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Baseball isn't coming back if we don't do something about it. I don't follow other sports, but I learned that the NBA and MLS are restarting in Florida, and the NHL is doing... something, I don't really know what. Their boards and committees have all approved of plans, but MLB has not. Here's the thing: People NEED baseball. They need to have that thing that distracts them from regular life. They need a sport that's totally organized and set up right. I understand that we have a major global pandemic right now. But if other professional sports are figuring out how to restart, than we need to as well. We need to figure things out so we can have a season. And right now, it's all about money. They aren't thinking about what players want, or what fans want. It's all about money. I personally really liked the MLBPA's proposal for a 114-game season. As a fan, I want to get in as many games as possible. Now they're saying that they only want to play for 40-50 games. Just so they can pay the players as little as possible! A baseball player's job is hard. They have to play 162 games in a season, and they risk injury doing all this. It's physically demanding and difficult. That's why I believe that players should get payed as much as possible. I need baseball. Replay games lack the magic of a regular game. We need that unpredictability, one where we can't look up the final score. Baseball is my favorite sport. Even if we don't play in 2020, that won't change. Here's the thing though: It will change for some people. If baseball is the ONLY sport that doesn't come back in 2020, baseball will face serious declines in fans. This post was sort of just my ideas. I wrote whatever came into my head and I'm aware that I kept circling back to things. But, if you liked this and want to know more of my ideas, you can look for part 2 on Monday. Comment why you think baseball should or should not come back in 2020. I may use some of your ideas in my next post.

Tuesday was an away game but with the newly enacted access restrictions, long travel to Clearwater combined with the expectation that Byron Buxton would be facing live pitching for the first time since August of last year, almost all of the Twin Cities media members opted to stay in Fort Myers.An hour before Buxton’s scheduled live batting practice, the Twins’ director of Communications & Player Relations, Dustin Morse, addressed the media group and informed us that the Twins would be abiding by Major League Baseball’s aforementioned clubhouse restrictions and that, furthermore, the guidelines include everyone outside of essential personnel. This was not just for reporters. Morse, for lack of a better description, is the team’s gatekeeper. If you need an interview, you go to Morse. If you screw up by posting something online that suggests a pitcher is putting something on a baseball, you will hear from Morse (or so I’ve heard). Morse, a veteran of the organization and well-respected throughout the public relations industry, acknowledged the challenge in trying to accommodate the media’s requests and follow the league’s new distancing. This was uncharted territory, he said. As writers lobbed hypothetical scenarios at him that involved where the manager would be speaking on the road or how writers could access certain players for one-on-one interviews, you could see the exasperation in his face. For the time being, Morse said that they would have individual players made available for questions but would require at least three feet of space to separate the player from the writers. Someone made a sneeze guard joke. Buxton, following his on-field live batting practice, was the first interview subject to experience the new distancing guidelines. This amounted to having the media stand on the dugout steps while Buxton remained standing inside the cover of the dugout. No one measured the actual distance but it felt like we were shouting questions across a canyon. Later, up in the press box, as the on-field activity wrapped up, writers worked on their articles overlooking a mostly empty stadium. Twitter, always a vital tool of the engaged and informed reporter, was now the main communication hub of the outside world. Writers on Slack apps were messaging other colleagues covering other camps and learning of their happenings. Reports began to filter into the Twins’ pool of reporters of how the new rules worked in practice. Boston’s media found their access to be a disaster. Phillies media had a similar experience. With the Twins slated to open up their season in Oakland and Seattle, two hot zone markets, editors began to request their writers hold off on their travel plans, for now. At one point during the day my wife texted me and asked me to order some disinfectant cleaning supplies on Amazon because, back in the Twin Cities, she found empty shelves at Target. Amazon, of course, was out as well, save for the price-gouging third-party vultures that would fortunately soon be quashed from the system. This was still early in the week, before sports were shut down indefinitely. I turned to Aaron Gleeman and told him of what my wife had discovered. An inside source told him that suppliers were unable to meet the production demands for retailers to keep up with the crush. Later that night I became acutely aware of the empty spaces at the Publix grocery store in Fort Myers where the hardcore cleaning supplies should be -- if you didn’t have those supplies by now, odds were slim you were going to find them any time in the near future. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Click here to view the article

