2019-2020 MLB Non-Phillies News/Notes Discussion

andyb 2020-06-17 19:30:20 UTC #922

There is no way the owners are going to give full pro-rated pay for DHs. Double headers were always a pipe dream from older reporters and fans. 7-inning single admission double headers would not add much revenue. Even the local TV deals would probably not give full credit for those games.

I imagine we'll see lots more games on ESPN and other national broadcast partners. MLB will want to make good on the games they lost. Probably will make the MLB package a less good deal this year. Though I could also see some really reduced good faith price of like $49 for everything.

zambonir 2020-06-17 19:39:50 UTC #923

Well, they're not making money from having the game in person at all (I still don't believe there are going to be fans and even if there are it will be in limited markets and of limited value given crowd size, distancing, restricted concessions).

There's nothing romantic about doubleheaders this season. But if they don't want to extend the season but they do want to play 72 games - not just to pay the players but to have a more meaningful season - it's a bone they could throw. If NBC Philly has two games to air every Saturday at 1pm and 7pm that's still more content/advertising (and the Phillies share in that). That's all it would really take to add 8 more games, and with the expanded rosters it wouldn't tax pitching (especially if you continued to allow an extra guy).

For sure MLB.TV is either going to have to give a 50% refund or pre-announced a big credit for next year. People will cancel otherwise. And ESPN will probably have games on ESPN+ too.

andyb 2020-06-17 20:02:42 UTC #924

Fangraphs with a bit more, mostly from Rosenthal:

They could probably squeeze 4 more games into that 70-day window if they wanted to. The owners will not want to. The players will. Maybe the playoff extra money is enough to help make that happen.

LoneStarPhan 2020-06-17 21:19:48 UTC #925

I've been a fan for about 70 years. Baseball has always been my first sports interest but football is a close second. I don't see a 50 or 60 game schedule as a true season. Really more like spring training. Of course, I follow spring training games and have attended about as many spring training games in person as I have attended actually major league regular season games. So yes, I will follow the season whatever it is, but I am not really expecting a return to normal play until 2022.

MLB has already collected my yearly renewal for the video and audio of games and so far, they have failed to provide the product. I expect a substantial refund or credit for future seasons. Frankly, they should provide the same package for 2021 for those of us who paid for 2020 back in (I think) early March for FREE. It would go a long way to keep some of their best media fans happy.

I hope we will see NFL and college football on TV this season, but again, nothing is certain. I have not watched a single rerun of old games (NBA, NFL, college football, MLB) so far during this shut down. For one thing, our TV cable provider is in a dispute with MLB and the MLB channel is not current available, although I do think some old games were on some of the other sports networks, but I just have not had an interest in watching old games in any sport. Normally, I only watch a few NBA or NHL games each season and don't think I watched any before the shutdown this season. Usually I get interested in the playoffs so I might enjoy whatever they come up with later this year if they do run expanded tournament type playoffs.

schillingfan 2020-06-17 21:44:31 UTC #926

Owners lose money for every game played. Players make money for every game played. No season would be disaster. Always for owners game plan was to delay to force players to less games. Screw the fans

zambonir 2020-06-17 21:48:20 UTC #927

If you request a full refund I'm sure you'll get it, it just means you'd miss out on any bonus they might give for not cancelling (and/or renewing for 2021). That's the only reason I haven't.

I agree, it's not a real season, but it's still a seeding tournament, and every game is going to count three times as much as a game normally would. There's no, "it's a long season" or "any team can lose one series to a bad team." Which is part of what makes baseball baseball normally, but c'est la vie. The games could be more intense, though they also might not be, with no fans and variable levels of play. Things like rotation depth and closers could have a completely different impact in a short season.

Playoffs could still be fun.

LoneStarPhan 2020-06-17 23:26:59 UTC #928

I haven't planned to ask for a refund unless this season falls through and they don't extend us for next year. I hope they realize that they need to treat those of us who have been customers for several years in a reasonable and fair manner for the loss of so much of this season. I'm willing to give them a chance to do the right thing.

andyb 2020-06-18 00:09:40 UTC #929

NL DH for both 2020 and 2021. Assume that is permanent now.

Players still want to squeeze a few extra games out of it. Assume they want 64 or 66 out of that same 71-day period. $25 million bonus pool for playoffs. Understandable that this would be small as the players want regular season pay and not playoff pay.

LoneStarPhan 2020-06-18 00:14:01 UTC #930

I think we should just consider the DH as permanent in all of MLB from this point on. There is no way the NL will go back. Frankly, I prefer no DH but prefer much more to have only one set of rules for all of major league baseball. I am resigned to the DH becoming universal in baseball.

zambonir 2020-06-18 00:22:43 UTC #931

It was already considered fait accompli for 2022 and now that's definitely the case. It's not like the union will want to undo it. Changes to alignment and the interleague schedule and playoffs will also still be on the table.

I'm kind of expecting to be disappointed by the MLB.TV offer. It will probably just be a partial refund this year and a discount for next year if you keep your auto-renew. Maybe they'd try to sell you a deal on ESPN+ too (remember, the product is now controlled by Disney, not the league) but I already have that (and barely use, but it's bundled with Hulu and Disney +). If I'd really thought about it I would have gotten the cash back in my pocket (i.e. on my credit card) and then signed up again later but at the time nobody really thought the season wouldn't start until August.

Lawman 2020-06-18 02:09:59 UTC #932

Agreed.

zambonir 2020-06-18 03:49:19 UTC #933

Nightengale writes "the mood soured by nightfall."

Owners want 60, players want 70.

Owners seem to have Dr. Fauci on their side.

Lawman 2020-06-18 13:42:59 UTC #934

Settle on 65 and call it a day.

andyb 2020-06-18 14:34:32 UTC #935

I was going to say 64. Works better with the schedule and evens the home and road games. 4x12 in division. 4x3 against the other division with the 5th team (natural rival) getting 4 games. Not all natural rivals are in the same geographic division across leagues but most are.

HopeSpringsEternal 2020-06-18 14:42:37 UTC #936

Sounds right to me. Let's get er done!

tom81 2020-06-18 15:24:32 UTC #937

63 makes more sense, all three game series and nobody gets an advantage/disadvantage of a weaker/stronger natural rival. With so few games it has a bigger chance of deciding the division champ.

julio 2020-06-18 16:19:12 UTC #938

But with expanded playoffs, and the vicissitudes of short series, does the division championship really matter much? The post-season becomes a crapshoot, a lottery with lots of mediocre teams participating. As entertainment, that's fine. But let us not kid ourselves that the "championship" really measures much except perhaps a lucky post-season run.

andyb 2020-06-18 16:26:02 UTC #939

If there are no fans that likely diminishes the advantage of the home team in the playoffs. Those initial 3-game series will have random winners. Maybe they should play all 3 games at the park of the higher seed to lessen the travel and give the higher seeds a bit more advantage.

allentown 2020-06-18 16:43:48 UTC #940

Sign stealing, bullpen mound tampering, infield graded for bunts to go fair or foul, team constructed to benefit from park dimensions, sleeping at home.. I agree it diminishes home field advantage, but it's still there.

andyb 2020-06-18 16:53:28 UTC #941

Lessening travel during the playoffs is safer in general. Saves a few days potentially also if they are trying to finish early.

Those 8 opening series should not be stretched to a week for TV. Maybe 5 days at most, staggering the leagues but you could really do it in 4 if you wanted to. On a 7 game series they should keep the 2-3-2 unless it is neutral site. On a 5-game series 2-2-1 seems like a lot of travel. Any time you move a couple hundred people (i.e. 2 teams and all associated personnel) from city to city you increase the risk.