ESPN: MLB looking at May start, all games in AZ, several changes

[fathom]

3 minutes ago, Texsox said:

It would be easy enough to schedule teams with extended off days of 3 to 4 days. They are already on the road for more than half of their season. I don't believe it would be much different. 

From what I saw, they would be forced to stay in the hotel all season. No way they let players go back home during the season, as the risk of exposure would be too much.

[bmags]

15 minutes ago, hogan873 said:

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.

Honestly, me too. You are getting to watch the best players in the world play against each other. Yes, fans add stuff. Stadiums add stuff. But put crappy players to play in the best, packed stadium in the world and it's not as important to me as point #1.

The idea that not having any of that is better than having this is so strange to me. The players are playing against each other...how is that fake?

[Jack Parkman]

21 minutes ago, bmags said:

Honestly, me too. You are getting to watch the best players in the world play against each other. Yes, fans add stuff. Stadiums add stuff. But put crappy players to play in the best, packed stadium in the world and it's not as important to me as point #1.

The idea that not having any of that is better than having this is so strange to me. The players are playing against each other...how is that fake?

It's fake because the hard AZ infields+shorter fences will lead to tons of HRs and seeing eye singles will be allowed. BABIPs will be insane, as will ERAs and FIPs. 

The fact that it is dry in AZ mitigates some of the temperature effect. 

At the very least, they're going to have to put the balls in a humidor, and idk if that would be enough.

Science: 

Most of air(99%)=N2+O2 N2=28g/mol O2=32 g/mol

H20=18 g/mol

 

Why do pitches move more in humid conditions? Less drag. 

Temperature has a greater effect on fly ball distance than humidity does. However, combined they lead to lots of HRs. 

Theoretically, pitches should move more when it's warm and humid as well. 

It will be interesting to see how this works. They may need to really saturate the fields with water to mitigate some of the ground ball issues. 

 

Edited April 7, 2020 by Jack Parkman

[whitesoxfan99]

54 minutes ago, fathom said:

I’m sure I’m in the minority on this, but I hate this idea.  I also think a lot of players will object to being away from their family for five months.

Also how does this work if a player tests positive?  Do you have to do an extended shutdown of the whole league for a couple of weeks? 

[Y2Jimmy0]

1 hour ago, fathom said:

I’m sure I’m in the minority on this, but I hate this idea.  I also think a lot of players will object to being away from their family for five months.

This doesn't matter if it's the only way to play though. I think people are severely underrating the risk tolerance of these players. They want to play and they want to get paid. The only way they're getting paid is if they play baseball games. May is absurd but I would bet that teams are playing in Arizona in July. There's just too much money on the line for all parties to not try and play. 

[Y2Jimmy0]

20 minutes ago, Jack Parkman said:

It's fake because the hard AZ infields+shorter fences will lead to tons of HRs and seeing eye singles will be allowed. BABIPs will be insane, as will ERAs and FIPs. 

The fact that it is dry in AZ mitigates some of the temperature effect. 

At the very least, they're going to have to put the balls in a humidor, and idk if that would be enough.

Science: 

Most of air(99%)=N2+O2 N2=28g/mol O2=32 g/mol

H20=18 g/mol

 

Why do pitches move more in humid conditions? Less drag. 

Temperature has a greater effect on fly ball distance than humidity does. However, combined they lead to lots of HRs. 

Theoretically, pitches should move more when it's warm and humid as well. 

It will be interesting to see how this works. They may need to really saturate the fields with water to mitigate some of the ground ball issues. 

 

This is better than no baseball at all though and that's the point 

[mqr]

4 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

This is better than no baseball at all though and that's the point 

Barely, imo. 

You lose all of the community aspects. You get weird baseball. Any playoff results would border on meaningless. And maybe risk peoples lives.

[mqr]

Also, half the proposed restrictions are pure theatrics 

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

11 hours ago, Jose Abreu said:

On an individual statistical level, I think you'd have to throw away the season. Not just closers, but every player. There are so many factors (many of which are weather-related) that will make the offensive environment markedly different from any other season.

 

That said, I hope they get it done. Passan's piece is very encouraging and I suggest you all read it. Getting CDC approval was a major step and they seem to have planned this out really well. It would be cool to see the electronic strike zone in action too

I don't think it's possible. 

What do you do if someone gets hurt? Ill? Isn't good enough anymore and needs to be sent down/released? There's no minor league season happening, and minor leaguers would be from the "outside."

I just don't see how it is logistically feasible. We'll see though.

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

1 hour ago, Jack Parkman said:

It's fake because the hard AZ infields+shorter fences will lead to tons of HRs and seeing eye singles will be allowed. BABIPs will be insane, as will ERAs and FIPs. 

The fact that it is dry in AZ mitigates some of the temperature effect. 

At the very least, they're going to have to put the balls in a humidor, and idk if that would be enough.

Science: 

Most of air(99%)=N2+O2 N2=28g/mol O2=32 g/mol

H20=18 g/mol

 

Why do pitches move more in humid conditions? Less drag. 

Temperature has a greater effect on fly ball distance than humidity does. However, combined they lead to lots of HRs. 

Theoretically, pitches should move more when it's warm and humid as well. 

It will be interesting to see how this works. They may need to really saturate the fields with water to mitigate some of the ground ball issues. 

