COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into Major League Baseball’s plans throughout the past few months, and Monday was no different. The Marlins-Orioles and Yankees-Phillies games were both postponed because of the outbreak affecting the Miami club, which has seen 11 of the 33 players on its 30-man roster and three-man taxi squad test positive. The Marlins-O’s matchup on Tuesday will also be pushed back as a result, but commissioner Rob Manfred expressed confidence Monday that the 60-game season will still be able to take place.
“We think we can keep people safe and continue to play,” Manfred said (per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com and Bill Shakin of the Los Angeles Times), adding that the league hasn’t seriously considering shutting down the season at this point. For MLB to do that, it would require one of its teams “losing a number of players that rendered it completely non-competitive,” Manfred stated.
Whether the Marlins are “non-competitive” in their current state isn’t fully clear, as the identities of their players who tested positive aren’t known right now. They certainly appear to be at a disadvantage, though. The Fish were scheduled to play the Orioles in Miami, but the two could instead square off in Baltimore on Wednesday if the Marlins’ coronavirus tests yield the desired results, according to Manfred (via Shaikin). Manfred expects that the latest results from Miami and Philadelphia (which hosted the Marlins over the weekend) will come in Monday night, and the league will issue an update Tuesday, Hoch tweets.
It’s hard to call this anything but a terrible outcome for MLB, whose season just kicked off and looks less certain than ever to finish, but Manfred’s taking an optimistic approach for the time being. He insisted (via Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald) that this is not “a nightmare situation” for the sport.
Put me in, Marlins. I played a little high school ball.
Manfred you need to resign.
Manfred seems impervious to reality and devoid of leadership skills. Deep in the pocket of the owners is where you’ll find Manfred.
Of course he’s in the owners pockets. It’s his job.
… deep in those pockets.
… the owners pick the commissioner
This isn’t his fault. People who don’t know that are impervious to realty.
The players have to isolate. If they don’t, bad things happen.
I am impervious to realty. I own my own house.
Well played.
That was a great reply!
It’s not a matter of fault, it’s a matter of reality at an unprecedented time. Adjust. A time that calls for an open-minded approach to traditional roles. MLB’s plan, no doubt agreed upon by the MLBPA, was fragile from the outset. Manfred, officially or otherwise, has a duty to keep the players safe. All the owners in the world are of no use without players. Manfred has come supremely undone since the Astros scandal broke. It’s been a long, inelegant fall.
30 Parks. I like your take. Twenty Five year olds are not going to avoid that groupie in the hotel lobby. Maybe if they do it for their buddy in the clubhouse they might.
It’s frustrating, Halo.
and the rest (ok, a significant portion) if the country is being idiotic, as well. That’s why we are still a complete mess 6 months in while other countries have successfully returned to some type of normalcy.
Conversely, all the players in the world are of no use without the owners.
But MLB can’t make the rest of the country be less stupid. So from their perspective there are only two choices:
1) do not play baseball and players catch coronavirus
2) play baseball and players catch coronavirus
Which do you prefer? To watch the owners own or the players play?
I think you’re spot on 30 Parks. If the season was to end early, it would be interesting to see how MLB handles the draft.
@Halo11fan – Are you going to blame all of this on players not being able to keep it in their pants?
MLB make the rest of the world less stupid? Take a look at the Covid-19 infected and dead. Can we be less stupid? (With apologies to Friends)
Asymptomatic defined
asymptomatic if a patient is a carrier for a disease or infection but experiences no symptoms. A condition might be asymptomatic if it fails to show the noticeable symptoms with which it is usually associated. Asymptomatic infections are also called subclinical infections.
thanks doc
Actually Manfred is a really good commish. Unfortunately fans see everything black and white, either good or bad. and do not understand the balance needed to find middle ground for all stakeholders: owners, players, fans, broadcasting, etc.
What do you want him to say?
We tried but time to shut it down.
The owners are the ones paying him so yeah he’s in the pockets all around. How deep is just a number but I think he(manfred) likes it…
The Marlins were never really in contention.
