MLB 2020

[SteveSly]

Last year it was with the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. Right now he's playing what they call "Town Ball" in Minnesota, waiting for the Northwoods to get rolling.

Town Ball in Minnestoa is insanely popular - fielding teams of players ranging from their late teens to forties (though at that age it gets pretty hard to keep up, the pitchers make sure of that). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_T...ball#Minnesota

I bet I saw him play last year as I remember going to a game against the Rafters.

[SteveSly]

Exactly. Our park is a 15-minute bike ride on paved trails away for me, which is glorious. And while the quality of the play varies from year to year, there's nothing like hearing the sound of a wood bat smacking a liner or the pop of a fastball in the catchers mitt up close and personal.

The Northwoods League is all made up of college prospects so the play varies a lot, but some pretty good players have come out of the league. Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, and Curtis Granderson are a few that come to mind. The Growlers have several former players in the Majors right now.

[Jerjo]

The players have shot down the latest proposal and await Manfred to implement a schedule. This gives them the opportunity to file a labor grievance because the owners tried to dribble out the clock, I guess.

[NogbadTheBad]

Fucking children, all of them.

[Poisoned Youth]

Well, looks like we may finally be underway.

https://apple.news/ADF8VM487QQiDBpLYPQCZzw

[Jerjo]

Spring Training 2.0 begins when the union answers two questions: "The first is whether players will be able to report to camp within seven days (by July 1st). The second is whether the Players Association will agree on the Operating Manual which contains the health and safety protocols necessary to give us the best opportunity to conduct and complete our regular season and Postseason.” Well, for US-based players, that's not a problem. It's the foreign players and whether the US State Department can pull this off. I think the second one is just a rubber stamp - unless it means the players lose their right to file a grievance. In which case, this deal is dead in the water.

[Jerjo]

It's on!

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/...by-july-1.html

[polmico]

Well there you go.

[moecurlythanu]

Runner automatically on second at the start of extra innings?

[polmico]

I’m ok with the “magic runner” thing. No one wants 15-inning games when they’re playing 60 games in 66 days.

You know what will be laughable? Only one camera crew. That means your away broadcasts will not be in control of their own camera shots. Watch some of the KBO broadcasts on ESPN to see why this matters.

[3LockBox]

What they need to do now is implement the 'four foul balls and you're out' rule

[Dave (in MA)]

Runner automatically on second at the start of extra innings?

If it goes 11 innings or longer, they play Tee Ball.

[moecurlythanu]

I like the "After each out, a defensive position player has to be removed from the field" plan.

[Dave (in MA)]

What they could do for extra innings is gradually dim the lights until it got too dark to play anymore, and then everybody could run home for supper. It worked when we were kids.

[ronmac]

Or they can just play extra innings like they always do. I mean, how many games go beyond 12 innings?

As a fan, I always like extra innings because it's more baseball.

[NogbadTheBad]

Declare it a tie at the end of a ninth

[polmico]

Declare it a tie at the end of a ninth

I'd be ok with that. Let's remember: this is a tv show. We may grouse if we want to; call it the national past-time or a competition or cathedral to sport--it's still a TV show. I have trouble justifying watch TV for four hours, five hours, six hours. And while those might be the normal run times for a typical Sox/Yankees game on ESPN, I'd much rather a game I actually want to watch be over and done with in three hours. If some of those measures are non-traditional, then perhaps we should question what's so great about those traditions.

So I will ask this: what's so great about staying up until 2:00 AM to watch a random extra inning game in the middle of July? (Let's allow that playoff games are a different sort.)

[ronmac]

So I will ask this: what's so great about staying up until 2:00 AM to watch a random extra inning game in the middle of July? (Let's allow that playoff games are a different sort.)

Nothing's so great about it, especially for a random one. But, I'll watch one until midnight, if I'm interested in the teams. If it's the playoffs with my team, I'll try to watch the whole thing. If the problem is with games ending at 2 am, then maybe we should have more afternoon games.

I don't see baseball as a TV show. The problem with the league is that they certainly do see it as a TV show. That's why everything has to be shown in prime time, as they lose entire generations of fans.

[Camelogue]

Declare it a tie at the end of a ninth

There are no ties in Baseball!

Play ball or a reasonable facsimile!

[Dave (in MA)]

That's why everything has to be shown in prime time, as they lose entire generations of fans.

People don't have the attention span anymore that's necessary to (looks at phone, forgets to write the rest of the post)

[Shadow]

People don't have the attention span anymore that's necessary to

Since internet porn nobody does.

[ronmac]

Since internet porn nobody does.

There's porn on the Internet??!!

[NogbadTheBad]

There's porn on the Internet??!!

I'll check and get back to you.

[ronmac]

Extra innings, wet rags and gum: Revelations from MLB coronavirus manual

[ronmac]

Baseball’s minor leagues cancel 2020 seasons

Baseball’s minor leagues canceled their seasons Tuesday because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the head of their governing body said more than half of the 160 teams were in danger of failing without government assistance or private equity injections.