 

Arizona has next to zero humidity in the summer and low humidity causes the ball to travel less far, not more far. 

Edited April 7, 2020 by Look at Ray Ray Run

[chitownsportsfan]

There will be baseball by July.  Book it.   NY is stabilizing.  WA and CA are already likely on the downside of the curve thanks to the soft lockdowns that were started fairly early.  In WA's case very early.

They can play all the games in AZ, that makes a lot of sense imo.  You cut out 90% of the logistical problems then wrt to the virus and safety.

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

4 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said:

There will be baseball by July.  Book it.   NY is stabilizing.  WA and CA are already likely on the downside of the curve thanks to the soft lockdowns that were started fairly early.  In WA's case very early.

They can play all the games in AZ, that makes a lot of sense imo.  You cut out 90% of the logistical problems then wrt to the virus and safety.

They're stabilizing because they're shut down....

[chitownsportsfan]

1 minute ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

They're stabilizing because they're shut down....

Of course, which really doesn't have much to do with playing baseball in AZ under strict quarantine and testing.   My point wasn't so much that "oh it's all fine now" so much as that if people were dying in the streets, morgues were literally overfilled with bodies and throwing bodies bags into the semis to be buried en masse in central park -- you're going to have a hard time with the optics of baseball and sports and recreation in general.

But if the virus is mostly contained in the big cities, death is there but not overwhelming -- you can play sports in that environment.

[mqr]

I don't know how you can do anything with out functioning minor leagues

[Jack Parkman]

15 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Arizona has next to zero humidity in the summer and low humidity causes the ball to travel less far, not more far. 

Yeah I know. Temperature affects ball flight more. I said in the post that the dry air will mitigate some of the temperature effects that exist in the east/midwest/south. 

I'm more concerned about the dry infields and less movement on pitches. 

[bmags]

1 hour ago, Jack Parkman said:

It's fake because the hard AZ infields+shorter fences will lead to tons of HRs and seeing eye singles will be allowed. BABIPs will be insane, as will ERAs and FIPs. 

The fact that it is dry in AZ mitigates some of the temperature effect. 

At the very least, they're going to have to put the balls in a humidor, and idk if that would be enough.

Science: 

Most of air(99%)=N2+O2 N2=28g/mol O2=32 g/mol

H20=18 g/mol

 

Why do pitches move more in humid conditions? Less drag. 

Temperature has a greater effect on fly ball distance than humidity does. However, combined they lead to lots of HRs. 

Theoretically, pitches should move more when it's warm and humid as well. 

It will be interesting to see how this works. They may need to really saturate the fields with water to mitigate some of the ground ball issues. 

 

Oh my god this is dumb. People act like Arizona is Mars playing on zero gravity.

[chitownsportsfan]

6 minutes ago, mqr said:

I don't know how you can do anything with out functioning minor leagues

Not sure on that as well but extending the active roster to 30 or even 40 would be helpful.

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

23 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said:

Of course, which really doesn't have much to do with playing baseball in AZ under strict quarantine and testing.   My point wasn't so much that "oh it's all fine now" so much as that if people were dying in the streets, morgues were literally overfilled with bodies and throwing bodies bags into the semis to be buried en masse in central park -- you're going to have a hard time with the optics of baseball and sports and recreation in general.

But if the virus is mostly contained in the big cities, death is there but not overwhelming -- you can play sports in that environment.

NYC Morgues are already overwhelmed though... NYT did a piece on this yesterday. Thousands of people are dying every single day right now in the US from this which taxes all systems. Start laxing distancing and it spikes again 

Edited April 7, 2020 by Look at Ray Ray Run

[mqr]

2 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said:

Not sure on that as well but extending the active roster to 30 or even 40 would be helpful.

Would it? What are ten or 15 of those guys going to do? You can't be expected to play all of them

[bmags]

1 hour ago, whitesoxfan99 said:

Also how does this work if a player tests positive?  Do you have to do an extended shutdown of the whole league for a couple of weeks? 

This depends how ubiquitous testing can be.

[hogan873]

20 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said:

Of course, which really doesn't have much to do with playing baseball in AZ under strict quarantine and testing.   My point wasn't so much that "oh it's all fine now" so much as that if people were dying in the streets, morgues were literally overfilled with bodies and throwing bodies bags into the semis to be buried en masse in central park -- you're going to have a hard time with the optics of baseball and sports and recreation in general.

But if the virus is mostly contained in the big cities, death is there but not overwhelming -- you can play sports in that environment.

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.

[Squirmin' for Yermin]

21 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

Plus as was said earlier, we have the King of Arizona in Adam Engel.

Our secret weapon.

[Squirmin' for Yermin]

9 hours ago, mqr said:

A hypothetical White Sox World Series where they never play a single game with fans in Chicago would be so....meh

I mean... would you rather not have one?  

[Jack Parkman]

33 minutes ago, bmags said:

Oh my god this is dumb. People act like Arizona is Mars playing on zero gravity.

It's not, but it's different. Heat+no humidity+fast infields=very different baseball

 

[mqr]

1 minute ago, Squirmin' for Yermin said:

I mean... would you rather not have one?  

I think there is functionally no difference between not having a world series and having a virtual world series that everyone watches by themselves on their couch.