probably 6-7 hour days would be better than being stuck at home.  

Am I sure its the right or smart idea? No.  Is it possible we start up and shut down again in a month? Yes.  Will I watch games if they start? Absolutely.  

[scOtt]

36 minutes ago, jarman86 said:

Without a doubt they are televised.  Production quality may be unknown.  Maybe a camera behind home plate that doesn't move like college teams and maybe one or two cameramen controlling established cameras remotely or on-site.  My guess is it would be one camera crew covering the game and it would have announcers remotely.  This is done with Olympics and European soccer games.  

I didn't think of that. I wondered to myself that Thorne, Bordick the rest of the crew aren't going to sequester themselves for the duration. And it sounds like they are not going to be able to come in, then leave, then come back in. Remote announcers works (even if they're not our announcers.)

[scOtt]

10 minutes ago, jarman86 said:

I still watch Daily Show religiously, and you are right, it is weird, but to me it is also better than nothing.  That is my approach on pro sports.  It will be weird if they start, just like it was weird to watch the O's/White Sox game during the riots.  I don't recall hearing any cussing, but its been awhile. 

Sponsors/teams/television stations with contracts are losing money.  They want to clog that gap.  Players who are pending free agents don't want to miss a season or be ppd one season away from free agency.  I think everyone is getting a bit cabin fever and for players sitting in hotels playing their game, probably 6-7 hour days would be better than being stuck at home.  

Am I sure its the right or smart idea? No.  Is it possible we start up and shut down again in a month? Yes.  Will I watch games if they start? Absolutely.  

ALL of this post! Especially the bolded part. It would be better than nothing. It would be baseball for fans to watch and for players to play. It would be weird but these are unprecedentedly weird times.

[ChosenOne21]

Were I running the show, I'd test all players for coronavirus upon reporting to Arizona and at semi-regular intervals. If they test positive, they go on the IL and can't be activated until they test negative. Obviously that's not a complete policy, but it's the jist of what I think they should do if they decide to go forward with this

[scOtt]

From Roch's interview with Cal posted today:

Quote

Roch: ... How hard is it going to be for these players having to stop and restart spring training and perhaps play a season under very unusual circumstances - like the latest report about the possibility of playing all of the games in Arizona?”

Ripken: “I’m someone, as you know, who likes to think about things and have more details before you offer an opinion, but my first response was positive. I’m glad that MLB is trying to figure this out, as complicated as it is, because I think the role of Major League Baseball is one of helping in times of trouble. There’s no way that I would have believed after 9/11 the role that baseball would have played, but coming back and playing baseball is a way to kind of focus on America’s pastime and to feel good and maybe be a distraction. And maybe in that case to heal a little bit.

https://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2020/04/ripken-on-twitter-account-strike-out-hunger-campaign-and-more.html