Here’s my thinking: Phillies players who contracted the virus in the last 24-48 hours will likely still test negative. Hold off for one more day on them, have the Orioles and Yankees play a 3 game series instead of sitting around, and minimize the number of double headers needed down the stretch.
Phillies players almost certainly didn’t contract the virus from Miami players as they passed on the base paths. Without knowing what Miami players even got it, it’s possible none of them were even on the field.
i tend to agree, though i still think it’s worth just pushing the Yankees series to the end of the year just to make sure/ameliorate scheduling concerns of having to squish in games.
My only question is, which strip club did they visit?
Is it just me or are the people in the world that pay the employees using the employees as canaries in the coal mines to see if it’s safe for them and their families to come out?
I hope that is just you, @marlinfanbase.
I’ve been to every one of our builds alongside my tradesman. Some of these guys have been with me for over a decade. We are loyal to one another.
Not sure if that’s how things are everywhere, as I have only my experience to share. I know that some places owning a business is not fashionable these days. And, those of us that do are frequently targets of some very negative accusations lately.
But the reality is I’m not an Evil Person, bro. I can’t begin to explain to you how difficult the decision to keep going was for my partner and myself. The equation changes a lot when you are responsible for the sole & primary income for a fairly large number of people.
I hope I expressed that in a clear and sincere way as that was my intent.
You’re one person. The reality humans are humans and the reality that being human a lot of times means the bad sides as well. For example, we have a president that wants all kids back in school, but he says it’s a personal decision when ask if he’ll lead by example and send his own son to school. I’m sure many others in power politically or financially are doing the same thing of pushing the working class and small business owners out there as canaries while they wait to see how it works out for the masses before they come out from their isolation. I am a small business owner, but I’m lucky enough that we operate remotely for years, so me and my staff have changed nothing except adjusting to times that allow us to deal with other responsibilities that come from isolation with the family.
If we didn’t work remotely, I’d definitely have transitioned over during this. Sadly, there aren’t that many of us that care enough about other humans to stand up for what’s right. I have a conscience and would rather lose a business than cost a life. And I certainly wouldn’t use people to see if it’s safe for me. The reality is, it looks like others are doing just that, which is why I made my statement. It looks like it.
well stated marlinfanbase
Safe to say, there’s a big difference between the mentality of small business owners and large corporations. Then again, in many cases, I’m sure there isn’t. Regardless, I think Marlinfanbase is spot on in his assertion that, as a society, we use the laboring class as guinea pigs.
Yes exactly. What bothered me and made me start thinking about this was when I saw all the celebrities doing their “all eyes on me” thing with their families while safely in their mansions and not having to worry about the same things that small business owners and the working class have to worry about…and then our politicians pushing for people to get back out there working and to school because “everything will be fine once we get the economy going again”. That right there was clearly all about money and not about people’s health. And while all of them were pushing for schools to open fast, people don’t realize that kids of celebrities and politicians don’t go to the same schools as everyone else, so it’s easy for them to say that. Then, our president who has been sounding that call clearly won’t be sending his own son to school if it means being exposed to the same things that most Americans’ kids will be exposed to. So, they hide in their mansions with their families while they send the working class to work to make them more money, and they send the kids of the working class back to school, while not being so quick to send their own kids back to school – even those prestigious schools.
Essentially, this is looking like working class used as the canaries in the coal mine. Very sad that this is what is shown during such a difficult time in our world’s history.
At some point if you make a decision in life to start a business, maybe it’s on you. I’m not getting any of the profits during the good times, so why are my taxpayers being used for something in which I get zero return?
You just got a tax cut 3 years ago…where are all the jobs and where did all the money go?
Who’s helping the working class put food on the table, or pay the mortgage?
I guess just on a business sense I’m not buying that.
Look.
My biggest expense of any job is not materials, or boom trucks, or permits, or whatever. It’s labor. By a large margin. Trustworthy, reliable, skilled, intelligent crews don’t just grow on trees.
That’s not how it works. No business owner is going to jeopardize that in the name of some grand experiment. The *same thing* goes for the owners of MLB teams, man.
I know unfounded accusations of using a labor force as “guinea pigs” is inflammatory and sounds good. I get it. But no business owner in their right mind would do something like that.
