hogan873

The viewership of the NFL draft over the weekend should be a good indicator of how many people would watch baseball if it returns. People are starved for sports on TV right now, and baseball has an opportunity to sell the sport to the country and even pick up more fans. I miss watching MLB network and.or ESPN on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I found myself watching a fishing show on Saturday, and after I dried my tears and slapped myself, I asked what the hell I was doing.

Dude, these people are idiots. If people want to leave their house for "mental health reasons", they can go for a walk, ride a bike, go for a jog. We're all in the same situation, and the majority of folks are making the right decisions and staying home. If they're going to the store, they're taking precautions. They're not going to a fucking house party with a hundred other people.

I think that's key. That should give us a better picture of how contagious it is and who might be more at risk.

It's an interesting statistic as testing is done on people showing symptoms. I don't know if it's significant, but 20% of people with potential symptoms testing positive seems low. However, if the symptoms are as generic as headache, fever, sore throat, and/or shortness of breath, I could see plenty of people wanting to be tested. Hell, I get a headache a couple times a week. Regardless, I would assume that the 20% positive rate will be pretty static for a while until we see the real benefit to the stay at home orders.

I hope that voters realize that a vote for Biden is a vote for a (hopefully) very strong VP and a competent cabinet.

It will definitely be a different type season, and it would be no better time to try some things for future seasons. I think the type of season we see will come down to geographical. The latest idea, with all teams playing in one of three hubs, would allow teams to play different opponents than they normally would. Regardless of what plan is ultimately acted upon, the post season will be very different..

That would be close to 10 weeks since it started. That does seem about right, and even a slow opening of businesses before summer would be great. When this all started, I think many of us were hopeful that the April 7 original deadline would be the end. Now, I think we'd be elated at things opening by May 25.

If the NBA and possibly NHL come back and MLB doesn't, it'll look bad. And you're right that many fans wouldn't come back. I lost interest after the strike season (I was a Pirate fan at the time, so I had added reason to lose interest), and i didn't start following baseball again until 1999 when I moved here. There's a way to play, whether it's at spring training sites or at home parks, and whether it's with or without fans. If the season is cancelled ultimately because of money, that'll look really bad, and people will remember.

I'm one of the more optimistic, I think. It's hard to stay optimistic when you read or watch the news, but I keep reminding myself that it's mid-April. A lot can transpire over the next 3-6 weeks. I think MLB will do just about anything to have some sort of season. If they get the green light from health officials, I think they move forward. As optimistic as I am, I think the best case scenario is teams playing at spring training sites with no fans all season.

With the curve being bent/flattened and at least a dim light being seen at the end of this tunnel, and as more chatter about a potential 2020 season bubbles up, let's discuss what we THINK will happen.

I think that's the key. I was reading an article (lord knows there's a shit ton out there) about how do restaurants and bars open. It mentioned limited occupancy and actually removing/blocking off tables to provide adequate social distancing. I think this is pretty reasonable, especially if we're to see restaurants start to open in May. To your point, though, it will take a while before people are comfortable about going out.

With states now talking about how to get things going again, I'm starting to feel better about seeing baseball in some form this year. It will be very different, but it will be baseball. I think we can forget about fans in the stands. I find it interesting that MLB has volunteered to be involved in the antibody testing. I wonder if this is part of their plan to return to the field.

Yes. It's mid-April, and some lightening of restrictions by mid-May is expected...at least in some areas. Baseball could still start as late as early July and squeeze in 90+ games without going too far into October. I'd love to see baseball with fans eventually this year, but that's probably wishful thinking. The next 2-4 weeks will be crucial.

There has to be some consideration of what happens if teams could go back to their home fields (with or without crowds) at some point. I'm sure what MLB would ultimately like to do is have teams play at regular stadiums, but if they want to get something going sooner rather than later, they'd almost certainly have to go with some variation of the spring training sites plans. I would think that if they make the decision to play at spring training sites, they may just stick with it for the season. Hopefully we will all have a better idea of what's going on over the next few weeks.

