Baseball Is Back, Baby! (Kinda, Sorta…)

I've said this numerous times. I like watching football and basketball but have never really followed one particular team. But baseball... it's in my blood!I remember being a kid and having my dad take me into Chicago to see the Cubs play.

Wrigley Field was so big. There were so many people! The smell of hot dogs, beer and popcorn. To this day whenever I visit, I get a nostalgic feeling from the smells of being a kid at the ballpark with my father.

Needless to say, I was really sad when the Major League Baseball season was postponed.

It was understandable, but to me that start of the season is synonymous to the end of winter and the start of spring and summer.

I think a lot of people were just assuming the entire season would be scrapped. The logistics of keeping players and fans healthy with COVID-19 going on is going to be a huge challenge for the organization. It sounds like negotiations between the team owners and players were a challenge, too.

MLB issued a full press release yesterday that read in part:

Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. announced today that Major League Baseball anticipates beginning its 2020 regular season approximately one month from today, on July 23rd or July 24th.

The announcement follows confirmation today that the MLB Players Association has accepted the health and safety protocols that will guide MLB’s return to play and that players will be able to report for training by July 1st. The health and safety of players and employees will remain MLB’s foremost priorities in its return to play. MLB is working with a variety of public health experts, infectious disease specialists and technology providers on a comprehensive approach that aims to facilitate a safe return.

MLB has submitted a 60-game regular season schedule for review by the Players Association. The proposed schedule will largely feature divisional play, with the remaining portion of each Club’s games against their opposite league’s corresponding geographical division (i.e., East vs. East, Central vs. Central and West vs. West), in order to mitigate travel. The vast majority of Major League Clubs are expected to conduct training at the ballparks in their primary home cities.

Commissioner Manfred said: “Major League Baseball is thrilled to announce that the 2020 season is on the horizon. We have provided the Players Association with a schedule to play 60 games and are excited to provide our great fans with Baseball again soon.”

From what I understand, players won't be high-fiving, fist-bumping or spitting... and the jury is still out on the occasional crotch grab!

I'm super excited for baseball... even if it's a short season!

~CMF