Report: MLB considering shutting down ALL spring training sites

[The Dean]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/06/19/report-mlb-considering-shutting-down-all-30-spring-training-sites/

 

It's another negative sign. But not the death knell. 

[DBilz2500]

The NFL will plow through. An insane amount of money that they can’t afford to lose..

[The Dean]

5 minutes ago, DBilz2500 said:

The NFL will plow through. An insane amount of money that they can’t afford to lose..

 

IMO, the key will be to delay any rash  decision. They can't be bullied into doing something too soon, and having the thing go sideways. (Was going to say "breasts-up. but figured it would get censored. Let's see.)

 

So far I think they've been smart at delaying every decision as long as they can. A false start is hard to recover from, IMO.

 

EDIT Breasts-up! ? Now that's a funny edit.

Edited June 20, 2020 by The Dean

[Mikie2times]

I saw this, not a death nail, but the writing is on the wall. In order for the NFL to play, they will have to take an open position on players getting infected. That is to say, they will do everything possible to prevent it, but the language they use and approach they take has to be in acceptance that some if not all teams will deal with it. 
 

Since the rest of the business world is dealing with similar issues, perhaps not as challenging, but in some sectors, perhaps even more so, I think the NFL will let it ride. If somebody dies, which is possible, if not probable, even at a low fatality rate,  lord knows what happens, but again, is this much different than the challenges many Americans face returning to work? Countless employees across the country are working for peanuts and no more protected than the players would be.  
 

It’s going to get interesting. 

Edited June 20, 2020 by KzooMike

[major]

With 23 Clemson players & 13 Texas players testing positive, I think we have our answer: no football this year in college or pro. Let’s hope 30 for 30 has some great documentaries lined up?

[MJS]

Just now, major said:

With 23 Clemson players & 13 Texas players testing positive, I think we have our answer: no football this year in college or pro. Let’s hope 30 for 30 has some great documentaries lined up?

Far, far, far from it...

[US Egg]

MLB has grown stale. 

 

MLB has been surpassed by the NFL, NBA, NCAA FB & BB and golf, they don't realize they're boring.

[DBilz2500]

11 hours ago, major said:

With 23 Clemson players & 13 Texas players testing positive, I think we have our answer: no football this year in college or pro. Let’s hope 30 for 30 has some great documentaries lined up?

Not going to shut down a 15 billion dollar industry for [covid-19] virus. Just not gonna happen. They’ll handle positive cases and move on. 

Edited June 20, 2020 by Hapless Bills Fan
misinformation about virus

[Bferra13]

22 minutes ago, I am the egg man said:

MLB has grown stale. 

 

MLB has been surpassed by the NFL, NBA, NCAA FB & BB and golf, they don't realize they're boring.

 

I cant take someone seriously when they say baseball is more boring than golf. Dont get me wrong, some of the big tourneys are cool. But other than that, no thanks. I doubt golf is ever going to take over baseball in revenue. Literally, PGA is not in the same stratosphere as the other leagues you mentioned there.

[The Dean]

49 minutes ago, I am the egg man said:

MLB has grown stale. 

 

MLB has been surpassed by the NFL, NBA, NCAA FB & BB and golf, they don't realize they're boring.

 

Not sure how this is relevant to the conversation. The reason they might shut down has nothing to do with their excitement level.

[SinceThe70s]

49 minutes ago, The Dean said:

 

Not sure how this is relevant to the conversation. The reason they might shut down has nothing to do with their excitement level.

 

I saw reports today today that the Lightning (NHL) and Phillies (MLB) had Covid cases related to their training camps.

 

I look at this as  bad news for the NHL and MLB but potentially good news for the NFL. The NHL is trying the salvage an in-progress season. (Ignoring the ownership/union posturing/negotiation) MLB is trying to salvage a season that hasn't started.

 

The NFL can watch it all unfold and make a more informed decision. 

[machine gun kelly]

Whoever said a possible delay of training camp, and season is probably right.  I was just watching last night the COVID cases has risen in Florida commensurate with the opening of the restrictions, and the crazy thing is the positive cases has risen with younger persons. The mean age for positive cases here is down to 37.  I know from my gym, younger people are just not taking distancing seriously.  In my opinion, it’s a false sense of being indestructible.

 

Anyway, if the states don’t maintain some kind of restrictions, this pain in the ars virus is just going to linger.  I hate the quarantine as much as others, but I’m more sick of this just not going away for a very long time.  So maybe string camp in August or even September and not starting the season may help.  Otherwise if they just push through, there will be a lot of people quarantined.  The positive side is they seem to be treating better as they are learning what works and what does not.

