Will There Be a 2020 Season?

[Y2Jimmy0]

On 4/17/2020 at 6:36 PM, Flash said:

Assuming no change to the underlying economic structure of MLB. That money is part of the expense burden that must be supported by revenue. It is not yet obvious if/when teams will have visibility to future revenue streams but they will no doubt be lower for some period of time. 

 

19 hours ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

https://twitter.com/HotStoveintel/status/1252176881295777796?s=20

yep

Not sure why the tweet didn't show up.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

It'll be just the strike season if it happens. Many, many fans would never come back. 

[bmags]

Just now, Y2Jimmy0 said:

 

It'll be just the strike season if it happens. Many, many fans would never come back. 

Yeah idiotic especially if the nba comes back. 

It's going to be weird. Jerry really is one of the only owners around who remembers a time when MLB actually had to worry about league health. That experience has clearly influenced him since the main "threat" then was rising labor costs. It seems almost certain that will be the lens here. 

 

[hogan873]

19 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

 

It'll be just the strike season if it happens. Many, many fans would never come back. 

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.

[SCCWS]

39 minutes ago, hogan873 said:

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.

NHL could require all players to wear a face shield which some players do already. NBA will be a real challenge until we see some improvement in the numbers. 

[Harold's Leg Lift]

59 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

 

It'll be just the strike season if it happens. Many, many fans would never come back. 

They're still arguing about the agreement they already made. If the players are going to take a paycut on top of the prorated salaries they're going to want something big in return. Really big. That just adds another layer to an already very contentious negotiation. There's just too much for them to agree on for this to happen.

[35thstreetswarm]

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-discussing-three-state-plan-with-one-hub-in-texas-as-possible-solution-to-start-2020-season/

 

[SonofaRoache]

Take this as you will, but I am a Government employee (State) and we were told baseball will be a thing this year. We were also told rent will not be a requirement and mortgages will be postponed for 8 months as needed. We are also close to a deal that would pay Anericans about 2k per month until the US has financially recovered. The bad news is for anyone trying to buy a house or adopt children, gonna be real hard. 

 

Stay safe everyone

[ScootsMcGoots]

38 minutes ago, 35thstreetswarm said:

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-discussing-three-state-plan-with-one-hub-in-texas-as-possible-solution-to-start-2020-season/

 

Saw this early this morning. So if they have Texas, FLordia and Arizona, you have 5 MLB ballparks that could be used with retractable roofs right there. I think they could even potentially use California as well, depending on the health status of the state, and use SD and both LA ballparks. GIves them a lot more options. I still don't understand how they would do this with time-zones though. Most teams are on eastern or central time zone. Not all eastern and central teams can play morning or afternoon games.

[southsider2k5]

22 minutes ago, ScooterMcGee said:

Saw this early this morning. So if they have Texas, FLordia and Arizona, you have 5 MLB ballparks that could be used with retractable roofs right there. I think they could even potentially use California as well, depending on the health status of the state, and use SD and both LA ballparks. GIves them a lot more options. I still don't understand how they would do this with time-zones though. Most teams are on eastern or central time zone. Not all eastern and central teams can play morning or afternoon games.

I am guessing they will have to throw out all normal time slot conventions as well.

[greg775]

4 hours ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

They're still arguing about the agreement they already made. If the players are going to take a paycut on top of the prorated salaries they're going to want something big in return. Really big. That just adds another layer to an already very contentious negotiation. There's just too much for them to agree on for this to happen.

I never thought about the paying of the players. Seems to me they need to get their full salaries that they signed. Owners, if they lose a lot of money, or some money this season, can make it back in the future ... if we ever get back to having crowds at games again. It will take a huge change in American culture (from being locked up in your home scared to death to move around amid stay at home orders) to going to a packed ballpark with 45,000 people. It's going to take a lot to get people to overcome that fear for a long time. I would think organized religion will take a huge hit as well and the movie industry. People are simply going to be frightened when they are allowed to live again. But as far as the money ... pay the players their entire contract.

Edited April 21, 2020 by greg775

[ScootsMcGoots]

3 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

I am guessing they will have to throw out all normal time slot conventions as well.

Yeah, that just sucks for, like, more than half of all the fans

[southsider2k5]

4 minutes ago, ScooterMcGee said:

Yeah, that just sucks for, like, more than half of all the fans

It will suck, but when you limit home field options, you have to limit time options as well.

[Harold's Leg Lift]

30 minutes ago, greg775 said:

I never thought about the paying of the players. Seems to me they need to get their full salaries that they signed. Owners, if they lose a lot of money, or some money this season, can make it back in the future ... if we ever get back to having crowds at games again. It will take a huge change in American culture (from being locked up in your home scared to death to move around amid stay at home orders) to going to a packed ballpark with 45,000 people. It's going to take a lot to get people to overcome that fear for a long time. I would think organized religion will take a huge hit as well and the movie industry. People are simply going to be frightened when they are allowed to live again. But as far as the money ... pay the players their entire contract.