Even if you want to take away the human element (i.e. “some of these guys have been with me for over a decade”) it doesn’t make fiscal sense in the least.
I guess you’d maybe have to experience it from a position similar to mine to really understand just how off base such an accusation really is. But, again, I get it. I hear baseless accusations all the time lately.
I guess that’s just all part of the fun, man.
Yes, this whole thing is a mess. The only thing that I think we all can do is look out for each other to get through all of this. Showing the ugly sides of humanity during this is not going to help. Many seem to have grown in arrogance to think that power over other men means power over all. This is one of those cases when I feel we all need to take a step back and look at the human survival angle of all of this. No matter what your life philosophy, theological belief, concepts are, the story is the same – man is not the strongest existence…nature…a creator…an existence…etc. is stronger than man and money isn’t going to buy that away. We have to survive as humans first and foremost.
What happens if the mutations of this virus becomes stronger and starts killing the healthiest and strongest among us?
So worried about what I’m seeing out of us.
Laboring class as guinea pigs? I’m not sure how low-skilled workers are and I’d like some examples of this.
The reality is low-skilled workers have to work because there is no other option for them. They lack the “skill” to move into better occupations. Also, what do you suppose we do with them? With the U.S. dollar index falling, I doubt we can accommodate the laboring class with more money. Eventually that prescription with run out.
While there is no easy answer, we have to ask should we protect the laboring class from COVID-19 by making them stay home yet they lose their income, housing, and maybe even medical benefits? Within the next two months you are going to see record level evictions because many won’t have money to pay rent.
Exactly, it is very expensive to train replacement employees.
Fair points, but you’re just one person. Remember, larger companies replace employees more ease than changing underwear. Remember, these are the same ownerships that laid off people to save money, but now want to push people back out there and are offering jobs to get them back out there. And many people who didn’t lose their jobs are getting back our there out of fear of losing their jobs to someone who is unemployed and is willing to get back out there. That isn’t treating employees as valuable assets. That’s treating them as easily replaceable pieces.
All fair statements. All complicated to solve.
I was point to the ugliness that I see.
Okay the employment aspect can be debated all day long with no end.
So what about sending kids to school and these individuals who are pushing for it are clearly showing that they won’t be sending their own kids to school? If things are as safe as they say it is, why not send their kids to school too? Why not get out to the companies that they own instead of running them from home? I don’t know how that can be explained without reaching. If I really feel it’s safe for my employees to where I make them go to work, I can go by the office as well…right? If I feel it’s safe for kids to go back to school, I can send my kids to school too…right?
With all due respect, why does anyone have to help them?
16 years ago I suddenly became a single parent. We lived in a 350 square foot studio apartment.
No one helped me, bro. Rather I took responsibility for myself and my son. I worked my butt off. I got zero handouts. It was not easy, that’s for sure.
My son’s and my circumstances are markedly different today. I don’t need to trumpet the details. I arrived here due to effort. Plain and simple. Nothing fancy.
Had I been given a bunch of handouts my guess is I’d still be stuck in that crummy apartment. Waiting on yet another handout.
I’m just a dude that worked hard. Nothing special. That same (!) opportunity awaits everyone. Heck, I’m perpetually hiring sales guys. Lately nobody is applying because that would mess up their unemployment and stimulus checks. Think about that.
My partner and I run a good honest company. We build good jobs. We take care of our people. But it is expected that they work hard and contribute.
Or whatever.
That’s the thing @fanbase
This stuff *is* complicated. And the only thing that will be at all helpful is to try and discover some kind of common ground and actual communication.
Inflammatory rhetoric destroys any chance of that.
Fair points, but I worked to get myself out of the inner city to build my business. Maybe that upbringing made me think differently because life was always made harder. I just feel we’re humans. If I want others to get out there and work and send their kids to school, I can only do it if I am willing to do the same.
I’m still wondering how it’s wrong to say that people should practice what they preach? I’m still wondering how anyone can look at what’s happening and deny that there aren’t selfish, uncaring people that are using the working class and small business owners as canaries in the coal mines. It’s clear as day when you see people sending people out there, but are unwilling to go out there themselves. I’m not going out there. I’m not sending my employees out there either.