This is a cool idea. It would be a nice change for a season. Maybe, if this happens, it will spur some discussion about realignment and rule changes going forward.

Latest models show fewer cases in Illinois, the curve is flattening in NY and Louisiana. Seems as if the social distancing is working. Still a ways to go, but we could be seeing the light at the end of a long tunnel. This could allow for the season to start, in some fashion, by early summer.

Don't read any of Nightengale's posts on Twitter. He's the biggest naysayer out there. Reading some other articles by other writers, it seems like MLB wants to start up as soon as possible (without safety and health risks), and playing at in regular stadiums, even without fans, is the most desirable. Heyman mentioned that the league is pretty much resigned to at least starting the season without fans, whether it's at home parks or in AZ. I think they'll get it done, one way or another. It's only early April. the next 4-6 weeks will be crucial to getting back to "normal", whatever that looks like.

You have to make plans. I'd bet that the AZ plan is just one of several depending on what happens over the next few weeks. The national social distancing "order" will be either relaxed or extended at the end of the month. The CDC recommended social distancing through May 15. A lot can happen between now and then. If the curve is flattening and health officials give some sort of green light, MLB and other sports will have to make a decision fast. If they wait to get a green light to make plans, they'd be weeks to months away from making anything happen.

As cold as that sounds, you're correct. If the "curve" isn't flattened and there are still a bunch of people dying every day, they won't push forward with any plan to play baseball. But if it's basically under control and there is rapid testing available, they will do what they can to play.

Latest statement from MLB is saying this is one of the plans they are considering, but no plan (including this one) is anything more than an idea. No formal discussions have taken place. No agreements are in place. However, they have to have multiple plans ready to go if (when) health officials state it's okay to start moving forward.

I just can't believe the number of people (not just on this board but on Twitter, etc.) that don't want something like this to happen. As of right now, this is the best option for us to actually see White Sox baseball this season. A season we were all so excited about, a season that will be very important to the development of this team into the perennial contender we think it can be. If the MLB, union, and players agree to this, and the public health officials give it the green light, why wouldn't we as fans want this? Will it be weird? Yeah. Will it suck not being able to see a game in person? Hell yes. But you what would really suck? No baseball for a fucking year.

I think we'll forever be changed. If things do start to open up in May, I think we'll see a slow return to restaurants and bars, movie theaters, etc. There will always be that percent of the population that will view themselves as invincible and will be the first to the bar to get hammered. But the majority of us will still practice some of the social distancing we're doing now. I know for sure that my hand-washing habits have changed and will remain changed. I believe we'll always be thinking about who might have touched a surface last and be suspicious of someone coughing. Until there's a vaccine, we'll be more vigilant about taking care of ourselves, especially considering elderly or at risk relatives. And once there's a vaccine, we'll probably see teh majority of the population opting to get it, unlike the flu vaccine.

Agreed. The health of the people of the country is #1, and before anything is decided upon we have to see what happens over the next few weeks. It sounds like the peak could be soon, and how long we're at the peak will be important. Access to rapid testing is also key. They're making a lot of progress here, and if the testing is available in early May as predicted, that will go a long way to getting things back to some sort of normal. But, yeah, let's see what happens before deciding that we'll be sheltered in place for 16 months.

It sounds like this could be a possibility, and that's exciting. A season without baseball in Chicago would be tough, but a season with no baseball at all would be much worse. I hope to hear more about the plan coming together over the next week or so. I would think players want to play and would be up for a plan like this. The separation from their families would be tough, and as a fan I'd recognize that sacrifice. We can all keep our fingers crossed that this plan happens and keep our toes crossed that maybe by late summer they can move back to playing at home parks. The next few weeks will be crucial to see what happens with the virus.

The Goose Island Sox Ale is pretty good. Drinking it makes me sad and hopeful at the same time. I hope I can enjoy one (or three) while watching a Sox game within the next few months.