Covid and MLB

loshjott

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The challenge there is the schedule is already laid out. What happens if the Jays have a home game scheduled on the same day as the Yankees and the Mets (July 29-30, August 11-12)?
Since everything else is so loopy, on those dates the Jays could play afternoon games. Day-night DHs with four different teams.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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Wouldnt shock me to see them play all road games then. I dunno. Just dont have a lot of spare MLB stadiums lying around, especially in the northeast.

I wonder if they would consider RFK Stadium? Not sure the condition its in these days, but some folks in recent months have visited it and it still looks like its being at least somewhat maintained. Hasnt been used for baseball since 2007, but DC United was there as recently as 2 years ago
I thought of that too, but it'd likely take some pretty quick retro fitting to get it ready for baseball; I'm assuming the player's issue is with facilities and lockerooms. I'd say the obvious first option would be Arlington, followed by Turner.
 
I thought of that too, but it'd likely take some pretty quick retro fitting to get it ready for baseball; I'm assuming the player's issue is with facilities and lockerooms. I'd say the obvious first option would be Arlington, followed by Turner.
Turner Field would make sense given that they're in the East, and have games scheduled against Atlanta already. (On the other hand, Governor Kemp.)
 

MuzzyField

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moglia

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2. McCormick Field, Asheville NC. Home of the Rockies' Single-A affiliate, the Asheville Travelers, the field was built in 1924 into the side of a hill in several directions.

Ashevillian here; it's the Tourists, not the Travelers. The team recently launched an on-field pop-up restaurant where you can sit on a (distanced) picnic table on the basepaths and have ballpark food and beer. Fairly creative idea in the current circumstances in a great setting.
 
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SirPsychoSquints

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My political connections say the Blue Jays will be playing in Pittsburgh.
Overlapping home games:
Wed 7/29 (getaway game for Pirates)
Tue 9/8-Wed 9/9
Mon 9/21-Thu 9/24 (Cubs @ Pirates, Yankees @ Jays 4 game series)

That's it. 7/29 is easy, make Pirates a day game. The others, perhaps the Jays need to go to on the road for 6 extra games?
 

loshjott

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Overlapping home games:
Wed 7/29 (getaway game for Pirates)
Tue 9/8-Wed 9/9
Mon 9/21-Thu 9/24 (Cubs @ Pirates, Yankees @ Jays 4 game series)

That's it. 7/29 is easy, make Pirates a day game. The others, perhaps the Jays need to go to on the road for 6 extra games?
The Blue Jays are in DC July 27-28 then those teams were supposed to play 2 in Toronto July 29-30. It would be very easy to play them in DC instead with Jays as home team.
 

loshjott

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Will Graves

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· 10m
HARRISBURG _ The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced today that it will not allow the Toronto Blue Jays to play their shortened 2020 season at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. twitter.com/WillGravesAP/s…

This is getting dicey for the Jays and MLB....
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Will Graves

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· 10m
HARRISBURG _ The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced today that it will not allow the Toronto Blue Jays to play their shortened 2020 season at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. twitter.com/WillGravesAP/s…

This is getting dicey for the Jays and MLB....
They gave a reason...

Will Graves @WillGravesAP
Dr. Rachel Levine says in statement to AP "To add travelers to this region for any reason, including for professional sports events, risks residents, visitors and members of both teams."

If that's the case, that they're concerned about travelers, how do they justify letting the Pirates play? I mean obviously two teams means twice as many games and twice as many visitors to the city, but if the risk is there, the risk is there. Just strikes me as odd that 30 games are acceptable but 60 games are not.

Not saying that PA made the wrong decision, just not seeing their logic. Looks like the Jays may end up being a perpetual road team.
 

dynomite

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What a mess.

So what now? Do the Blue Jays play at their AAA stadium in Buffalo (where the Mayor and others I believe really wanted them), try to find another MLB park, or just go full on barnstorming for the rest of the season and play their "home" games on the road? Wouldn't mind that as a Sox fan, although I can't imagine the Jays players would be thrilled.
 

CarolinaBeerGuy

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Wow. I'm shocked they took this long to announce it. I don't necessarily blame the city of Pittsburgh. I don't know how they figure anything out before next Wednesday.

EDIT: Department of Health, not city of Pittsburgh.
 

OurF'ingCity

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There is very little upside for any stadium to host them, no? It’s not like they are getting any of the benefits of increased gate revenue or anything more than a minuscule uptick in related economic activity. Conversely, the risks of the Jays (and associated team personnel, etc.) seeding an infection wherever they play, while maybe not huge, are obviously real (which is precisely the reason Pittsburgh denied them).
 

staz

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The cradle of the game.
At this point, it has to be down to Buffalo or Dunedin, as Pennsylvania just gave every other state's government all the cover they need.
 

dynomite

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I wonder how much it would cost to upgrade the lights at Buffalo.
Does anyone have a sense of how long it would take to make all the upgrades the stadium probably need? I’m thinking field conditions, socially distant dressing rooms, TV camera positions and cables, medical treatment, etc. And that’s before even considering where the players/staff/coaches will stay...
 

Fred not Lynn

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I wonder how much it would cost to upgrade the lights at Buffalo.
NHL Builds whole new rinks in two weeks when they want to - pretty sure MLB can figure out how to make required improvements to one of arguably the second best baseball league in the world's better stadiums. They get it done at Williamsport, Cooperstown and Field of Dreams - they can do it at Buffalo.

(I was going to suggest Williamsport for the Blue Jays - but the Pennsylvania thing is a problem there too...)

