Official *MLB Season Delayed* Thread

[rhd]

Please tell me this is on YouTube. I would love to see some recent basebrawl!

It's on there. It's rather lame compared to MLB brawls.

[chancellor]

Please tell me this is on YouTube. I would love to see some recent basebrawl!

Yeah, the action wasn't that great, I saw only two punches thrown. But just the benches clearing in this league is super-rare.

[revo]

A sliver of good news: both the NBA & NHL have told their players to prepare for a May return to practice. The NHL is shooting for mid-May and the NBA is saying players in states that have "reopened" on May 1.

[Judge Jude]

https://www.tsn.ca/bill-daly-a-singl...empt-1.1469822

As the NHL attempts to formulate plans to restart the 2019-20 season, deputy commissioner Bill Daly says a single positive or multiple positive tests involving players or personnel wouldn’t put an immediate halt to on-ice activity.

“Everything depends on the facts and the entire set of circumstances,” Daly told TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. “but no, we do not believe that one positive test..... even multiple positive tests wouldn’t necessarily shut the whole thing down."

[Judge Jude]

"The NBA is reopening team practice facilities beginning on Friday for players in states and municipalities that are loosening stay-at-home restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic, sources told ESPN.

Players can return to team facilities in states such as Georgia for voluntary individual workouts as soon as next week, which allows for NBA organizations to start allowing players to return to training in a professional, safe environment."

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ed-sources-say

[revo]

Professional Bull Riding becomes the 1st North American sports property to return, sans crowds, when it starts up on Saturday.

[rhd]

The Korean professional baseball league (KBO) restarted preseason games on 4/21 and is scheduled to start the regular season on May 5, which is next Tuesday. No dates set for Japan yet and rumors are that start of the regular season may be late June/early July.

[Judge Jude]

AP

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he can envision baseball games being played without fans this summer at Yankee Stadium and the Mets’ Citi Field.

“Be creative. Try to figure it out,” Cuomo said during his briefing Sunday. “But if players could get paid more than staying home and owners would get some revenue versus total shutdown, why not? I’d love to watch.”

Cuomo says he has spoken with owners of professional sports teams, but he did not identify which ones.

[ThatRogue]

AP

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he can envision baseball games being played without fans this summer at Yankee Stadium and the Mets’ Citi Field.

“Be creative. Try to figure it out,” Cuomo said during his briefing Sunday. “But if players could get paid more than staying home and owners would get some revenue versus total shutdown, why not? I’d love to watch.”

Cuomo says he has spoken with owners of professional sports teams, but he did not identify which ones.

I certainly hope it included the Mets and Yankees owners...

[ThatRogue]

Interesting. But what...is he doing now?

That was my first thought.

Also, these guys are so competitive, I can’t see some players hanging out at home with their families during an entire 80-100 game season, while their teams are playing games. Many would only last two weeks before having that itch to go join their teammates.

[revo]

Jeff Passan with a long article on the next steps:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29101917/passan-20-questions-there-mlb-2020-just-matter-where-how

[rhd]

From RW:

"Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes that "those involved at the sport’s highest levels are increasingly confident" that MLB games will be played in 2020."

"...a possible start for Opening Day could range from mid-June to July 4, setting up an 80-100 game regular season which would run through October. The postseason would then stretch into November or perhaps early December. Players would need a brief training camp, likely somewhere around three weeks to get ready for regular season games."

[revo]

Bob Nightengale:

"Major League Baseball officials have become cautiously optimistic this week that the season will start in late June, and no later than July 2, playing at least 100 regular-season games, according to three executives with knowledge of the talks. They requested anonymity because the plan is still under consideration.

And not only would baseball be played, but it would be played in their own major-league ballparks, albeit with no fans.

MLB is considering a three-division, 10-team plan in which teams play only within their division – a concept gaining support among owners and executives. It would abolish the traditional American and National Leagues, and realign the divisions based on geography.

The plan, pending approval of medical experts and providing that COVID-19 testing is available to the public, would eliminate the need for players to be in isolation and allow them to still play at their home ballparks while severely reducing travel."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2020/04/28/mlb-optimistic-about-starting-season-late-june/3039275001/

[cavebird]

Lots of good news on this front, but it is still wait and see. Lots of states opening up now. If infection and death rates spike, we'll be back in the cold freeze for a while. Where things are trending down, it is likely because of the lock down. If that ends, will the good trends continue? The virus is the old honey badger from the youtube video. It don't care.

[mgwiz22]

0e
If they go forward with the 3 division plan would they use a dh in 1 and incorporate bull riding in another?