[Thurman#1]

4 hours ago, MJS said:

Far, far, far from it...

 

 

Pure guesswork. Either way.

 

As with most predictions of the future in near infinitely complicated systems, it could go either way.

 

It's boring but the right response ... we'll see.

3 hours ago, DBilz2500 said:

Not going to shut down a 15 billion dollar industry for a flu virus. Just not gonna happen. They’ll handle positive cases and move on. 

 

 

They might. Losses so far due to the lockdown are far far in excess of 15 billion. Benefits are tens of thousands of lives saved. 

 

Again, they might. Or not. There is an absolute ton of evidence for your position. And just as much suggests the opposite.

[cage]

5 hours ago, DBilz2500 said:

Not going to shut down a 15 billion dollar industry for a flu virus. Just not gonna happen. They’ll handle positive cases and move on. 

 

I don't know why people keep putting their head in the sand?  Its not positive cases, like a sprained ankle where a given player is out.  Its how many others that person infects and will take with him.  A team could lose most of its OL from one week to the next... or more.  And staff, coaches, trainers.  How do you play that way?  Anyone still thinking that this is just a flu virus needs to change all the channels they watch, listen to and read online

 

In all the cases above its not a single player, but several.  What if this is week 5 of the season, the Bills are 5-0 and they're about to play the Chiefs on Thursday night?  Fifteen players test positive.  What then?

Edited June 20, 2020 by cage

[mannc]

6 hours ago, major said:

With 23 Clemson players & 13 Texas players testing positive, I think we have our answer: no football this year in college or pro. Let’s hope 30 for 30 has some great documentaries lined up?

And yet no reports that even one of them is seriously ill, and none likely to be, given their ages.  Why is this even a story?  We have lost our damn minds.

[Seasons1992]

3 hours ago, machine gun kelly said:

  I know from my gym, younger people are just not taking distancing seriously.  In my opinion, it’s a false sense of being indestructible.

 

And this is why I stopped going to mine. 

I feel weird enough hosting trivia wearing a mask once a week, but a gym full of sweaty heavy-breathing people sounds like a disaster.

[All_Pro_Bills]

6 hours ago, KzooMike said:

I saw this, not a death nail, but the writing is on the wall. In order for the NFL to play, they will have to take an open position on players getting infected. That is to say, they will do everything possible to prevent it, but the language they use and approach they take has to be in acceptance that some if not all teams will deal with it. 
 

Since the rest of the business world is dealing with similar issues, perhaps not as challenging, but in some sectors, perhaps even more so, I think the NFL will let it ride. If somebody dies, which is possible, if not probable, even at a low fatality rate,  lord knows what happens, but again, is this much different than the challenges many Americans face returning to work? Countless employees across the country are working for peanuts and no more protected than the players would be.  
 

It’s going to get interesting. 

Its most likely deaths would occur among the coaching staff or other support personnel rather than the players.  Fatalities from COVID are skewed towards old patients.  My county has report 439 deaths and 97% have been in people over 50.  52% over 80 years of age.  And of the 3% under 50 most had other health issues.  This is consistent with state-wide data.  I haven't analyzed national or international data but my guess is that's consistent too.

 

These young athletes represent one of the most unlikely groups to catch a fatal case of COVID.  At most, the majority that test positive might get the same physical impact of a cold or mild flu.  Some that test positive may be asymptomatic and not even aware they're infected if not for being tested.  Being infected might not even impact their abilities and performance.  The issue is the potential to infect others that might be classified as high-risk.  Is there a possibility of a fatal case?  Yes, but the probability is very low.  

The fact lost by most people I speak with is the  risk of contracting infection is assumed to be evenly (researchers don't know this) distributed across the population but the risk of impact (impact being how sick you might get) from the virus is not evenly distributed across the population.   College and professional football players are a very low impact risk group when it comes to severity of illness and deaths.   

 

By September we'll see home COVID tests similar to the home pregnancy test.  You spit on a stick and wait a couple minutes for the result .  Positive or negative.  Along with more effective treatments that will dramatically cut the duration of the infection and bring the fatality rate down significantly.   A vaccine, that's a long-shot even by this time next year if ever.  I say all this as someone that works with health care analytics and data which includes a large amount of information and data on COVID and having done 100's of hours of extensive research on testing, treatment, and vaccine work done by public and private researchers. 

Edited June 20, 2020 by All_Pro_Bills

[machine gun kelly]

9 minutes ago, Seasons1992 said:

 

And this is why I stopped going to mine. 

I feel weird enough hosting trivia wearing a mask once a week, but a gym full of sweaty heavy-breathing people sounds like a disaster.