Covering spring training has a natural rhythm. During a normal, non-global-pandemic spring training day, one would wake up and get to the ballpark early. There, the Twins staff would have an open clubhouse and reporters could talk to any player willing to engage. Enterprising reporters work the room filling their recorders with quotes and information.Before the games, the media could congregate in the dugout during batting practice, catching a player or coach for a sidebar, maybe following up on something they learned from the morning’s clubhouse access. For instance, if Jorge Polanco told you that he’s working on a new throwing angle, you could chase down infield coach Tony Diaz for more insight. During the game, when a team’s starting pitcher was finished with his work for the day, reporters would abandon their posts and trot down to the clubhouse to pepper the subject with questions about how things feel, what’s left to finish and so on. The same group would race back to the press box to add quotes to their game stories or notebooks while, on the field, players with uniform numbers more reflective of linemen and wide receivers would complete the day’s activities. After the final out, it would then be time to talk with the manager in the comforts of his clubhouse office. So and so looked good huh? Did your lineup today reflect what you are planning for the regular season? Rotation contender was impressive right? Thanks Rocco. The ultimate game is to try to entice the manager into tipping his hand on a potential lineup decision, rotation spot or roster decision. In a normal afternoon session, the reporters would attack, and Baldelli would parry. Following that, one might scamper back up to the press box to meet a story deadline or linger and try to talk to any of the high-numbers players that remained in the clubhouse (though starters were long gone by this point). So you can see how important clubhouse access is to the industry. Gallons of ink and millions of internet words have been spilled and posted based on this chain of events. It was clockwork. Everyone, more or less, knew what to do and when to do it. If you were some noob like me who only dabbles in access, you could ask a neighboring mainstream reporter in the press box to clue you in. Or ask one of the Twins’ public relations staff on timing. Having spent stretches in camp over the last six years, some variation of the above happened every day at home games. Then, over a period of four days, nobody seemed to know anything anymore. On Monday, March 9, Hammond Stadium was overrun with Cardinal red of the St. Louis faithful. Lousy with them. The crowd in general was seemingly apathetic toward any impending pandemic. People still needed their baseball. People expected their baseball. People were thinking who their Opening Day starter would be, not how much toilet paper they had. I was told that the only difference in behavior was now there were longer lines at the sinks than at the urinals. Things began to rapidly change after that. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Tomorrow: Four Days, Day 1 - The Clubhouse Closes Click here to view the article

Thanks to the aggressive spread of COVID-19 we no longer have major league baseball, or sports in general. While that’s a reality hard to grasp, it’s one we’ll need to grow accustomed to for a while. Fortunately, there’s an outlet, and although Fantasy Sports are tied to the real action, what MLB The Show provides is fully operational.You’ve likely heard of the Sony Playstation exclusive before, and it’s the only baseball simulation on the market. Prior to MLB developing their own “RBI Baseball,” competition was nonexistent (and to be fair, even with RBI, it still is). This is the last year The Show is a Playstation exclusive however, as the game will be released on multiple consoles in the year ahead. Expecting everything from a traditional sports game in The Show is a good place to start. You’ve got your “Play Now” modes, as well as season and franchise-centric modes. Where baseball fans can really sink their teeth in and get lost in an alternate reality is the Diamond Dynasty experience. Driven from the view of a card-collecting hobby, it’s a full-fledged baseball experience that brings Fantasy Baseball to life. Going back to early versions of EA Sports’ Madden series, you’ll find the origination of these card-based game modes (with that one being dubbed “Ultimate Team”). Baseball ties this in perfectly as Sony San Diego uses the Topps license to provide actual card art from the physical cards purchased at retailers across the globe. In collecting players, the goal is to assemble a team worthy of competition either against multiple computer modes, or a more difficult run against other human opponents. Although Diamond Dynasty has not been around as long as Ultimate Team, it may have made more substantial advancements. Content has been king for The Show in recent years, and this season The Show 20 married it with gameplay improvements that greatly enhance the overall experience. Much of what made The Show 19 great within the Diamond Dynasty game mode returns, and the small additions such as the new “Showdown” game mode take it over the top. A significant addition to the player pool has been made in 2020 as well. Each year new legends are added to the roster in hopes of drawing heightened interest. Now not only are former MLB stars included, but up and coming prospects are put into the action (although they are not paid for the use of their likenesses). It can’t be overstated how much fun creating your dream lineup of current and former MLB stars only to deploy them in a seemingly endless amount of game modes truly is. Although the time commitment to generating an upper tier squad is immense, the rewards as you progress through certain achievements along the way become addicting and grow in value as well. Having thought I would forego this year’s version and focus entirely on the real thing, a cease in baseball had me scouring Craigslist for a Playstation and grabbing a copy of The Show 20 on Monday. Countless reviews are on the market in regard to the game as a whole. Diamond Dynasty remains a different beast entirely, but it’s potentially the most rewarding. Fangraphs' own Paul Sporer put together a great tutorial for newcomers, and while lengthy, it’s a great dive into everything the mode has to offer. As has been the case every year, you can follow the exploits of my Hardball Kekambas on Twitter and utilize #HBK to sort through some of the notable events. I committed last night to making sure we’ll have a Twins box score every day from a simulation on the game that was intended to be played as well. Finally, check out Cooper Carlson’s run through the 2020 season through the eyes of The Show 20 right here at Twins Daily. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

According to Jeff Passan, Major League Baseball ownership groups expect Major League Baseball to join multiple sports leagues in canceling their events to limit the spread of COVID-19. It is not clear when the announcement will come, but would likely include immediate suspension of remaining spring training games and a delay of the 2020 season.The reports comes after MLB ownership groups had a league-wide conference call with Commissioner Rob Manfred this morning. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. MLB's official statement: Click here to view the article

