Coronavirus (Sports-Related and General)

Jeff05 2020-03-24 08:49:39 UTC #362

Italian mayors telling it like it is . . .

I can't vouch for the accuracy of the translations; however, both vids are worth viewing!

Jeff05 2020-03-24 14:34:02 UTC #363

flyers19rw 2020-03-24 15:11:36 UTC #364

I'm sort of happy that this decision has been made. My nephew is in the program and has been kept in training on location. I'm hoping that now he will be released from that and can come home with the rest of his family.

Philsmania 2020-03-24 15:44:44 UTC #365

Should the sports world get up and running again by July, there is going to be a certifiable traffic jam of events from July through November...possible NHL and NBA playoffs, condensed MLB season, NFL season starting up, horseracing Triple Crown in September, French Open rescheduled to a week AFTER the US Open, oy.

As a cycling fan, I see no way that the Giro d'Italia goes off and the Tour de France--which I unashamedly follow closely every year--is probably doomed for this year (can't postpone that for two months as it would conflict with the Vuelta de España unless that grand tour can be moved to November and eliminate any mountain stages to avoid possible cycling through snowstorms).

LoneStarPhan 2020-03-24 17:00:32 UTC #366

My opinion is that the NHL and NBA should end the season and prepare to return to action in the normal time frame for the 2020-2021 seasons.

Philsmania 2020-03-24 17:28:06 UTC #367

I agree, particularly with regard to the NHL. The prospect of playing hockey on mushy ice in July and August is not appealing and, not to mention, probably presents some kind of an injury risk to players (I'm thinking a spate of blown ACL's as players attempt quick pivots on skates that get relatively stuck). The NBA might be able to finish its season if it cuts the playoff field down to eight or maybe even four teams (just play the conference finals and finals).

The idea I'm kicking around for MLB is spring training starting in mid-June, season opener mid-July, 84 game season (48 intradivision, 30 interdivision with no home-and-home and 6 interleague, regular season concludes mid-October, postseason concludes mid-November with Northern tier teams possibly having to relocate for the WS, ie. Twins home games in Miami). If "Spring" Training 2020 2.0 can't start by mid-June, stick a fork in the season.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is SI's Sportsman of the Year since his decision to cancel started the wave of cancellations.

flyers19rw 2020-03-24 17:55:51 UTC #368

This is a reasonable proposal. If I could add one thing to it, why not kick off the season with an AS game as voted in by the phans? Right now it seems that FA and the draft are giving people something to talk about with football. Phan voting would get a lot of attention to the baseball once again. Mid-July is usually when the AS game is played so it wouldn't be a big adjustment to the season's norms..

andyb 2020-03-24 18:00:40 UTC #369

Maybe a 30-man roster for the entire season and each team plays at least one DH a month?

I assume they'll want a really short spring training and then fewer off days to get as many games in as possible.

LoneStarPhan 2020-03-24 18:05:25 UTC #370

Why not a double header every Sunday? I mean a true double header, two games, one admission. Give all team off on Monday. Play 3 game series T-W-Th and 4 game series F-S-S with the double header.

andyb 2020-03-24 18:09:35 UTC #371

I think MLB (and players) would prefer just playing every day compared to double headers. They are a nice concept to wax prosaic about the good old days, but they are really an injury waiting to happen (temptation to use pitchers twice, etc.).

Plus MLB likes having some game on TV every day which is why the off days generally get staggered to Monday or Thursday as it is so some teams are playing every day (the NFL bye week concept to get extra TV games).

zambonir 2020-03-24 19:28:26 UTC #372

It all comes down to money really. Would NHL teams even make money resuming some kind of season? Would NBC? And how will player pay work? If the NBA just played an eight-team tournament are teams going to want some of those regular-season salaries back? Proud and passionate as athletes are, will they even want to come back and play in a tournament for just the playoff pool? Would the ratings/advertising for a tournament in a country desperate for entertainment generate big bucks or will companies and advertisers and consumers still not have the bandwidth (or money)?

MLS and MLB have it a little easier, more room to figure this stuff out.

But right now it remains to be seen if we can get through April successfully.

xogfog 2020-03-25 00:33:00 UTC #373

The Broad Street Run, scheduled for May 3 has been postponed to Oct 4.

LoneStarPhan 2020-03-25 07:22:55 UTC #374

A baseball draft this June will be difficult. High school and college teams are pretty much all shut down now and I doubt many if any will have a season this year. Schools are not in session all over the country and MLB teams cannot visit with prospective draftees. Certainly, not business as usual.

andyb 2020-03-25 11:27:15 UTC #375

Why does baseball absolutely have to have a full season to have a draft? They have been scouting these players for years already. They can do interviews by phone or video conference. They have less data than in the past, but all that means is that there will be more risk this year. The talent level does not change.

In essence they do not need business as usual to conduct a draft. Hopefully things get better so there is baseball over the summer. Then they just do a series of workouts for a mid-July draft and delay short season ball a month. Or just draft in August for next season. There are ways to do this if your primary motivation were not saving money. They have been following these Dominican kids since they were 12. Any good HS players has been on their radar since they were 14 or 15. They'll miss the late risers of course, but all that means is there will be more bargains in later rounds. More late risers in the HS ranks will go to college perhaps, but unless there are more scholarships available that will probably not be a huge number of the better prospects.

Philsmania 2020-03-25 14:29:52 UTC #376

Everyone will be drafting on luck this year. Might help a less-astute organization like the Phillies.

allentown 2020-03-25 14:48:51 UTC #377

I agree. We have had some notable first round bombs on 'late risers'. There will be no late risers this draft.

LoneStarPhan 2020-03-25 17:32:08 UTC #378

I am really missing baseball but I do not want baseball at Christmas. Please no 2020 season that is not totally complete by November 1st.

Philsmania 2020-03-25 17:39:39 UTC #379

As I've said, I could push the season to November 15 in light of the extraordinary circumstances. Just as long as MLB's braintrust and the networks don't start thinking "Wow, the WS in November sweeps month!". That's how the Super Bowl's February 2002 scheduling due the exigent circumstances after 9/11 became a regular thing. The network discovered the ratings boost it brought to February sweeps month.

andyb 2020-03-25 17:51:47 UTC #380

I am willing to try the neutral site WS in November. Maybe even the NLCS and ALCS. I think the crowds will be less enthusiastic, but it is worth trying and you would not need off days. An actual 5-man rotation in a WS would certainly be baseball more like the regular season. And one would need to go deeper into bullpens. 7 games, 7 days. No travel.

zambonir 2020-03-25 17:58:25 UTC #381

Boras is trying really hard to get his players paid their full salary for this year huh? There's simply no way they can still play 100+ games or play until Christmas and then expect the playoff teams to just go right into spring training a month later.

NBA has similar issues - you start playing basketball until Labor Day (NFL starts on the 10th) and what kind of late/abbreviated season are you looking at for 2021?

I'm still pessimistic about all of it. We could have a second wave in late spring that renders it all moot, or worse, we could get back to normal in July and then be right back where we started in September.