Love stories like that Bucky. I’ve gone from being a college dropout driving a tractor to opening my own division at a lender…and looking to hire a couple of sales guys ha ha.
I think those of us who start lower in life appreciate the people in our employ and those who provide a quality service in our business world. We know how hard it is out there.
@Ducky
Actually, I wasn’t trying to push inflammatory rhetoric. I was just pointing out an observation.
And sadly, from what we all see from both political parties, I don’t think anyone is willing to find middle grounds. That’s another sad thing I’m seeing.
Honestly, all of this makes me sad to see how we’re all handling things during this. In all honesty, I never thought I’d see this in my lifetime. How wrong I was!
@halos
You hit another key element in all of this.
I think we can all agree that there is a difference between all of us that came from modest means and worked our tails off to gain a piece of the pie versus the ones that essentially are lucky sperm. They’re the ones that seem to be making most of these decisions, while we all that worked for it can have a debate and discussion knowing how complicated all of this is, and at the same time have the compassion for people.
I’m not the guy that will tell you that your choice is wrong.
I’m not. That is not who I am.
Continuing forward (we are essential industry so we never really stopped) was the best way through this for our company, my partner, & myself. If you looked into your heart and thought otherwise I respect that.
I don’t know a thing about your situation, your business, or your employees. I’m willing to trust that no one knows your company near as well as you do. So I’m willing to believe you made the best decision.
I guess I’m just asking for the same respect and understanding in return. I don’t need it. I’m good with my choices. But some common ground would probably go a long way in today’s America.
As I said they were difficult choices.
I also think there’s a lot more regular fellas like us that have a chance to maybe learn from each other.
But I tend towards optimism.
merci, @jj.
I get it. Between my tours and when I became responsible for my son my biggest life “skill” was usually being able to remember why I was waking up on the floor of a jail cell. Ugly times, man. Very ugly times.
I guess I’m just a proponent of working hard to get where you want to be. It’s what I (and you) did. That’s also not an answer many people want to hear.
Good luck with the new sales guys. If you find a couple good ones don’t lose them. Well…for as long as possible.
😉
I get it, @fanbase.
There is just so damn much of that stuff on *both sides* of this. I’ve found your responses to be insightful and well thought out, serious.
@Ducky
Very well stated.
The reality is that guys like you, me and others like us, we can have these conversations. These conversations are the ones that our nation’s leaders should be having, but sadly are not. But I think we just come from different stock from the nation’s decision makers. No matter where we came from, we worked for it. Unfortunately, many of the decision makers for our country were born into it. They don’t have the same appreciation for where they are, and they don’t have the same respect for people. They grew up in a world built on hierarchy that disallowed them to respect others, while guys like us had to work among the downtrodden to as we climbed the ladder for our piece of the pie.
I don’t see enough of these conversations.
Man… I’m just so ill with all the anger, and fear, and divisiveness. I mean…man just try being an interracial couple in Minneapolis this summer.
You took the time to read what I wrote. And then tried to respond back without all the negatives, the sweeping generalizations, or basic intolerance. I did my best to match your efforts.
We’ll walk away knowing that at the very least we *are not* each other’s enemy.
We’re just two regular guys trying to navigate a troubled time. I think these little interactions are so important, man.
Thanks for that. I know it’s not easy and it takes two to tango, or whatever. Hopefully we start seeing more of this kind of stuff. I think it’s the only thing that will be helpful.
Hat tip.
Looking to hire a couple sales guys… in Southern California by chance? Lol
Hat tip to you too. It’s good to chat through stuff like this. It is helpful. We are definitely not each other’s enemy. In fact, interesting you’re in an interracial relationship. I’m a bi-racial person.
Wish you the best to get through okay with this current challenge. Hopefully we all can come out of our dwellings soon.
Definitely hope to have more chats like this to get us through until life is normal and we can all get back to trash talking about sports again.
Internet fist bump.
And, more common ground uncovered.
I see a good portion of this thread was excised. Pretty cool that this part is still intact. It is the tiniest of victories. But, hey, I’ll take em where I can get em.
Uh?