In 1918 Spanish Flu became the last act in the horrible loss of life that had been WWI, "By the time it had spread across the United States, the deadly event had killed an estimated 675,000 Americans." If you wonder why the world is reacting so vigorously to Corona think about this from MLB.Com history - "In just 15 months Spanish flu killed, according to best estimates today, between 50 million and 100 million worldwide. It infected an estimated 500 million people around the world, about a third of the planet’s total population." United States Surgeon General Rupert Blue in September 1918. “People are stricken on the streets or while at work. First there is a chill, then fever with temperatures from 101 to 103, headache, backache, reddening and running of the eyes, pains and aches all over the body, and general prostration. Persons so attacked should go to their homes at once, get into bed without delay and immediately call a physician.” MLB.com reports, "the flu took: Cy Swain, a minor leaguer from 1904 to 1914 who slugged 39 home runs in 1913; Larry Chappell, a big league outfielder for the White Sox, Indians and Boston Braves between 1913 and 1917; catcher Leo McGraw, a minor leaguer between 1910 and 1916; catcher Harry Glenn, a minor leaguer from 1910 to 1918 who spent time with the 1915 Cardinals; minor league pitcher Dave Roth, who played between 1912 and 1916; and minor league pitcher Harry Acton, who played in 1917." The death of umpire Silk O'Loughlin shocked everyone. He was the name most people recognized. "O’Loughlin umpired in the American League from 1902 to 1918 while working the World Series in 1906, 1909, 1912, 1915 and 1917." The Philadelphia Inquirer reported - "Officials responded by banning most public gatherings. Impacted sporting events included high school and college football games, amateur soccer matches, and a fight between Jack Dempsey and Battling Levinsky." The Inquirer added - "Penn’s game against Georgia Tech was canceled. The Quakers postponed a contest with the Navy Yard’s Marines, and when it took place on Oct. 26, it was played at an empty Franklin Field. A campus rally for a much-anticipated game against eventual national champion Pitt was called off, as was a war-bond fund-raiser featuring movie star William S. Hart. "Penn wasn’t alone. Most college football teams, including an unbeaten Michigan squad, had to shorten their schedules because of the epidemic." "Major League Baseball got lucky. Because of World War I, its season had ended a month early, on Sept. 2, before the worst of the outbreak. Still, throughout organized baseball, at least seven players, including Negro League star Ted Kimbro, eventually died from the flu." In the World Series that was played in September the paper reported, "Boston’s Babe Ruth, then a robust 23-year-old, was stricken twice but fought it off sufficiently to pitch and win a pair of games for the victorious Red Sox." Baseball is a wonderful sport, but health is first and should always be first in our nation, politics, and decisions.

Today in Fort Myers there was a big-league game as well as some minor league intrasquad action. Across the entire landscape though, it was the fallout of Coronavirus that was being felt. Major League implications were now in place, and minor league changes had come as well. With the Governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, placing a ban on public gatherings in an attempt to cease the spread of COVID-19 the Minnesota Twins had officially felt their first 2020 impact. Scheduled to play the Seattle Mariners for their second series of the season, those games must now be relocated. Talk has been that they could happen in Arizona, where the Mariners hold their Spring Training, but the situation remains fluid. This isn’t a one city ordeal either. San Francisco has limited public gatherings of more than 1,000 people, and with Oakland just across the bay, a disruption of Minnesota’s Opening Day affairs could soon follow. The NCAA has determined a fan less March Madness will take place, and many individual conferences have followed suit. In response to the newly discovered health scare, many are erring on the side of caution. It wasn’t until today that the Twins decided things would translate to the minor leagues as well. I talked with a couple of players earlier in the week, and they’d noted having been given instruction and direction relating to Coronavirus. On Wednesday however, the Twins had roped off significant portions of the minor league fields at the Lee Country Sports Complex, and ushers were put in place to interrupt the flow of foot traffic. A full-on quarantine of the athletes from bystanders had now been instituted. I’m not old enough to understand what the SARS outbreak looked like, and regardless of any research, living this is bordering on interesting to say the least. It feels akin to something like a video-game-esque zombie apocalypse and I feel as though we’re just beginning to see the total fallout. Having had discussions with those more in the know, I’d be greatly surprised to see Major League Baseball play a full 162-game slate in 2020. The logistical hurdles ahead are going to be immense, and without clarification on what could be yet to come, a simple delay could be more straightforward that the nightmare of reactive decisions. We likely won’t know the overall societal impact of this situation for years to come, and it’s almost assuredly going to be a benchmark in history books. While sports play a very small part of the overall social landscape, they are front and center when determining what many citizens gravitate towards. Unfortunately, I think this gets worse before it gets better, and the fallout we see from that could be unprecedented. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz