From the Sports Editor’s Desk… What will major league baseball look like
Published 4:32 pm Wednesday, June 24, 2020
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Ivan Sanders - Star Sports Editor
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BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
Well, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred finally had all he could take and initiated a 60-game season for Major League Baseball as players will begin trickling back into their respective clubs July 1st and the first games are scheduled for around July 23rd or July 24th.
However, that is still several days from now to the start and the question still remains will baseball be able to get started or not as the Philadelphia Phillies recently reported seven played testing positive for COVID-19 and one for the Colorado Rockies.
And really, does anyone care at this point as most have already started to cross their fingers and toes that high school and college football will be kicking off their season on time.
As much as I love baseball and especially the Atlanta Braves, without the opportunity to make a trip to Marietta and take in some games, what’s the use of starting up a season as of right now the games will be played before empty stadiums unless MLB changes their minds much like NASCAR and allows some fans to fill seats.
Then comes the battle of who will get first dibs on those seats. It’s a no-win situation for fans but definitely will help the multi-million dollar owners of the teams recoup some of their money through television advertising dollars.
What about the thought process of the players who have shown concern about catching the virus and taking it to their families. Will there be those that refuse to take the field due to the pandemic and if so how does that affect the game itself especially if you are one of the team’s hitting stars.
There are still many questions and not so sure answers but baseball is at least on a course to start if nothing else. It will be interesting to see how many fans will get behind a shortened season.
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As a Sports Editor, I am constantly looking for local things to cover but also I am trying to put together a way to keep national sports out there as well.
While scrolling through the AP Sports Wire, it is amazing about how many stories focus on athletes of all sports who are daily being diagnosed with COVID-19 and having to quarantine.
Sometimes it gets downright depressing looking at all the stories out there about this happening. Whether it’s horse racing, soccer, track, swimming, baseball, football, or basketball – it seems like the order of the day to see how many of these athletes are wanting to return to their sport only to come down with the Coronavirus.
When people ask me my opinion about restarting football and other sports, I so want to give a good report but seeing what I do daily sometimes it’s hard to do so while keeping a positive outlook toward what is hoped to see things back to normal.
I guess I am glad I sit behind the desk I do and write about sports rather than make the big decisions that have to be made such as asking 90 football players and coaches to go out on the field and put forth their best effort while risking a potential medical risk to each player.
And I will say this from a standpoint of a former parent of a student-athlete -do I want to see my senior son out there on that field for his last season in high school – ABSOLUTELY but have I considered my reaction should he or she contact the virus.
Those things need to be considered ahead of time because no one knows what to expect.
We are still in a car that has no GPS, no maps, and absolutely no directions when it comes to traveling this untraveled road.
It’s time to just say, ‘Jesus take the wheel’ in the lyrics of a song by Carrie Underwood as no one knows where this vehicle is going to come to a stop but Him.
