2020 MLB Postseason

[zambonir]

An insane and appropriate ending. They are a very good team obviously, and have been for a few years. No problem seeing some of those guys finally get there even if I wasn't really rooting for 'em.

[andyb]

Baseball really got lucky here. I imagine that the baseball bubble was pretty good but something got in the Dodgers clubhouse. The travel to the bubble just forced more contacts with outsiders.

What if a half dozen Dodgers suddenly tested positive. Would they have paused the series? Would the Dodgers just have called up people from their alternate site (if players are still in shape there). This could have been a disaster.

[el-pietro]

And then was seen on the field, maskless celebrating with his team mates after the game. I hope no one he infects is seriously affected.

[BostonRoss]

For the first time since 2008, the Dodgers have more different managers (three) who have won a World Series than the Phillies (two).

[Philsmania]

For the first time since 2008, the Dodgers have more different managers (three) who have won a World Series than the Phillies (two).

Dang, that is correct. I had not realized that Walter Alston managed them that long. 1954-1976 (all but the last four games when Lasorda took over). The Dodgers only had two managers from 1954 to the 76th game of 1996. They've had seven managers in the twenty-four-plus years since Lasorda stepped down.

[Philsmania]

Baseball really got lucky here. I imagine that the baseball bubble was pretty good but something got in the Dodgers clubhouse. The travel to the bubble just forced more contacts with outsiders.

What if a half dozen Dodgers suddenly tested positive. Would they have paused the series? Would the Dodgers just have called up people from their alternate site (if players are still in shape there). This could have been a disaster.

I think they would have paused the series for as long as it took for the situation to run its course. Schedules in all sports are out of sorts right now (Kentucky Derby, Stanley Cup Final and Tour de France in September, Preakness Stakes and NBA Finals in October) so a late November or even December World Series would have been par-for-the course. If things go off the rails in the NFL, I fully expect we'll see a May or June Super Bowl. Baseball, so far, is the only sport that has ended its season at the regular time but, unlike the other sports, is the only one that bit the bullet and sacrificed a big part of its season.

[andyb]

I fully expect we'll see a May or June Super Bowl.

With the level of COVID cases rising geometrically, I would be shocked if the NFL can remain on schedule. They have done all the easy fixes to their schedule. They'll probably add an 18th week on the next round of postponements. But this is a house of cards ready to collapse.

[zambonir]

I don't think they could have paused the World Series for any period of time. Neither the teams nor the stadium was ready to just lock down indefinitely. Maybe 72 hours to a week to complete another round of testing. I'm sure the Rays would have argued for playing Game 7, and the rules may have been on their side.

It may well turn out that Turner was a false positive, like Nick Saban, which still doesn't excuse the process. But it was never a true bubble - who can even be sure if the players had perfect distancing etiquette from delivery people and hotel and ballpark staff, even if they didn't break any rules by going to 7-11 or something.

Could be true about the Super Bowl. The football plan never made much sense to me given the inevitability of winter spikes. On the other hand, baseball's urgency to finish in October was prescient.

[allentown]

There should be a large penalty against the Dodgers organization for this flagrant violation. Reduction in international allocation and loss of a draft pick should be included. Turner should be suspended for 2021.

[zambonir]

It seems the blame largely lies with MLB. They were the ones that let him stay on the field in the 2nd inning (when they first found out the test was inconclusive) and they were the ones that had him pulled in the seventh (when the positive came through). MLB is also responsible for the World Series and the post-game celebration, not the teams (even if there's an actual home team).

Unlikes other leagues doesn't seem like MLB ever instituted any actual rules or fine system either. Randomly making up the punishment you suggest, nah. If it was the NFL the Dodgers would be fined several million dollars for each individual mask violation, but MLB did not enforce that all season.

[zambonir]

Hey, if we want to be really hardcore about it, the Dodgers played the game with an ineligible player, and it shouldn't count. But it sounds like the hammer will indeed come down hard on Turner, and the Dodgers probably do deserve to be held accountable for his post-game actions. But what does the manual allow?

https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1321530255992070144/photo/1

[allentown]

It seems the blame largely lies with MLB.

Nope. He had an inconclusive test, so MLB fast-tracked the re-test. When that was positive, MLB ordered him pullled from game and he was ordered to isolate. Instead, he returned to the on-field team celebration, unmasked part of the time. The celebration wasn't just team, it was also families. He was spotted and ordered to leave the field. He refused to leave. The team later was quoted that Turner wanted to be there and the team wanted him there. This is egregious, even for baseball.

Regardless what the manual says on Covid, I think the commissioner has ample authority to act, just as he did with Herrera. Turner was ordered to leave the field by MLB security and refused. Prior to that he was ordered to isolate and disregarded that. Simply egregious and the Dodgers statement was equally egregious.

[zambonir]

Yeah I hadn't seen those additional details. But even as serious as his conduct was, there's no way it will be anything other than some $ for the team - it does not rise to the level of stripping draft picks, especially as it had nothing to do with competitive advantage. And I'm not sure the revised 2020 rules even include a mechanism to suspend him. I guess whatever rules apply to a player who has been kicked out of the game returning to the dugout or field might be in play. Either way it will only be for 10 or 20 games max. No comparison to Herrera who was covered by a collectively bargained domestic violence policy. Perhaps there is some "conduct unbecoming" clause that can be triggered I suppose.

And for all we know he'll be playing for the Phillies next year.

[andyb]

I could see Turner with a big fine and small suspension for this, but that is it.

MLB will need to fine itself if they get a half dozen positive tests from all the team members today. I am guessing we'll find out that they were not testing everyone every day once they were in the bubble and if Turner's case is a real positive, it is very likely not the only one. And whether MLB covered anything up is yet another question.

[zambonir]

A terrible situation for MLB to put its own people, and security in, but they probably should have and could have arrested him: trespassing, or failure to comply with law enforcement (there were surely real cops around, as well as off-duty working security).

It may yet turn out to be a false positive. If not, it will be hard to know whether tranmission occurred on Monday, or post-game, but the latter could really be a disaster (as A-town noted, there were families and so forth).