Big Decision for Manfred
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Andrew Rosario
It was inevitable. The Covid-19 Pandemic was going to attack the baseball landscape and the 60 game schedule eventually. It was only a matter of time. You can’t have that many men in a close environment without someone getting or spreading the virus. This past Monday, the New York Yankees were scheduled to play in Philadelphia. The game was postponed as 13 Florida Marlins players and 2 coaches tested positive after their weekend series in the City of Brotherly love. The Yankees were to use the same clubhouse/dugout that the Marlins used. The Marlins home opener against the Baltimore Orioles was canceled as well as they remained in a Philadelphia hotel for quarantine purposes. This is just the beginning. Commissioner Rob Manfred needs to cancel the season. Now!
NFL camps are scheduled to open this week with as many as 80 to 90 players taking part. Not to mention the number of coaches and assistant coaches sharing facilities. Commissioner Roger Goodell needs to think about canceling the season as well. They have already eliminated pre-season games as well as playing games with no fan in attendance. It has not been determined if stadiums will allow tailgating prior to the start of the games. They should not allow tailgating because of the social distancing rules. People across the country continue to gather in mass without wearing masks resulting in the spike of people testing positive for the virus. As of now, the NBA began exhibition games with no players or coaches testing positive. The WNBA kicked off their season this past weekend. No issues of players testing positive as of yet. It is only a matter of time before players in both leagues test positive.
The states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were the epic centers of the virus from the very beginning. The governors of those states acted quickly resulting in the decline of fatalities and hospitalizations due to the virus. Other states opted to open establishments earlier than recommended. The spike of folks testing positive in those states has been increasing.
Soccer, golf, MMA, UFC, boxing and car racing have resumed with a very limited number of positive results. The number of participants in those sports is far less than in baseball and football. 364 basketball players have been tested with zero positive results. They are playing in the “bubble” with minimal contact outside of their hotel and arena. The National Hockey league reported all 24 teams had zero positive Covid cases as players entered their “bubble” in Toronto and Edmonton.
The Ivy League, University of Massachusetts, Bowdoin College, Morehouse College and the Centennial Conference have all canceled their fall sports. Other major college football programs are altering their schedules. Games have been canceled including Iowa State at Iowa, Oregon State at Oklahoma State, TCU at California, Texas Tech at Arizona; Maryland at West Virginia.
Manfred needs to really consider canceling the baseball season. How can a team be competitive if half of the roster is sidelined after testing positive? If Goodell is smart, they should start having players, coaches and personnel tested now. The results would determine whether or not there should be a season.
If there is one thing about our society, is that we can adapt and recover from everything and anything. It only works if we do it uniformly. One year without a baseball or football season is a small price to pay for the safety of all. Come back strong which will allow fans to be part of the action. Concession workers have relied on games to support their families in stadiums and arenas year-round. Lord knows how this has affected their lives.
