There's a lot of anxiety and uncertainty in the world right now thanks to the Coronavirus. I'm not going to add to it, there's certainly plenty of it. We all have enough anxiety as it is. We all have enough on our shoulders whether it is kids, school, a full time job, maybe caring for elderly family members...the list goes on. Sports is supposed to be an escape for all of us.
I know it is for me, at least. Baseball is in my blood. I eat, breathe, sleep and drink it. When baseball season is over, I have hockey to hold me over. Until right now when both of those could be put on hold....maybe. Not to get ahead of ourselves, but right now Coronavirus is on the forefront and that means changes to our everyday lives AND the athletes we love to watch.
The NBA had planned to continue playing games but without fans in attendance until one of their biggest concerns became a reality...read HERE. Last night's NBA game between the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder was postponed after Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for
Coronavirus (COVID-19). The players were reportedly quarantined and benches were cleaned and sanitized. It didn't take long after the news broke that the NBA decided to suspend the season. The NBA wrote:
"The NBA announced that a player on the Utah Jazz has preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19. The test result was reported shortly prior to the tip-off of tonight’s game between the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. At that time, tonight’s game was cancelled. The affected player was not in the arena.
"The NBA announced that a player on the Utah Jazz has preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19. The test result was reported shortly prior to the tip-off of tonight’s game between the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. At that time, tonight’s game was cancelled. The affected player was not in the arena.
The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice. The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic."
So now we are all left to wonder....the NBA is close to the end of their regular season. Baseball on the other hand is deep into Spring Training and preparing for the regular season to start in two weeks. So what are MLB's next steps? This is what Jeff Passan reported on Twitter:
So now we are all left to wonder....the NBA is close to the end of their regular season. Baseball on the other hand is deep into Spring Training and preparing for the regular season to start in two weeks. So what are MLB's next steps? This is what Jeff Passan reported on Twitter:
He's right about one thing, MLB has time to make some changes. We just have to sit and wonder what those changes will be. I'm sure we will find out more tomorrow, after this conference call. To date, the MLB's only preventative measures to the coronavirus have been revising autograph policies and temporarily removing the media from the clubhouse. We will have to see what comes next.
There could be some serious changes coming for MLB. Check out THIS story from ArizonaSports.com that came out BEFORE the NBA announced it was suspending the season. Officials in both the Seattle and San Francisco metro area have banned large gatherings to try and combat the spread of the Coronavirus. The Seattle Mariners will definitely be impacted by this one, and it sounds like they will consider playing all HOME games at Seattle's spring training complex in Peoria, AZ just west of Phoenix. And could the same be true for the San Francisco Giants home games? Their spring training complex is in Scottsdale, AZ. It's a lot to figure out. Would it be too much for MLB to manage especially if other major cities also adapt the same policies? It's a lot to think about.
For the time being, we try and live life as normal as possible. I will still go to my hockey game next week (maybe, hopefully) and MLB will make decisions as this pandemic goes on. Their decisions will be based on the safety of everyone because it is the right thing to do, even if we don't like it. I don't want to see baseball be suspended and I hope it doesn't come to that but all sports are taking this seriously as they should, and not just here in the United States.
Stay tuned and stay calm, fans. There's a lot going on right now. For now we cross our fingers and hope for the best. And we also wish Rudy Gobert a speedy recovery.
--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj
There could be some serious changes coming for MLB. Check out THIS story from ArizonaSports.com that came out BEFORE the NBA announced it was suspending the season. Officials in both the Seattle and San Francisco metro area have banned large gatherings to try and combat the spread of the Coronavirus. The Seattle Mariners will definitely be impacted by this one, and it sounds like they will consider playing all HOME games at Seattle's spring training complex in Peoria, AZ just west of Phoenix. And could the same be true for the San Francisco Giants home games? Their spring training complex is in Scottsdale, AZ. It's a lot to figure out. Would it be too much for MLB to manage especially if other major cities also adapt the same policies? It's a lot to think about.
Stay tuned and stay calm, fans. There's a lot going on right now. For now we cross our fingers and hope for the best. And we also wish Rudy Gobert a speedy recovery.
--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj
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