*Everyone* here (ostensibly) already has something in common. We all love baseball, man. If we can just try to go a little bit further I’m sure there’s much more than just that.
Stay up.
Here’s two cents on a bunch of what’s been thrown around here, take it for what you paid. ALL these issues are incredibly more complex and interrelated than you’d think at first glance.
Let’s start at schools because they factor in later. It’s not about FORCING parents to send their kids in. There’s companies that will mail you textbooks, and give online daily lessons, at ZERO charge as home schooling. I had a sister in law that did it with her kids starting 2 years ago before the virus was even an issue. K12education or something like that is one. It’s about CHOICE for parents who can’t afford to have someone stay at home with the kids all day because either they can’t hire someone financially or their job won’t let them work remote, or any other issue.
Now, the economics are WAY more complex when you zoom out. You can only print/borrow so much money.
How do you fund unemployment benefits at even 70% Republicans want, let alone pay people more than they ever earned back when they did work like democrats want? We’re above 10% UE right now.
If schools are closed, and more parents need to quit jobs to stay home, how much higher does it go? As incomes tighten due to parents workin part time or one staying home entirely, spending tanks further. Companies need to cut more hours/jobs… more UE funding needed. You get a recessionary spiral.
Meanwhile, credit, mortgages, loan rates, all are being kept historically low by fed funds rates low. But if the govt needs money, it comes from 2 places – printing (rampant inflation) or borrowing (bonds). You spike inflation, things get even worse for everyone who already has no money and high UE. But who will keep busing bonds at low yield? If you have to raise bond yield, then, funds rate needs to climb too… and what happens when what little durable goods buying of cars, appliances, etc on credit that there is spikes in cost due to rocketing interest rates, driven by rising funds rates? What happens when what construction and capital projects there are dry up because borrowing in construction loans/mortgages to buy finished projects get more expensive? What happens when what demand there was for all the materials and support industries for those sectors tanks?
I mean, I could keep going, but right now things are teetering and extremely fragile. You should get the point without more detail. Meanwhile, we’ve got idiots on ALL sides playing politics. A pandemic crisis is not the time to condone mass protests over idealism that cannot help but to drive infections. It’s also not the time to argue for excess in benefits but to ask what’s the minimum someone could make do with to stretch public funds. Pay less in unemployment, and use other funds to buy excess crops/livestock to then distribute for free using national guards. But no, we get politics and posturing.
As a spouse of an educator we’ve talked at length and are VERY concerned about the prospect of schools opening. They’re simply not geared towards a situation like this, and have really gotten much worse from when we were students. Kids as a whole are truly terrible these days, and, there are not the punitive measures available that there used to be to literally get kids in line or expel them like there used to be.
Teachers and staff did not sign up to ever be front line at risk to personal health and safety as a career decision like doctors or nurses did… yet that’s what is being asked of them. If cleaning, masks, and ppe were the answer, doctors and nurses wouldn’t be sick in medical settings. And kids don’t listen or behave in a socially distancing manner through the day let alone behave in a low risk manner… and yes, studies have shown ages 10-18 transmit covid at almost twice the rate of any other age group.
BUT, when you look at the big picture, the economy as a whole really depends on open functioning schools in a manner vastly outpacing the funding priorities they receive.
So, there two cents from my view, and as I said, worth what you paid for it
well put, a lot of economic principles go away during a pandemic and adjusting is key but doesn’t seem to be going very well
@MarlinsFanBase and Ducky Buckin Cent (and others),
It’s refreshing to read civil discourse instead of name calling, so thank you for that.
Darth, the COVID-19 racialized, disproportionly effecting Black and Brown people because they are more likely to work labor-class jobs because the history of systemic racism as well as classism. Your example is the data. While rich white people in “skilled” positions, many of which aren’t “skilled” are safely working from home and will continue to.
@luke yes in OC. Need to have a real estate license and NMLS.
The governor of Texas is doing the same thing, pushing business to open up while all state offices remain CLOSED.
Oh Texas politicians are another part of the problem. Oh and the many things that can be picked apart about their senator too…You know the guy…Rafael Eduardo Cruz…”Um, call me ‘Ted’ Cruz because Ima full blooded ‘Texas good ole boy’ I’d change the spellin’ of mah last if mah family wouldn’t take mah inheritance from me.”
