MLB Thread

[cleo]

I'll tell ya, I'm seeing a lot more masks and sanitizer tonight.

[DoctorAtomic]

Why didn't they consider something similar at 5 or 6 locations around the US? 

[Jenniferbug]

@cleo, which game are you watching? Il curious how different teams are handling it. 

Cubs appear to mostly be wearing masks if not playing tonight. Kris Bryant has been putting on a mask when he reaches first base and leaving it on till he's back on the field. He's also playing LF tonight instead of 3B so I wonder if he wanted to be away from other players as much as possible. I have seen them using hand sanitizer in the dugout. 

From what I can glimpse of the Reds dugout (which isn't much since I'm watching on Marquee), they seem to have similar masking. 

[catlover79]

I can't speak for @cleo, but I'm watching the Red Sox/Mets on ESPN.

[cleo]

I was watching the Jays v Nats. Yesterday maybe 2 players had masks. Today a lot more. Also during one of the innings a player in the dugout literally went to every one in the dugout and gave them a squirt of sanitizer.

Home runs- tapping elbows or slapping on the head- at least for Rowdy but that may have been bc he just shaved his head lol.

End of game, they won- it looks like they did high fives but Blue Jays twitter- the official account- says they were 'air' high 5s, no contact. I think more sanitizer was also passed around at that point but it was hars to see.

ETA masks in the dugout. Less on the field, which I kind of understand.

Edited July 28, 2020 by cleo

[shoregirl]

I think MLB is putting a lot of hope in the Phillies tests  that they took today coming back negative tomorrow but in reality it could be a week before someone who was exposed tests negative.  The interview with Manfred on MLB network was  awful , Verducci just gave him softball after softball question without repressing him about why that game was played yesterday. Manfred is the worst commissioner in all of sports. How many players have to test positive before you cancel a game ?

 

 

[xaxat]

Tim Kurkjian listed the best playoff moments he was in the park for. I don't remember all of them, but he was there for Kirk Gibson's home run, Joe Carter's home run and that time Mookie Wilson hit a weak grounder to first. And more.

[catlover79]

Chris Wallace should have interviewed Manfred. 👍

[theatremouse]

Seriously. There's a safety protocol. No one is following it. There should be fines. I'm not surprised a ton of players are not following them both because it's so ingrained in them to do what they always do during games and because the players taking the virus most seriously OPTED OUT. Plus the managers are just as bad. If I were manager I'd bench a player for not masking up or for touching another player.

Stop spitting. Stop touching each other. Stay spaced in the dugout. Wear masks when you're not on the field. Wear masks on the field if there are baserunners and you are one or play infield. Coaches wear your fucking masks INCLUDING OVER YOUR NOSE. Don't take your masks down when you're about to talk to someone. You need it MORE when you're talking. Don't congregate to celebrate a homer. And the helmet taps are stupid too because it brings your unmasked noses and mouths closer together when you touch your helmets to each other. Just gaaaah.

I want it to be like tennis where there are code violations with automatic fines so players have to do the mental calculation whether it's really worth $10,000 to them to do that high five. That would reduce the behavior.

[Mittengirl]

I thought the base coaches were supposed to be masked, but in yesterday’s Reds - Tigers game the Reds first base coach wasn’t wearing one.

 

I hope that if this first week doesn’t wreck the season, things will get better.  Hopefully this mess will scare everyone into following the protocols to the extreme.

Regarding the NBA bubble vs. MLB’s non-bubble, how many players are on an NBA roster?  I feel like having 5-10 baseball teams, including support staff, would entail far more people.  If they would have to be scattered at various hotels, wouldn’t that defeat the idea of “bubbling”?

[JTMacc99]

17 hours ago, mojoween said:

Although one manager putting his covering over his face to go yell at the ump while he put his mask on to yell back was kinda funny.

This is great, as yelling right in somebody's face is just about the only way you're going to spread COVID-19 while you're actually playing baseball and outside on the field. It's pretty straightforward. Talking puts droplets in the air. Yelling puts lots of droplets in the air*. Even outside, if you're yelling in somebody's face, you will probably need less than the five minutes it typically takes face to face talkers to transfer enough of the virus to infect somebody else. 

