SCCWS

FWIW---Normal spring training lasts 6 weeks. I would guess they will cut it back to 4 weeks.So I think even if they come to a resolution by this weekend we could be looking at starting around July 15th or 70 games. Maybe add a few extra pitchers to roster to adjust for pitchers needing to build up innings. Since we are quickly getting into the heat of summer, we could see starters build up more quickly than a normal season.

I think the amount of testing will make a difference. Say you test weekly and a player tests positive. You not only have to test the rest of the team but also every opponent in the last X number of games.

Very few agree there will be a vaccine by the Fall. January 2021 might be a possibility.

Agree but that might not translate into development especially at the AAA level.

That was my question about minor league baseball. . If there are no minor league games this year, we probably won't see guys develop.

We have been discussing possible scenarios where the MLB could play a "season" where teams could possibly play in warm weather sites or their own sites as well as realignment and limited games. I wonder if MLB has done similar planning for minor league baseball. I spend the summer in New England and yesterday the RI Governor pretty much closed down any events w 50 or more people involved. RI has a AAA team which would be affected since two teams would have at least 50 people. It got me thinking that even if MLB got some sort of season going, we could also see the minor leagues assemble play in warm weather sites in the fall /winter so they do not also lose a whole year of minor league development.

I think the question, though, is the curve flattening because so many things are shut down. I think the month of May will tell us a lot. As things start opening up, do the numbers still stay flat or do they start going up again like Germany is experiencing. But it does seem that MLB, in some form, could be back by mid-late summer.

I do think another factor for MLB as well as the other major sports will be the economy. A lot of companies support professional sports with season ticket and box purchases as well as advertising. Many companies in 2021 may be struggling and will look to reduce/eliminate spending in areas that affect their balance sheet. Add in the average fan that due to lost wages will not attend as many games as he/she used to.

A wildcard in the mix is some early testing data is indicating that Latinos are more susceptible to the virus. Probably by summer there will be enough data to make a better determination but that could be a factor affecting MLB as much as any sport.

Vaccines given ahead of time are used to ward off or lessen the effect of a virus. Currently there are some antidotes( i.e. blood plasma ) being tested on patients w the virus to attempt to assist them in recovery.

I think a better possibility would be an antidote. I would think a vaccine would be at least a year away but they already have having some success w possible antidotes.

NHL could require all players to wear a face shield which some players do already. NBA will be a real challenge until we see some improvement in the numbers.

I agree but I am not sure the testing is the biggest obstacle. Say you test all the players and none test positive and so you begin play w no fans. What happens if a player(s) tests positive on the retest in 5 days or 10 days? That team has to have some degree of isolation and it could extend to other teams they played.

There is a difference. MLB teams offer Flu shots to their teams so in most cases it would lessen the effects of a virus. https://www.google.com/search?as_q=&as_epq=do+mlb+players+get+flu+shots&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=all&as_sitesearch=&as_occt=any&safe=images&as_filetype=&as_rights=

Whether you play in AZ or the Northeast, the problem of containment will still exist. Right now a person can be contagious for several days without symptoms. So if you test everyone and then start playing and a player/coach gets sick, the whole team would have to be quarantined. So that team and possibly the opponent(s) they played would have to withdraw from games for a period of time. Until they find a cure or till it stops spreading so easily, I don't see how sports can take place,

There will be sports but I doubt we will see MLB in 2020. If the 2nd round comes next fall and it is controlled, then I think the winter sports will start their seasons around November 1st.

Players would also be the problem. If they start playing games and a player or coach gets diagnosed, the whole team would be quarantined for 2 weeks.

Just my opinion, it could be a part but the big part of normalcy will be getting the average person back to school and work. Then reopen things like churches, beaches and parks. Finally sports and entertainment ( i.e. large public crowds) and anything else.

But 6 months down the road will be September. The other 3 sports could start then but I doubt baseball will due to the outdoor element.

I think professional sports will be considered a low priority in term of bringing the country back to some stage of normalcy. So if there is a cure or if new cases drop radically then we will hear talk of "no fan" sports starting up. I think baseball could be the last sport if we are talking 6+ months down the road since weather is a factor limiting it over the other 3 major sports.

I wonder if MLB players can collect unemployment. Obviously most players on MLB roster are pretty set financially. But other than those who signed big bonuses, many minor league players could be hurting with not playing if they are getting getting any compensation.

Not sure that is true. If a player is on the DL for a full season, he still gets service time. I think there needs to be a special determination by MLB how this season will be designated in regards to service time. http://m.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/service-time Players receive Major League service time for each day spent on the 26-man roster (it was 25, prior to 2020) or the Major League injured list. Important to players and clubs alike, service time is used to determine when players are eligible for arbitration as well as free agency.

Many said same thing about March Madness.

Florida has a flu season even if they are 30+ degrees warmer than the north in the winter. But they see the same drop off in the summer.

Not necessarily. Some experts think it will decline in the summer( hot weather) like the flu does. But this virus may not follow the norm. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that while influenza viruses circulate year-round, they are most common during fall and winter months. These viruses survive better in colder and drier climates. Therefore the chances that you will get the flu in the summer, which consists of hot and humid conditions, are greatly reduced." http://jamaicahospital.org/newsletter/can-you-get-the-flu-in-the-summer/