Yeah, that state is just as sad as things are here in Florida.
If it’s the leadership in Texas and Florida somehow responsible for pushing to reopen things too fast, and for exposing/neglecting the working class/poor that is driving the explosion of cases, then why, WHY, did the great bastion of California also go from having one of the lowest per capita infections with low overall infection numbers to leading the nation in cases during the same period?
What happened in California with all branches of government dominated by the other party, with high restrictions on closures, no fast movements on reopening, all the rest of that?
There’s more to this than the reopening policies. Yet all the blame is florida/Texas this and that…. why isn’t anyone talking california?
Many Texas state offices are NOT closed. The entire Department of Criminal Justice is open and the courts are starting to move. Also, I was down in Houston two weeks ago and the line outside the Traffic Court was wrapped around the building as I drove by. They were trying to practice distancing, though.
Criminal Justice and traffic court mostly affects the working class. The well to do and upper ranks of law and leadership aren’t exposing themselves to any danger. They’re safely at home making the decisions from there.
They’re already coming out. The go to stores, visit with neighbors and generally are at risk in less controlled situations than MLB offers
Manfred hasn’t seemed to mind teams that play in “completely non-competitive” states for years as they tank and rebuild…
You mean to tell me that this isn’t going smoothly? Nooooooooo can’t be
Step down and let someone half competent take over, fool!
It will ultimately be the Players Union that says, enough.
There’s no reason to shut this down right now. If you were willing to start this thing in the first place you were willing to see some spikes.
It’s illogical to think you’d have had a season with no one testing positive.
Either they were ok with that and chose to push forward or they weren’t and wouldn’t have bothered
They being players, owners, and league.
MLB may be “OK” with positive players, but what about the rest of us who may get sick indirectly from this STUPID plan to play?
So you’re at risk for the virus because MLB is playing? That’s a new level of fear mongering even I wasn’t ready for.
If I were the Os I would have half the team be quarantined so we can make sure we get the #1 draft pick.
Keep in mind, it’s not just about whether the Marlins are put at a serious competitive disadvantage by having at least a third of their active roster being comprised of minor leaguers off the taxi squad. This also means that it gives a distinct competitive advantage to Miami’s opponents. You think it won’t make it easier for AL and NL East teams to make the playoffs with Miami on their schedule as opposed to, say, teams in the AL or NL West? Totally ridiculous.
But the Marlins were never NOT in a “non-competitive state”
But could have easily happened to Yankees, Dodgers, Astros… you name any team. One series into season. Here’s an exercise… put your favorite team’s 30 man roster into a hat. Pull out 11 names. Imagine those 11 gone for 2+ weeks. Probably includes couple starters, maybe setup guy. Maybe closer, couple starting infielders, a starting outfielder, etc. Now, grab 11 on the 60 pool depth chart. Think all is fine? Not to mention of course, this is not a pulled hamstring, it’s a disease that can be deadly. Not a good sign overall.
There is now one team crippled by a major outbreak, another at least temporarily crippled because of exposure and therefore two other teams sitting while they were supposed to be playing. This isn’t an isolated event. This is going to happen again. And again. And again. What evidence is there that they can keep the players (and managers and coaches and umpires and support staff) safe for three more months when there are at least eleven positive tests in just three days? When do we replace this idiotic, greed induced optimism with a little reality? In the current climate, with the virus out of control in 90% of the country they cannot sustain the travel necessary for this season to be completed. It’s impossible. And today absolutely proves it.
Oh, and whether the Marlins were or were not competitive isn’t relevant to the discussion. If it can happen to them it can happen to the Yankees or Dodgers or Nationals or whoever your favorite teams happens to be.
If you test healthy people with no symptoms the false positive rate is 30% using the qRT-PCR test. It also has a 20% false negative rate.
Testing people who are not sick is dumb with numbers like these
And denying them HCQ is another absurdity, not that they need it because players are at an age group that do not get very sick (beyond a normal flu or cold)
Anyways, I could care less, cancel the season. Cancel next year too. Keep them safe. Poor but safe. Whats next, cancelling schools and elections?