* Yelling over the sound of loud machines was one of the key contributors to the large outbreaks in meat processing plants in the Midwest. Combined with close contact and virus friendly cold air.

I actually think baseball is a perfect example of how we could do a lot better in general if we just dumb it down so everybody has simple rules to follow.  Sit them all down and make it easy. Say this:

Guys, PAY ATTENTION! The CDC says this:

Quote

 

The virus is thought to spread mainly from person to person:

1. Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about six feet, which is about two meters).

2. Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.

 

So here are your two rules you need to follow all the time, no exceptions: 

1. If you're outside and can't maintain a steady 6 foot distance between you and somebody else, put on your mask. And pull it up all the way over your nose dummy. This disease is very happy to set up shop in your nose and drop virus right down into your lungs, which will make you very sick.  

2. Inside, like in clubhouses, buses, training rooms, all those closed, poorly ventilated places where you guys spend lots of time together: WEAR A MASK. Period.

3. You should consider the dugout to be part of rule #2.

That's it. Even if somebody brings it into the team from home, it's very unlikely to spread to others if they just follow the basic guidelines.

IMO, there is no way the Marlins players followed any part of my rule #2. They totally spread it to each other in the training rooms. Probably working out in the gym together with no masks. Probably sat next to each other getting dressed for practices in the clubhouse talking face to face. Probably ate meals together face to face. To get that many people infected means that they were in all in close contact in small spaces for long periods of time. 

Gee, how did we all get infected?

[xaxat]

The biggest challenges facing MLB (and other sports in the US) is that as a country we did not seriously reduce the infection rate before resuming play. On field, the KBO is operating pretty normally. There are few masks, no emphasis on social distancing and zero positive tests. 

We still have a pandemic.

[shoregirl]

I'm sure they aren't the last team to do this either. More Marlins came back with positive test . 15 players from the team have now tested positive. If I am any team I'm not going to Miami ,a hotspot, to play a team that half the team has tested positive. Setting aside that they put another team at risk, they also put the clubhouse attendants at risk . 

As of now all the Phillies test came can negative, they are being tested again today and if all is well will go to New York tomorrow.

Edited July 28, 2020 by shoregirl

[cleo]

I honestly think this is just the beginning and I haven't found Manfred's response at all reassuring. 

[shoregirl]

The Marlins really fucked over the Phillies.  MLB didnt seem so concerned when 4 players tested positive and they still played on Sunday.

Haha you cant make this up 🙄

Hey Phillies you get shut down for almost a week because the Marlins can't keep their shit together and now the first time the Marlins can play again, you get to play them in Miami. 🙄😂😡

Edited July 28, 2020 by shoregirl

[DoctorAtomic]

At what point does this become not worth it? 

[theatremouse]

Possibly, tomorrow depending on various test results.

[xaxat]

Apparently the visiting clubhouse guy in Philadelphia tested positive. He's a true victim of this. Not a billionaire owner, not a millionaire player represented by a powerful union, just a guy who wanted to go back to work.

[Moose135]

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

At what point does this become not worth it? 

It already has.

[catlover79]

I'm watching the first game of the doubleheader between the Indians and White Sox (last night's game was rained out). I am seeing more masks and worn the right way (including Tito). The first baseman (Jose Abreu) for the Sox is wearing his mask while manning his position. Let's see how long this will last.

[emma675]

If I were a Phillies player (or any player who had to play the Marlins) and faced upcoming games against them in Florida or at home, I would refuse to play. The fact that the players and team knew some were sick and they traveled and played anyway? Infuriating. Who knows how many people they put at risk at this point.

Edited July 28, 2020 by emma675d

[cleo]

I haven't heard one one explanation for why they played after having positive tests. Manfred stated - team was quarantined after a 'cluster' of positives. Except for the 3 or 4 they knew about and charged ahead to play Phils.

Also strictly from a baseball standpoint? How are teams supposed to make up anywhere from 2 to a half dozen games in a 64 day season? Triple headers? Season is already compromised imo.

Eta my numbers may be slightly off, but the gist is there lol.

Edited July 28, 2020 by cleo

[catlover79]

Kudos to White Sox manager Rick Renteria. Yesterday, he woke up with sniffles and a bit of a cough after the team had arrived in Cleveland. He did the right thing - immediately going to a Cleveland hospital to get tested and not going to the ballpark (which would have been moot as the game was eventually rained out). His test was negative and he's managing today - and had his mask on firmly over his nose throughout the game.

Which is more than I can say for Tito - as the game went on, his mask slid to under his nose where it remained through the postgame celebration (ugh). It seems that the best mask-wearers on the Indians at this point are base coaches Sandy Alomar and Mike Sarbaugh, along with pitching coach Carl Willis.

Really, what will it take for the league to step in and say, "come on guys, you can't high-five/celebrate/be careless with masks"? What happened with the Marlins can just as easily happen to any of them.

[lb60]

6 hours ago, shoregirl said:

The Marlins really fucked over the Phillies.

In other words, some things will never change.

[ebk57]

Honestly,  at this point, while I"m really happy to watch whatever baseball is on my TV, the whole thing is kinda like a giant exhibition.  New (stupid) rules, only playing in your region, rearranging the schedule (not that I"m not thrilled to be playing the Yankees tomorrow... sigh...).  All of this just means this season has no actual meaning. They're just making it up as they go along. And while watching baseball is always good, but whoever "wins" will not really be champions.  At least not in my addled mind.  Even if it was my team (hahahahahahaha... did I mention our a/c is out and my brain is mush?). 

Also, it just seems really dangerous to those folks out there. 

 

(I take part of that back.  If the Os win it all, it counts!  🙂 )

[Moose135]

Miami Marlins' season on hold after more players test positive for Covid-19

Quote

(CNN)The remainder of the shortened 2020 Major League Baseball season saw itself further imperiled Tuesday after a coronavirus outbreak on the Miami Marlins prompted the league to postpone the team's games through Sunday.

The halt to the Marlins' season less than a week after it opened follows reports by ESPN and The Athletic that four more of its players have tested positive.

"Given the current circumstances, MLB believes that it is most prudent to allow the Marlins time to focus on providing care for their players and planning their Baseball Operations for a resumption early next week," MLB said in a statement.

Miami's next six games, including Tuesday night at home against the Baltimore Orioles, have been postponed, according to MLB.

Additionally, MLB said the Yankees game at Philadelphia Tuesday evening and the Phillies' games in the Bronx on Wednesday and Thursday were postponed "out of an abundance of caution."

The Yankees will now play the Orioles at Camden Yards on Wednesday and Thursday "to create more scheduling flexibility later in the season," MLB said.

 

[catlover79]

...and we may have the next MLB outbreak!!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29556054/benches-clear-dodgers-joe-kelly-throws-astros-alex-bregman-taunts-carlos-correa%3fplatform=amp

 

[Silver Raven]

Kelly wasn't even a Dodger during the cheating incident.

 

[voiceover]

Meeeeeeeeanwhile, a warm welcome to the youngest owner in MLB history!!

 

Edited July 29, 2020 by voiceover

[catlover79]

1 hour ago, Silver Raven said:

Kelly wasn't even a Dodger during the cheating incident.

 

Did you see him sticking out his tongue and making faces at the Astros? Very mature, that one.

[mojoween]

Joe Kelly was a cheating Red Sock.  Not sure why he would be the arbiter of the cheating Astros punishment.

[BradyBunchFan]

Major League Baseball really should’ve waited until next year and it was a bad idea to start this year.

[catlover79]

4 hours ago, mojoween said:

Joe Kelly was a cheating Red Sock.  Not sure why he would be the arbiter of the cheating Astros punishment.

True, but he was on the Red Sox team that lost to the Astros in 2017. He should be suspended and miss the rest of this short season for that. No punches or anything of that nature were thrown, but a lot of people who weren't wearing masks were gathered on the field in the midst of a pandemic. Smart move, Mr. Kelly, very smart. 😠😠😠😠😠

[theatremouse]

I mean....I've long said throwing at someone should be an automatic suspension. HOWEVER, when a benches clearing brawl starts I do blame those people who charge the field too. Nobody forced them to go do that. They could've bitched from afar. Or just implored the umps to eject the pitcher. I am very opposed to this log held tradition that players are somehow morally obligated to rush the field en masse. It's immature macho posturing when it's not the middle of a pandemic. During a pandemic? They clearly all would rather Defend Their Honor than Protect Their Organs From Potential Long Term Damage.