Money is the biggest obstacle.  All the logistic stuff is just talk until the two sides are able to hammer out a deal.  I'm not optimistic.  

[Bob Sacamano]

Don't think there will be any sports until there is a vaccine personally.

[SCCWS]

37 minutes ago, soxfan2014 said:

Don't think there will be any sports until there is a vaccine personally.

I think a better possibility would be an antidote. I would think a vaccine would be at least a year away but they already have having some success w possible antidotes. 

[southsider2k5]

1 minute ago, SCCWS said:

I think a better possibility would be an antidote. I would think a vaccine would be at least a year away but they already have having some success w possible antidotes. 

I thought there no was no such thing as an antidote for a virus?  There are treatments and vaccines, but you can't actually cure a virus, right?

[Balta1701]

47 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

Money is the biggest obstacle.  All the logistic stuff is just talk until the two sides are able to hammer out a deal.  I'm not optimistic.  

I think hearing "They can't get the money to work" is entirely reasonable right now, because right now safety is a far bigger issue and that's not something they can resolve yet. If Georgia and Texas and Arizona decide they're opening their states up by May 1 and the end result is that at the end of Spring Training they're seeing cases rise again, then any negotiation they did on money would be moot anyway. So, there's no reason for the players association to make a deal that drops salaries until there's actually a strong likelihood of games happening and revenue coming in, and there's plenty of reasons for MLB to leak "The players association won't allow it to happen" as a negotiating tactic.

[bmags]

34 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

I think hearing "They can't get the money to work" is entirely reasonable right now, because right now safety is a far bigger issue and that's not something they can resolve yet. If Georgia and Texas and Arizona decide they're opening their states up by May 1 and the end result is that at the end of Spring Training they're seeing cases rise again, then any negotiation they did on money would be moot anyway. So, there's no reason for the players association to make a deal that drops salaries until there's actually a strong likelihood of games happening and revenue coming in, and there's plenty of reasons for MLB to leak "The players association won't allow it to happen" as a negotiating tactic.

Add to that, the owners leaking that they'd rather not play if they can't get concessions from players will be floated, oh, 600 more times as a threat to even fairly benign sticking points both sides know they will work through.

[ChiSox59]

I think (hope) there will be some form of a season, but if there is, I would think it needs to start by July 15.  Once that date comes and goes, its going to be tough to get any meaningful season in.  I am holding out hope - we should have a much better feel for things by mid May.  If no real progress has been made by then, I don't like the chances of seeing a season.  

[greg775]

9 minutes ago, ChiSox59 said:

I think (hope) there will be some form of a season, but if there is, I would think it needs to start by July 15.  Once that date comes and goes, its going to be tough to get any meaningful season in.  I am holding out hope - we should have a much better feel for things by mid May.  If no real progress has been made by then, I don't like the chances of seeing a season.  

If they start bickering about money and that starts getting all the coverage, screw baseball. The public will be in no mood for that. Either agree to pay the players their entire salaries (pro rated by amount of games missed) and they accept that, or just cancel the season. This is no time for haggling. Play ball. I'm quite convinced we won't have spectator sports ever again so it's time we get used to sports played in a studio like setting. Get it started, sports world.

Edited April 21, 2020 by greg775

[JoeBatadatz]

On 4/18/2020 at 2:35 PM, greg775 said:

 OK, Soxtalk. What happens if somebody tests positive, which the way this is going, is almost 100 percent certain? What is the plan?

If a player or employee falls into the high-risk category (ie over 60) he/she would stay home from the start unless they are willing to take the risk.  If an otherwise healthy athlete or employee  chooses to play, begins showing symptoms and tests positive, he/she would go home to recover.  Herd immunity follows eventually.

Play Ball.

[Harold's Leg Lift]

1 hour ago, greg775 said:

If they start bickering about money and that starts getting all the coverage, screw baseball. The public will be in no mood for that. Either agree to pay the players their entire salaries (pro rated by amount of games missed) and they accept that, or just cancel the season. This is no time for haggling. Play ball. I'm quite convinced we won't have spectator sports ever again so it's time we get used to sports played in a studio like setting. Get it started, sports world.

It's a different bickering about money.  Some teams are going to lose money because TV revenue alone won't support the team payroll.  They're obviously not going to ok a system where they lose money so they have to figure out a way to share the TV revenue. The owners would rather the players take a pay cut even though they already said they're not going to do that.  Until this is resolved nothing is going to happen.

[ScootsMcGoots]

The commissioner of baseball said yesterday that there will in fact be baseball played in 2020. I think we can realistically expect it to happen in some way or another.

[Harold's Leg Lift]

The commissioner of baseball is a f'ing idiot.  

[greg775]

They should have some fun with the season since it's going to be so weird.

How about take all the teams and have an NCAA type tournament bracket and just keep playing tournaments. At the end of the year the team that won the most bracketed tournaments is WS champ. Or the top two teams can play a 7 game series.