Today is the 5th anniversary of a game in which very few around baseball had interest in the final score, but that everyone around baseball was watching.
The White Sox were in Baltimore to play the Orioles, and because of the civil unrest that followed the death of Freddie Gray, there was not sufficient security available to stage a normal baseball game.
So, on the game went, in an empty stadium:
Five years ago today. White Sox at Orioles with no fans at Camden Yards because of civil unrest in Baltimore. pic.twitter.com/p5t0sBAW2O— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) April 29, 2020
Obviously, it may very well come to pass that the one-time aberration from five years ago is a daily occurrence for every team in baseball in 2020.
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Following up on recent reporting by Jeff Passan, Ken Rosenthal, and Bob Nightengale, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman adds several additional details to what is going on behind the scenes with MLB, as it continues to workshop approaches to getting the 2020 season off the ground when it is safe to do so.
Sherman echoes much of the earlier reporting, adding that the target for a start of the season is July, which tons of geographic scenarios still on the table (as we have suspected, MLB wants to wait as long as possible before making any actual “plans”). It could wind up being the new three-division idea at home parks, or it could be starting the season just in Arizona and then moving, or it could be starting in hubs and then moving, or it could be mostly home parks except for the few states that don’t get there by July/August, and so on and so forth.
It’s a good read as I encourage folks to continue to get a sense of what is actually happening behind the scenes (lots of contingency planning, but also lots of caution and uncertainty and waiting).
Two things I found particularly interesting from his piece:
1.) Although much of the reason MLB is waiting to finalize plans is because the world keeps changing, it is also because MLB is hoping to watch what happens in South Korea as the KBO kicks off its season next week, *AND* is hoping to see the NBA season re-launch here in the States.
Again, MLB wants to be in a position to observe another league here, and then learn from its protocols on testing and clubhouses, and possibly also learn from the league’s (hopefully not) mistakes. In theory, with a season to wrap up and another season to launch in the fall (or winter), the NBA may feel a greater sense of urgency to get back on the court. If that’s true, then MLB may as well study and observe.
2.) “MLB has been asking teams to provide an idea of the fewest number of personnel (not just players, but coaches, trainers, clubhouse attendants, etc.) that would be needed to stage spring training and a regular season.”
Clubhouse and ballpark crowding are going to be a serious issue that teams will have to confront when it is time for games, so there will be a serious push to keep non-essential personnel away from the ballpark. Keep in mind that just because you’ve kept fans out of the park doesn’t mean you automatically can pull off safe social distancing practices. There will have to be much more involving the players, coaches, trainers, clubhouse crew, grounds crew, TV personnel, security, and baseball ops. It’s still a whole lot of people to have around in what may prove to be some smaller spaces than we’re thinking when we conceive of a massive ballpark.
Again, to emphasize, as Sherman does: this is all still just contingency planning and idea-making. The league wants to be in a good position to act if and when the circumstances permit it, *AND* they want to make sure they’ve given themselves a shot at pulling off the “best” version of whatever it is they want to do. The safest version, the longest version, the highest-quality version, and, yes, the most-revenue-generating version.