Major League Baseball’s return to play strategy appears to be coming apart at the seams and, if changes aren’t made soon, the entire regular season might disintegrate right along with it.
The 2020 campaign is in jeopardy after baseball failed to get through a week of full games before the coronavirus started to spread. First, there was a wide-scale outbreak within the Miami Marlins, then positive cases in the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals organizations.
On Friday, the number of infections reportedly prompted MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to tell the head of the players association, Tony Clark, the season might be cancelled if the outbreaks continue. Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, multiple players expressed concern it could happen as soon as Monday.
According to a joint release from MLB/MLBPA on Friday, there were 29 positive cases out of 11,895 samples taken over the last week. Twenty of the positives were players, nine were staff members and 21 were tied to an undisclosed team, which is the Marlins. In total, 58 positive tests have been discovered since the sample process began, impacting 19 of 30 teams.
The growing number of cases meant Friday’s expected full slate of games was missing six teams, or 20 per cent of big-league clubs. The regular season, which began July 23, has already seen 30 postponed games, some of which will have to be cancelled outright, even if the schedule progresses.
There was speculation in the weeks leading up to baseball’s return about how long the season should be. After several rounds of contentious negotiations failed to result in an agreement with the MLBPA, Manfred mandated a 60-game schedule. At the time, the number seemed low. As July comes to an end, it now seems overly ambitious, if not downright impossible.
“I don’t think there’s a person who thought this would be seamless and thought we would run smooth as silk, unless different things happened with the virus,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said during a Friday morning availability with local reporters. “I think all of us knew we were going to have to adapt and adjust. We’ll focus on what we can control … and do the best we can to stay safe.”
Thoughts of a competitively balanced schedule, or the integrity of a season, can be brushed aside for now. This is no longer about trying to mimic a normal year, it’s about whether the season can even be salvaged.
Predicting where things will go from here is impossible. In early July, during an interview on the Dan Patrick Show, Manfred was asked what it would take to cancel the season. The commissioner referenced “competitive integrity” before stating if a team or two was decimated and couldn’t play “we’d have to think very, very hard about what we’re doing.”
Well, considering the Marlins are missing half their team, that has already happened. The dire situation throughout much of the United States has prompted a countless number of epidemiologists to call for the cancellation, or at the very least postponement, of the regular season. MLB had resisted, but apparently that option is no longer off the table.
The Jays were supposed to be in Philadelphia this weekend. The series opener was pushed back from Friday to Saturday before all three games were cancelled. So the Jays remained in Washington looking for ways to stay busy until facing the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. That’s the 2020 season in a nutshell.
“We’re going to have a socially distanced bus tour of D.C. (on Friday), we’ll be moving around the area to appreciate the history and culture of this area,” Atkins said. “We’ll have a workout Saturday and Sunday. Most likely a simulated game to keep our pitchers on track and ready to crank things back up. We’re still talking about different ways to make the most of this time that we’re down.”
MLB’s best shot at pulling off a 2020 season would have been adopting similar measures to the ones taken by the NBA and the NHL. Both leagues went with bubbles, or hub cities, which isolate players from the general population and eliminate the need for long-distance travel.
That proposal was a non-starter in baseball for several reasons. The players balked at the idea of being isolated for upwards of four months, including summer camp and the post-season. The ideal locations for hub cities in Florida and Arizona, where teams have spring training facilities, were considered hot spots, not just for the disease but for the climate with temperatures reaching the upper 30s.
The league had the option of getting creative by using cities like New York or Los Angeles, which have multiple big-league stadiums, but neither party seemed interested. The players wanted freedom, owners wanted to keep their costs down by playing at home and, as recently as two weeks ago, some teams were still talking about selling tickets at some point later this summer.
It’s too late to make drastic changes now. MLB made its bed and must lay in it, but there are at least a few adjustments that might make this plan less messy. A call for players to remain isolated at their hotels, similar to the Rogers Centre quarantine, is long overdue. Tests should be done every day, instead of every other day, to limit exposure as best as possible.
There also must be a renewed commitment from teams to follow the rules already in place. Per multiple reports, MLB’s investigation discovered Marlins players were going out on the town and enjoying their hotel bar in Atlanta. A few days later ,when a small batch of positive cases were found, the players voted on whether they should play that Sunday afternoon vs. Philadelphia. They did.
The Marlins’ careless acts and ensuing reckless decision to play not only permitted further spread of the disease within their clubhouse, it put the Phillies at risk. And If you think everyone realized the benefit of being cautious, think again. After the Cardinals’ game was postponed on Friday, an unnamed player told The Athletic’s Mark Saxon he still wanted to play on Saturday because they “can’t let all this crumble.”
Unfortunately, that won’t be up to the players or MLB; it will be up to the virus. The spread can be somewhat contained if proper protocols are in place, but the risks cannot be eliminated, and the system will only be as strong as its weakest link. If everyone is playing by different rules in different cities, this plan doesn’t stand a chance.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
