IT'S TIME FOR BASEBALL TO GET MORE CREATIVE

Source: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday, the city of Toronto banned all public events until June 30th as a result of the coronavirus.  This changes the whole trajectory of the 2020 baseball season as we all know that the Blue Jays sit within the Yankees Division and the concern is clearly that if Toronto is doing this, is New York next?  With the pandemic ranging and 80% of Americans already under stay at home orders for at least the next month, it is time for baseball to get creative if they want to have a season.

Al Leiter, former NY Yankee and Met pitcher and YES Analyst, calls for innovation when it comes to salvaging 2020 baseball.  And for good reason.  This is an opportunity to do something interesting and bring baseball back in some capacity as a light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel.

"Whether that involves an expanded playoff structure, a regular season that stretches through October and World Series games at neutral sites, the former pitcher — now a MLB Network analyst and special adviser for the Mets — embraces the idea of a potential season serving as a giant laboratory," reported the New York Post.

Source: AP

As the spring training hub for the Yankees and many teams in the eastern part of the country, Florida could be the next epicenter for the coronavirus, getting into the stay home mandate late.  This could affect a spring training continuation but Leiter says many players could ramp up sooner.  As my good colleague, Steve Azul and I discussed on the Dugout Podcast on Monday, they may need to do spring training at their own home facilities once bans are lifted.  And games could be played locally, with teams that could be a train, bus or car ride away.

Source: New York Post

Besides no baseball for the MLB players and fans, Leiter warns that this is impacting the economy of baseball and other layers that go all the way back to college and high school programs. His own son, Jack, is a pitcher with Vanderbilt, set to defend their College World Series championship this spring.

“When you really peel it back with the layers of disappointment it really is almost endless with respect to how one entity affects so many layers of groups of people and industry and economics of it and enjoyment and fulfillment and all of it,” Leiter said, referring to the coronavirus. “It goes multiple, multiple layers.”

On the podcast, we discussed 81 to 100 games leading into the post season which would presumably begin in early November, bringing teams to warmer climates and neutral sites.  There has also been talk of once a week double-headers and expanded rosters to support the influx of games.

It's time for baseball to get creative and think about the various ways they could get the games in for the 2020 season.  For the sake of the game, for the sake of the players, for the sake of the fans, and for the sake of my sanity, let's hope the Commissioner and his team has some good ideas to redeem baseball for 2020.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof