Benjamin Grimm

Here's another new idea: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2020/04/10/mlb-realignment-league-considers-radical-move-for-2020-season/5128935002/MLB considering radical realignment for 2020 season: Grapefruit and Cactus leagues The Grapefruit League and the Cactus League would be "official" leagues this season. The divisions would be as follows: GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE NORTH: New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates. SOUTH: Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles. EAST: Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins. CACTUS LEAGUE NORTHEAST: Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics. WEST: Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels. NORTHWEST: Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals. The advantage here is that all teams would have their own home parks, at their familiar spring training facilities. There wouldn't be the congestion of trying to schedule 15 or more games per day on the few Arizona fields. Teams wouldn't be playing home games three time zones away from their home fans. (Okay, maybe some would, like the Reds and the Indians. Too bad for them.) The World Series would be Cactus League vs. Grapefruit League instead of American League vs. National League. The DH would be applicable in all games.

Yeah, they have to find a way to accommodate families.

My hunch is that they'll think of something. It will be the weirdest baseball season ever, but I think we'll see something. I think that MLB should buy out a resort (or many resorts) and house the players and their families. (The single players will be missing out on some extracurricular fun, but they should be missing out on that anyway right now.) I'm not sure how many resorts there are in Arizona, but I bet there are more than a few centered around golf.

Lefty Specialist wrote: And they wouldn't go anywhere but the hotel and the stadium. Sounds pretty draconian. Book them in a nice resort with their families. (Another argument for Hawaii over Arizona.)

I'd look at Hawaii. Surely there are 15 decent baseball diamonds on the island of Oahu.

Geez, I hope they find a way to make this work. And safely, of course, not recklessly. It's nice that they're trying to coordinate with recommendations from the federal government. It would be even nicer if the federal government was competent. (Hopefully they'll talk to the doctors and scientists and not the political hacks.) Baseball on TV in May? Sign me up for a no-contact home delivery of peanuts and Crackerjack!

I remember wondering why his name was printed on batteries.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Kennesaw Mountain Landis wrote: I honestly feel that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going... There will be fewer people unemployed and everybody will work longer hours and harder than ever before. And that means that they ought to have a chance for recreation and for taking their minds off their work even more than before. Here is another way of looking at it. If 300 teams use 5,000 or 6,000 players, these players are a definite recreational asset to at least 20,000,000 of their fellow citizens. And that, in my judgment, is thoroughly worthwhile. The particulars are different now, of course. I'm not sure that minor league games would be played, and there wouldn't be the ancillary employment of ticket takers, vendors, parking lot attendants, etc. But we can certainly use the "recreational asset" if a way can be found to do it safely. Catchers already wear masks... why not let everyone else wear them as well?

I imagine the telecasts wouldn't be as polished as what we're used to, with cameras everywhere recording from a variety of angles. But I can live without that. Baseball would be a wonderful distraction and we need it now more than ever. (I think FDR said something similar about keeping the game going during World War II.) It would affect the instant replay review, with fewer camera angles to examine. Probably would lead to shorter reviews and fewer overturned calls.

Keith

One plan reportedly being considered is that all games would be played, with no fans in attendance, at Cactus League parks in Arizona. Apparently they're less spread out than the parks in Florida.

I can't believe I didn't recognize Smead Jolley.

I think I recognize Andy Pettite, John Montefusco, and Bobby Mercer.

I was wondering that too. A lot more high school and college kids are going to essentially be free agents.

So is that two degrees of separation between Bill Cosby and Jesse James?

I assume he's dead at the present time.

Burt was the guy whose father was murdered by Jesse James on The Brady Bunch, but I mostly remember him as "Old Man Quigley" on All in the Family. https://bradybunchreviewed.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/authorvisit2.jpg?w=358&h=243>

I'd suggest that you get yourself a mast, but all of the mast stores are probably closed.

I'll guess -15. Or maybe -43. I'm not sure. Or how about 0.05?

Rumor has it that they may cancel the AllStar game in order to get more actual games in. I think it's a good idea.

Lots of stuff here... USA Today wrote: Major League Baseball, players union reach tentative agreement to salvage 2020 season Bob Nightengale USA TODAY Major League Baseball and the Major League Players Association reached a tentative agreement Thursday evening on key economic issues in hopes of salvaging the majority of the 162-game season, according to an executive with direct knowledge of the negotiations, even if it means playing the World Series in late November. Major League Baseball owners will vote Friday to officially ratify the agreement, two executives with knowledge of the negotiations told USA TODAY Sports. The two executives spoke only on the condition of anonymity since the deal has not been finalized. The deal includes a commitment from MLB and the players to play as close to a full regular-season schedule as possible, with games in October and a postseason in November, providing the COVID-19 crisis dissipates and permits them to even start a season. The two sides would like to play at least 100 games, with the hopes of playing as many as possible, scheduling regular-season games through October and including weekly doubleheaders. They have also discussed the idea of expanding the current playoff format to help offset the loss of income, while acknowledging that if cold weather becomes an issue in November, they could move the World Series and playoff series from cold-weather cities to a neutral site. The biggest issue in the negotiations was service time, and the two sides agreed that if there's a season of any length, players would receive credit for a full year as if it was a regular 162-game season. And if the season is canceled, players will receive the same service time they accrued in 2019. This means that Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts, who was acquired along with former Cy Young winner David Price in February from the Boston Red Sox, could be a free agent without playing a single regular-season game for the Dodgers. The two sides also have decided to still have an amateur draft this summer, although it will be reduced to five rounds instead of the usual 40 rounds, according to The Athletic. The players will no longer get their signing bonuses up-front, and it instead will be deferred, which ESPN first reported, paying 10% now and 45% percent in the following two years. Teams have also pledged to pay players on 40-man rosters a lump sum of at $170 million in upfront money, based on a sliding scale with service time. Players are scheduled to receive their first paychecks on April 15, and if the season resumes, they would be paid on a pro-rated scale based on how many games are played. In the meantime, clubs have also promised their full-time employees that they will continue to receive their salary through April 30 with no layoffs. Yet, several employees say they have received a warning letter from their club, which gives a 60-day notice on potential mass layoffs. Major League Baseball's best hope is to start the season around June 1, and no later than July 1, simply picking up the original schedule when it resumes, but are following the lead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Once teams are given permission to start working out again, it's quite possible that instead of having their teams return to their spring-training sites for a minimum of two weeks, players will work out at their team's own home ballparks, reducing further expenses, and expediting the start before the new opening day. Teams likely will open the season with expanded rosters for the first month as well, and instead of having 26-man rosters, increasing to as many as 30 players. It remains unknown how long Major League Baseball and the union would be willing to play with no fans permitted in the stands, how they would adjust the unplayed schedule to make it equitable for all teams. Those questions can wait, but for now the two sides are hoping to make an announcement on what was scheduled to be the opening day of the 2020 season that they have reached an agreement on several critical economic issues, and praying there still will be an opening day sometime this summer. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2020/03/26/mlb-players-agree-deal-preserve-service-time-hold-draft/2923380001/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2020/03/26/mlb-players-agree-deal-preserve-service-time-hold-draft/2923380001/

Huh! Somehow I always assumed it was a day game.

That's really cool. Was it a night game?

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Frayed Knot wrote: Put it this way: Do you want a rebuilt Thor for a potential 2021 playoff run or would you prefer RA Dickey? And put it another way... Did you enjoy 2015?