[ESPN] MLB suspends spring training, delays Opening Day at least two weeks

I couldn't agree more, I was talking with a friend about this other day. So sick of the politics of this country... such a hive-mind. I see why the parties are divided on this issue, but now nearly 100% of republicans I know are back to calling covid 'just the flu' and nearly 100% of the liberals I know are now claiming Trump is recklessly killing people... please.


Americans need to learn to think for themselves again. Issues are complex and not black and white, but most people have ingrained their political party so deep into their personalities that they literally agree with their party on every. single. issue. You're so right that you really can't trust anyone these days - everyone has an angle and agenda.

And another thing that bugs me is nobody seems to be humble enough to just admit 'hey, unprecedented pandemics are a bit out of my circle of competence, might defer to the experts on this one and not argue a point I've spent the past few hours wikipedia-ing so vehemently'. Nope, everybody's gotta have a 'take', and has to be so damn sure about it. "This is why I'M RIGHT and the other people aren't only wrong... their morally reprehensible!" coming from both sides.

I've cut pretty much all of my media intake to WSJ, FinancialTimes, Bloomberg... still some biases you have to deal with, but at least more investment-centric publications cater to their base that just wants cold hard, non-biased facts to try to figure out what is actually happening/likely to happen.

 

Well said, I agree with this 100%

I try to watch a little of the "news" everyday, just to see what everyone is lying about lol.....sadly there isn't a single outlet left that just gives you the news, it's all politically motivated one side or the other

 

.....damn I miss baseball.

 

Everyday there’s an astros post or something celebrating the past, and there’s over 100 replies with trash cans and/or belittling statements about cheating.

Even guys who were nowhere close to being on the team in 2017 (Alvarez, Greinke) are getting ridiculed for being on the team. Same with Biggio/Bagwell/Berkman. Most “reasonable” fans as you suggest should be able to separate that, but they won’t.

See the other thread where some fantasy tournament of every team’s “best all-time” teams are included... and for the Astros they only put 2005 and 2019... not 2017. It’s become so inter-woven to the fabric that the only thing to really cure it is for this team to go out and continue to win a ton of games and be so much better than the competition. (What the Patriots did)

 

Never underestimate baseball’s ability to cut off their nose to spite their face.... see above post on how they basically continued to let the media slander one of their elite franchises until it literally started becoming bad for the game overall.

The players are going to apparently band together and stick with the “too risky, health-wise” in order to mitigate some of the PR issues... which will only work so long (or until the other leagues start up here and stay healthy).

 

And there was an article the other day on ESPN (I think) picking an Olympic team. They left off any Astro because there would be too much clubhouse dissension.

How will the Mets survive with Jake? The Nationals with Harris? The Rays with Morton?

 

Yankees with Cole?
Springer with xxx next year?
Correa with xxx in two years?

Like I said earlier, it’s infecting all Astros from throughout history, not just the ones on that team.

 

Art Howe currently in the ICU due to Covid... and there’s a ton of twitter responses with nothing but “cheaters”, “deserved for that franchise”, “bang bang”.... etc.

There’s just nothing anybody Astros related can do right now that will fail to bring out these sorts of comments (including possibly dying).

But hey... lets get another Olney or Passan article about how morally incomprehensible their actions were... and maybe buzzers?

 

But they have no problem getting delivery or getting gas. No problem having people risk their lives for 10 dollars a hour. Heaven forbid he losing money on his contract playing baseball. Tone deaf indeed

 

Id have no problem if Snell straight up said he didn't want to risk his health by playing baseball. If that is the truth, then it shouldn't matter if they double his salary.

Since the salary is the sticking point, I'm going to conclude that he is just full of ****. If players can't understand that they can't make their full salary per game with noone buying tickets, then they are killing themselves on future contracts because there won't be enough fans at the games to support the high salaries.

Baseball relies on ticket/concession sales more than any other sport.

 

But what if the team doesn't want the player back for next season? For example Josh Reddick decides to push his remaining year for next year. He's already declining and he would be a year older. I was hoping the plan for this season was for him and Tucker split time and eventually as the season went on Tucker takes the starting job full time. Have Reddick as a veteran player for the season and when the season ends, thank him for his time in Houston and part ways.

 

By his logic, grocery store clerks are risking their lives for $13.50/hour. Seriously, sometimes rich ppl are clueless.

 

I also miss baseball

 

Rob Manfred was asked on CNN about a player testing positive for COVID-19 if the sport resumes: "Our experts are advising us that we don't need a 14-day quarantine. The positive individual will be removed from the group." Manfred then mentioned contact tracing

Rob Manfred said players who test positive for COVID-19 will be quarantined until they test negative twice in a 24-hour span.

On CNN, Rob Manfred said if MLB doesn't play in 2020, losses for owners "could approach $4 billion."

“We hope we will be able to convince the vast majority of our players that it’s safe to return to work. At the end of the day, however, if there are players with either health conditions or their own personal doubts, we would never force them to come back”

 

Feel like Snell opened eyes even if the optic is bad. It had to be said. It's like going to work at the gas station or grocery for 1 day a week, 1 day of pay, and still taking the risk of dying. I get it. That's not necessarily worth the risk of ruining your lungs, liver, or dying. They only have one chance to get it right and so far, our leaders and even the medical community have shown we don't know nearly as much as we think we know. Risk vs. Reward. He could insure the money part of it where he could lose 100's of millions if it goes badly, but you can't reverse your health once damaged.

 

I agree that if this whole thing collapses over money, baseball is going to take a very large hit in the form of lost fans.

 

I think his argument would have been much stronger if he just said there's too much unknown and he's not comfortable playing - the end. That's an idea many people would understand. But instead he just didn't want a pay cut - basically said he'd play for $10MM but not $5MM. I think at that point, he loses the sympathy vote, given that millions of fast food workers, CVS employees, etc are all going out and risking their health for $10-$15/hr.

 

I would agree if that is what he was saying

But he was basically saying i'll risk my life for 7 million, but no way i'm risking it for 3.5 million

I'm thinking 99%+ of the population would go to work for 3.5 million?

 

The 95, 96, and 97 playoffs were pretty much sold out at all venues, correct? (Including Miami!)

yes, there is always initial backlash after a stoppage in any sport... but there’s also enough people who are desperate for live sports in any form. Of course the media is biased towards them wanting it to be resolved... but these are financial issues on as big of a scale as what the 94 strike was centered around, with an added concern of players contracting the virus.

I’m pretty much losing interest as it is in a season... not that it wouldn’t be a welcome distraction, but there will be so many asterisks attached to the eventual winner that it’s just another thing the Astros would get major backlash over if they’re expectedly in the hunt.

And the squabble is just not all that much worth it to salvage half a season with a watered down playoffs. Baseball isn’t “essential”... it’s a self-serving league where the owners need to make money to pay players who will only play for worth it money. Thus, let them fight amongst themselves and get back to making money (err, playing) when it’s safe... and predictably fans will eventually come back.