Also - I have heard Omaha as a candidate, too, but that's not great geographically...
 

bsj

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RFK says “we have pockmarks and peeling paint, but have 2017 circa pro locker rooms and NOTHING “ going on.

would be a lousy experience for fans if there were any. But I would think with a couple weeks they could get the field and facilities usable
 

Awesome Fossum

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Plus rats and falling concrete, not to mention a local government that nearly forced the Nats to play in Fredericksburg. RFK is not an option. Although it would sort of be funny to see RFK snap up the Expos AND the Blue Jays.

I think Buffalo is the play, but I wonder if Charlotte is closer to the standards they're seeking. I was super impressed with BB&T Ballpark.
 

bsj

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Plus rats and falling concrete, not to mention a local government that nearly forced the Nats to play in Fredericksburg. RFK is not an option. Although it would sort of be funny to see RFK snap up the Expos AND the Blue Jays.

I think Buffalo is the play, but I wonder if Charlotte is closer to the standards they're seeking. I was super impressed with BB&T Ballpark.
Buffalo makes the most sense of course but they seem adamant they want an MLB park.
 

B H Kim

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RFK says “we have pockmarks and peeling paint, but have 2017 circa pro locker rooms and NOTHING “ going on.

would be a lousy experience for fans if there were any. But I would think with a couple weeks they could get the field and facilities usable
RFK hasn't been configured for baseball in over ten years. I'd be surprised if they can even move the outfield grandstands anyone.
 

Ale Xander

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Am I the only one hoping the season ends September 2?

Don't want to see Yankees win
Don't want to see Dodgers win
Want a luxury tax reset
 

uncannymanny

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Does anyone have a sense of how long it would take to make all the upgrades the stadium probably need? I’m thinking field conditions, socially distant dressing rooms, TV camera positions and cables, medical treatment, etc. And that’s before even considering where the players/staff/coaches will stay...
The parking lot and garage won’t be needed for fans, so those could be converted into semi-permanent training facilities to complement any in-stadium options.

Someone up thread posted a company that does augmented lighting.

As for housing, they can buy out some floors of the Lafayette (or any number of hotels, it’s downtown Buffalo) and even coordinate a separate entrance for the team.

A/V might not have the full complement of infrastructure, but this is done all the time for festivals, etc.

With what FL looks like and a ticking clock I just can’t see any other option for them but to pack it up for the season and forfeit their games.
 

InsideTheParker

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Fox Sports will fill ballparks with "virtual fans."
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/07/23/business/ap-bbo-fox-virtual-crowds.html
Fox worked on the project with Silver Spoon, a real-time animation and virtual production studio. Silver Spoon scanned in all the ballparks and fans so their motions sitting and standing could be properly rendered.
The fans can do up to 500 actions, ranging from high fives during a home run to doing the wave. The system is also advanced where it can control the percentage of fans in the stadium during a game as well as who they are cheering for.
For example, Saturday's Brewers-Cubs game could create a crowd that is 75% Cubs and 25% Brewers. It can also make it appear as if most of them have left if it is a 9-1 ballgame in the ninth inning.
The system will also be able to adapt to the weather. When the temperature gets colder in the fall, winter jackets and hats can be added to the fans.
Major League Soccer is using virtual ads and scoreboards to show fans during its MLS is Back tournament in Orlando, but only one camera is able to show that. Fox will have four of its 10 cameras that it will use for baseball games calibrated to show the virtual crowds. Zager said more may be calibrated as the season goes along.
Zager added that Fox will enhance the crowd noise in addition to what MLB is supplying in the park. He also said discussions are ongoing with the National Football League about crowd noise and virtual fans since there haven't been any final decisions.
“I'm loving it more and more as we progressed through each version,” Shanks said. “This has really dialed in the accuracy of the fans to make it imperceptible on the wide shots to real fans.”
___
 

DeadlySplitter

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this is the first instance of someone testing positive during summer camp, that I've heard of. if it starts to spread, the season could be over very fast.
 

Hendu for Kutch

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Juan Soto is out of tonight's game due to COVID, according to Passan. Not a great start to the proceedings. I hope he was wearing a mask around the rest of the team.

View: https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1286365378067783683
Soto only reported to camp a week ago because he had been in quarantine due to being around someone who had tested positive. So the (unlikely to be answered) question is - did he pick it up in the past week or did the protocol clear someone it shouldn't have? Either way, it's not good news for the process.
 

sean1562

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Do they play tonight? You have to assume someone else on the Nats has it at this point dont you? This is all going to spread like wildfire if they dont have access to rapid testing.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Soto was tested before the game on Tuesday, played in it, and got the positive result back after the game. This won't be the last time an infectious player is on the field unknowingly spreading the virus to teammates and opposing players. Only a matter of time before such an occurrence knocks out enough players to postpone games. Frankly, given their exposure, a whole lot of Nats should be quarantining right now rather than preparing to play the Yankees.
 

joe dokes

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More buffoonery from Joe West. I'm shocked this hasn't gotten more attention. He, like most umpires, are getting their "spring training" work by visiting camps and umpiring intrasquad games. He's doing so without wearing a mask (other than the standard umpire's mask). Apparently, it isn't a requirement by MLB for field personnel, but thus far most umpires have been working with medical masks under their umpire's mask as a precaution (including Mark Wegner, who like West is working in Rays camp) I'm sure the catchers love having him breathing all over the back of their neck.

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2020/07/13/rays-workout-more-interesting-with-joe-west-behind-the-plate/
I just came across this. To be fair to Country Joe, don't you need a chin to be able to wear a mask properly?
 

InsideTheParker

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I assume Dr. Fauci will be able to keep his distance, but he should only touch baseballs right out of the box. I care much more about his health than about this game.