Creative contraction coming?
Eduardo Rodriguez is 27-years old. He now has an inflammation of the heart that doesn’t seem to be improving. TWENTY-SEVEN!
Rob Manfred, you should be ashamed of yourself, resign, and then get a good lawyer.
If you hate baseball so much then why are you posting on a baseball website?
You have no clue what E-Rod had when he was a baby, or if the heart had prior issues due to an accident or PEDs. We also do not know what E-Rod was doing during the pandemic. Was he doing his part or was he off doing something he shouldn’t? We don’t know. Can’t blame Manfred on this one.
I’ve got a plan. Relocate the team to Omaha Nebraska, shelter in place for two weeks and then fine those in the future that break protocol.
Moving the Marlins to Omaha made sense long before covid came along
What would the league and fan reaction be if a random selection of one third of the Yankees, Dodgers or other popular/relevant team’s active roster was erased for 2+ weeks? Imagine… your 2, 4 starter… 3 bullpen pieces… 1-2 starting infielders and outfielders… too couple bench guys. Fill in the blank names of your favorite team. All is fine right?
*top couple…
If this was true, they would have shut down the 2019 season because of the non-competitive Orioles and Tigers.
“For MLB to do that, it would require one of its teams “losing a number of players that rendered it completely non-competitive,” Manfred stated.”
Marlins were not really competitive at full strength. Manfred would be singing a different tune if a good team like the Yankees or Dodgers had 11 players test positive.
This is the most important point. Manfred’s standard makes no sense whatsoever, unless we understand the word “completely” to mean if a team is unable to fill out a full roster.
Covid Carl
I’m starting to think the NFL needs to consider a super doom.
They have billions of dollars. Spread some money to Canada and the CFL and go isolate up there for the fall/winter.
so the one more baseball related detail that I’ve been wondering about… the league is going to have to change the roster rules for the Marlins… because you can’t field a 30-man roster when you have 40 to pick from and 11 are out with the virus. And it wouldn’t be fair to them to force them to release/designate guys just because they all have the virus — and I don’t think you can release a player who’s eligible for the IL anyway… so they’re going to have to say that they can use the full 60-man player pool without contractual ramifications/options/etc. right? — assuming that’s the case. They should just set that precedent now… that if a team has x number of positive covid tests… they can operate outside the normal limitations of the “40-man roster” and the restrictions it would otherwise impose.
This will finally become real when one of our high profile players, coaches or owners pays the ultimate price for trying to “entertain” us. This will be real at that time
Why the Yanks are not in Baltimore just goes to show you how clueless they are.
Yeah play whomever you can while you can. Really baseball without fans is stupid in itself. Just shut it down. Watching baseball in person outside with a beer in you hand with thousands of other people is fun. Watching it on TV with no fans is boring as all get out.
It’s still more enjoyable than watching replays.
Manfred is such a horrible person to be attempting to lead major-league baseball at a time like this. What am I saying, there has never been a time like this! This is time for a true visionary! Which is most definitely Not Him.
Plugging holes in the Titanic. Reality will win.
Once this virus rips through the Yankees clubhouse like it did with the Marlins, the season will be cancelled.
This is on the team for not having proper safety protocols in place. Stay six feet apart and wear a mask when you can. Don’t high five. The marlins clearly can’t self police. Also there’s little to no chance any Phillies player got it from the marlins, unless they weren’t being safe.
Just forfeit games if you can’t field a competitive team. This season will always be an asterisks anyway.
>Until teams are rendered non-competetive
And yet the original schedule today had Royals @ Tigers and Orioles @ Marlins.
Manfred is not resigning. He has the respect from players and owners because of how he chases the paper.
That mindset, and this pandemic, further illustrates his motive for money above baseball integrity. Even before he became Commissioner he was the driving force behind the influx of billions coming into baseball. And he’s been the catalyst of taking down old rules. Over the last 10 years or so, think about all the rule changes that have slowly taken form. Ask yourself, does Manfred care about the integrity of the game? His view is different from the average fan. His motivation is to generate money and reach the younger demographic.
And to heck with the integrity of the game.