[catlover79]

I agree with that, but I singled out Kelly because he took it upon himself to start this. Idiot!

[Lantern7]

Just saw the highlights. Are the Dodgers still fielding assholes with Puig and Utley gone? My dream is for a batter to get hit, run to the mound . . . and then both guys pretend to make the other’s head explode using their minds. Just have fun with it.

[catlover79]

Here's the biggest shock of the season. I wonder if they ran into Lou Williams trying to get his chicken wings. 😜

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/phillies/miami-marlins-players-went-out-atlanta-covid-19-outbreak-mlb-report

[cleo]

Well the 2 Atlanta catchers had it as well. And Marlins played Atlanta so media here was speculating that could have been the source.

Full disclosure- I dislike Nightengale and think he's a hack lol.

Edited July 29, 2020 by cleo

[AimingforYoko]

42 minutes ago, cleo said:

Well the 2 Atlanta catchers had it as well. And Marlins played Atlanta so media here was speculating that could have been the source.

It's time for MLB to do what should've been done years ago: Contract the Marlins.

[theatremouse]

I thought the 2 Atlanta catchers had symptoms, but tested negative, but were kept in isolation anyway in case of false negatives/being too early to test positive. Did their re-tests come back pos?

[catlover79]

Last I heard, both Atlanta catchers tested negative and were about to rejoin the team.

[mojoween]

Is there a Gofundme to oust Manfred?  Because an eight game suspension for Joe Kelly (equivalent to 21.6 real world games) is a huge fucking overstep, IMO.

And I get that Kelly was on a cheater team too, but he has now been suspended longer than any player who was caught at, AND ADMITTED TO, cheating.

Manfred makes Gary Bettman look like Adam Silver’s nice brother.

Edited July 29, 2020 by mojoween

[cleo]

19 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Is there a Gofundme to oust Manfred?  Because an eight game suspension for Joe Kelly (equivalent to 21.6 real world games) is a huge fucking overstep, IMO.

That is some kind of bullshit imo. 

re Atlanta catchers- I don't know the details. I just distrust Nightengale lol, that's why I said I have a bias. I'm sure Manfred would be thrilled if everyone pointed the fingers at the Marlins rather than him and his plan. Who knows where they got it. 

ETA- quick google- seems the catchers had symptoms but then tested negative....not sure what the story is. 

Edited July 29, 2020 by cleo

[catlover79]

Manfred and Goodell are cut from the same inept cloth.

[ebk57]

2 hours ago, mojoween said:

Is there a Gofundme to oust Manfred?

Every time I finish an MLB Fans-At-Bat survey, when they ask if I have any more comments, I write "Why does the commissioner hate baseball?"

They have yet to reach out to me to chat... 

[mojoween]

It’s been two games for the YES guys.  Hopefully soon they come up with some kind of signal so Paulie in his house in Ohio is not continually getting interrupted by Michael or interrupting David in the Stadium in New York.

Also I still think of Paulie as a Red and I thought he lived in New York.

[catlover79]

3 hours ago, mojoween said:

And I get that Kelly was on a cheater team too, but he has now been suspended longer than any player who was caught at, AND ADMITTED TO, cheating.

Besides, Kelly wasn't even ejected from the game. Just one more way Manfred completely screwed up the whole Houston Asterisks situation. 😝

[mojoween]

The rail behind home plate at Camden Yards says “Mask Up, Birdland” and YES.

All avian and non-avian fans - put the damn mask on.  Then maybe everyone can go to a game.

[Lamb18]

On 7/29/2020 at 1:28 AM, voiceover said:

Meeeeeeeeanwhile, a warm welcome to the youngest owner in MLB history!!

 

I love that picture.

[xaxat]

Uh oh.