MLB canceled scheduled games between the Marlins and Orioles on Monday and Tuesday, and also canceled a game for the Phillies-Yankees in Philadelphia on Monday night. However, those three cancellations represent only the tip of the vulnerability iceberg exposed by the outbreak.
“What this illustrates is that no matter how robust your protocols are, there will always be a non-zero risk. You cannot, in the midst of a pandemic, completely isolate yourself and your organization from the impact of that, ”said Dr. Amesh Adalja of the Center for Health Safety at Johns Hopkins. “The question is always, how much are you willing to do to reduce the risk and how much risk is tolerable for the people involved?”
Obviously, the Marlins outbreak did not alter the game’s view of what constitutes an acceptable risk.
MLB owners had a regularly scheduled phone call on Monday. The MLB Players Association contacted player representatives. According to industry sources, suspending or canceling the season was not significantly explored during those talks. There has also been no discussion of increasing the testing of your current schedule every other day.
Instead, for now, the Marlins’ situation is seen as isolated. Most of the industry discussions focused on the logistics of future Marlins games and possible protocol adjustments.
“I don’t put this in the nightmare category. … Most homeowners realize that we create protocols anticipating that we would have positive tests sometime during the season. The protocols were created to allow us to keep playing through those positives, ”said Commissioner Rob Manfred on the MLB Network. “I remain optimistic that protocols are strong enough to allow us to continue playing even during an outbreak like this and complete our season.”
Meanwhile, Red Sox executives and medical staff met with players via Zoom to discuss their upcoming road trip to New York (for games against the Mets and Yankees) and Tampa Bay, and the risks associated with activities in both regions, particularly Florida. Manager Ron Roenicke said the team expects players to stay at their hotel while playing in Tampa Bay, and that any family visitors would be screened before interacting with team members.
While Roenicke said the wisdom of running a season was not questioned, he expressed hope that the Marlins’ outbreak could force players to be more vigilant in observing security protocols, such as avoiding fist bumps and other contacts. celebrating in the field, and engaging in safe behaviors off the field.
“I don’t want them to be afraid to hit the road, or afraid to play and continue this because I think we are doing a lot of good things. . . . I have hope [the Marlins outbreak] It scares them a little bit, ‘Hey, I know we’ve been good at this, but we can be better,’ “Roenicke said.” We have to keep reminding kids to try to keep the things that our medical department [has] Said they are safe. Hopefully that continues, and we can hit the road and do the right thing. ”
Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi suggested the outbreak offered a real reminder of the need to follow protocols.
“You have to wear your mask and keep your distance as safe as possible,” said Benintendi. “That’s the second most important thing we could do now instead of winning baseball games.”
Others, however, viewed the development as a jarring accusation for the game. Former Red Sox pitcher David Price, who chose not to pitch for the Dodgers because of health and safety concerns, expressed skepticism about league operations in a pandemic.
Now we can REALLY see if MLB is going to put players’ health first. Remember when Manfred said the players’ health was PARAMOUNT? Part of the reason I’m at home right now is because the health of the players didn’t come first. I can see that that has not changed.
– David Price (@ DAVIDprice24) July 27, 2020
“Now we can REALLY see if MLB is going to put players’ health first. Remember when [MLB commissioner Rob Manfred] said [players’] health was PARAMOUNT ?! Part of the reason I’m home now is because [players’] health was not put first. I can see that has not changed, ”Price wrote on Twitter.
Up to this point, Roenicke said, there has been no suggestion that games against the Rays could be moved outside of Florida. Adalja, however, suggested that as MLB tries to conduct a season with teams spread across 28 different cities, you may want to consider relocating Florida games and other hotspots, as you would during a hurricane or other disaster. .
“You would not play sports in a war zone. That’s basically what’s going on here. Certain states are war zones between humans and this virus, “said Adalja. “That is probably not the best place for recreational activities.”
Because baseball avoided the “bubble” approach and allows its players to interact with their communities, the league and its players accepted a greater risk than the NBA of a possible outbreak, particularly in regions like Florida with high infection rates. MLB also accepted the risks associated with teams traveling between cities.
Still, while Massachusetts has introduced a 14-day quarantine requirement that covers a broad set of travelers from other states, Governor Charlie Baker suggested that due to the MLB’s regular testing program and the league’s health and safety protocols , remained comfortable with the teams. coming from another state to play at Fenway.
“[Continual testing] it sets a very high standard for when you play and when you don’t, “Baker said.” Our view is that your approach should be careful and cautious, and if that translates to some games not playing or some games being postponed, or some trips are not done because of problems associated with their test results, that’s going to be the way it is going to be. “
One series on the season, the reality of that interruption became painfully clear. It remains to be seen whether the Marlins outbreak is truly isolated or foreshadowing, but it is clear that even with regular testing and a litany of protocols, the season will remain at the mercy of the virus.
Alex Speier can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter at @alexspeier.
