I’m sure that some of you, maybe even most of you are already missing sports. I’m not quite there yet – but I’m sure that it will hit me soon enough. But it seems like it’s going to be quite a while before we get to see live sports here in America. Last night the Center for Disease Control updated their recommendations for mass gatherings or large community events. Among those recommendations was to cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States for the next 8 weeks. Let’s also be sure to note that this is the interim guidance – which means that things can change if and when more/new/better data comes about. Here’s the entire statement:
Large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the United States via travelers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities. Examples of large events and mass gatherings include conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies. These events can be planned not only by organizations and communities but also by individuals.
Therefore, CDC, in accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommends that for the next 8 weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.
Events of any size should only be continued if they can be carried out with adherence to guidelines for protecting vulnerable populations, hand hygiene, and social distancing. When feasible, organizers could modify events to be virtual.
This recommendation does not apply to the day to day operation of organizations such as schools, institutes of higher learning, or businessesThis recommendation is made in an attempt to reduce introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread of infection in communities already affected by the virus. This recommendation is not intended to supersede the advice of local public health officials.
While we still haven’t seen an update from Major League Baseball as far as the whole “two week delay” to the start of the regular season, we’ve known for a few days now that there’s no way that’s happening. On Saturday it was being reported by Scott Miller of Bleacher Report and MLB Network Radio that several sources swore “the season won’t begin until June“. That last one sounds like it’s about to be the earliest target date to start the season if the recommendations proposed by the CDC are adhered to.
Eight weeks from Sunday would be mid-May before sporting events with 50 people would be allowed. It’s tough to imagine spring training would be allowed while adhering to that rule. So if mid-May is the starting point for spring training, or whatever we would call that, even a two week “ramp up” to get ready to start the regular season would be right around the start of June.
Now, whether or not that’s likely to happen is a much tougher question. As has been noted in several other of our articles here as it relates to all of this – we don’t know how this is going to play out. We have hopes for how it could play out, and it seems that every day we’re getting tighter restrictions put in place with the hopes to keep things from overwhelming out medical infrastructure and having it turn into a true disaster. With that said, at least here in Ohio, the director of the Ohio Department of Health Dr. Amy Acton said that she doesn’t expect this to peak until late-April or mid-May. If that is the case, things could be pushed even further into the summer.
Right now it’s a big wait-and-see game for all of us.
Unfortunately probably should adjust my hope scale from Memorial Day hope to Independence Day hope at this point.
I’m not missing sports yet, but come Opening Day and Masters weekend I surely will be. And I get that this shift in collective behavior is important, but I suspect I’ll miss sports even more since that would be one big way of enduring extended social distancing.
But as I think about it, what I’m really bummed about regarding sports are the lost opportunities. The Reds are (were?) going to be pretty good this year. How much of that will be a miss? Joey Votto isn’t getting younger. Trevor Bauer and Nick Castellanos and Anthony DeSclafani probably won’t be Reds next year. It would be hugely disappointing if we not only miss out on this year of baseball but this year of opportunity.
I also find myself sad on behalf of some teams that lost a rare opportunity this March. Sure, Kansas and Duke and Gonzaga will aim for the Final Four nearly every year, but that’s not true of San Diego State or the UD Flyers. It’s a shame that the much rarer window of opportunity that opened for those two programs was slammed shut with no chance to know what might have been.
I’m also a little sad that this wonderful RLN community that’s a small but important part of my social life is essentially shut down, with nothing to discuss but the fact that we’re essentially shut down. Thank you Doug for continuing to helm this lonely ship. Here’s hoping we have some exciting baseball news to discuss again in eight weeks or less!
+1
I would shoot for a June 1 start, play a 100 game season with a full set of playoffs seems to be the best option.
I, too, wish things were different–of course–but what I’m personally shooting for is not getting sick and needing a ventilator. Everybody: Take care of yourselves and your families and the others you encounter, don’t hoard, and trust that this will get sorted out.
Good point. Less time to weed out the pretenders…..certainly adds more weight to sunday and getaway day lineups.
:’-((