I know Seasons and have a number of friends who have boycotted it.  I need it as a release, but I wear gloves, no mask as my glasses fog up, and clean everything probably more thoroughly than 90% of people.  I also avoid people like the plague.  It’s crazy as I was out with an old friend for sushi last night (beautiful), and I told her I couldn’t hug her.  I just can’t take that chance.  It sucks, but the world we live in for now.

 

As far as football, I’m hopeful we have some type of season.

[4merper4mer]

5 hours ago, The Dean said:

 

Not sure how this is relevant to the conversation. The reason they might shut down has nothing to do with their excitement level.

The anti baseball crowd has been at this for 40+ years and they're batting 0-40+.

[Kirby Jackson]

Is anyone going to point out how sports are back

up and running in the rest of the world? Our bungling of the whole Covid-19 situation will be to blame if we have no football in the fall. 

[Buddo]

While undoubtedly many of the NFL players are very fit, areas where they aren't so much, are on both lines. Look at how much weight guys who have recently retired, shed with ease.

 

The assumption that NFL players will all be ok if infected, is very much just an assumption, and is based upon the fallacy that they are both young nd fully fit. Young yet, fully fit, not really. Again, the majority will be, but guys on the lines put on weight deliberately, and are quite likely to be considered obese. Obesity being a condition that doesn't match up particularly favourably with covid-19.

 

Just about every coaching staff will have guys on it who can be considered  'high risk' through age or other conditions.

 

I wonder how many people have to die before risks become unacceptable.

[ChevyVanMiller]

7 hours ago, KzooMike said:

I saw this, not a death nail, but the writing is on the wall. In order for the NFL to play, they will have to take an open position on players getting infected. That is to say, they will do everything possible to prevent it, but the language they use and approach they take has to be in acceptance that some if not all teams will deal with it. 
 

Since the rest of the business world is dealing with similar issues, perhaps not as challenging, but in some sectors, perhaps even more so, I think the NFL will let it ride. If somebody dies, which is possible, if not probable, even at a low fatality rate,  lord knows what happens, but again, is this much different than the challenges many Americans face returning to work? Countless employees across the country are working for peanuts and no more protected than the players would be.  
 

It’s going to get interesting. 

I agree with you, but wonder what the plan is if a large portion of a team becomes infected once games start? Will they forfeit the game or shut it all down?

 

Also, for future reference it’s death knell.

[machine gun kelly]

That’s funny Chevy (death knell), but it’s being discussed to increase the practice squads.  I don’t think they even know what is the answer.  It’s most likely they will proceed as they will take a financial hit as it is with no or little fans in the seats, so I’m expecting a number of quarantined players.

[Seasons1992]

42 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Is anyone going to point out how sports are back

up and running in the rest of the world? Our bungling of the whole Covid-19 situation will be to blame if we have no football in the fall. 

 

 

Shhhhhh, don't get banned on political reasons!

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

7 hours ago, I am the egg man said:

MLB has grown stale. 

 

MLB has been surpassed by the NFL, NBA, NCAA FB & BB and golf, they don't realize they're boring.

Yeah, I’m not sure there are a lot of folks out there worried about MLB season being canceled. Yet with all the squabbling between MLB management and players, they seem to think they’re the biggest act in town.

 

It’s the possibility of cancelation of the NFL season that has pretty much all of America panicking. 

[PromoTheRobot]

7 hours ago, DBilz2500 said:

Not going to shut down a 15 billion dollar industry for a flu virus. Just not gonna happen. They’ll handle positive cases and move on. 

 

Okay Dr. Fauci.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

8 hours ago, major said:

With 23 Clemson players & 13 Texas players testing positive, I think we have our answer: no football this year in college or pro. Let’s hope 30 for 30 has some great documentaries lined up?

with so many Clemson players testing positive now Pre-season, they will have a competitive advantage once the season starts. 
 

[JaCrispy]

8 hours ago, major said:

With 23 Clemson players & 13 Texas players testing positive, I think we have our answer: no football this year in college or pro. Let’s hope 30 for 30 has some great documentaries lined up?

The solution here is obvious- we just need to stop testing...that way no one will get the virus and we will be able to have a season...

Edited June 20, 2020 by JaCrispy

[Adam727]

My guess has been the only way we are likely to have NFL football is if they put all NFL players, families, coaches, refs, trainers, etc into a group quarantine a few weeks before the season starts and everyone has to stay quarantined until the season is over.  I don't know if that's possible, but for the amount of money at stake I'm surprised they didn't at least look into this.   

 

If one player gets sick (which will happen) there's a fair chance a good percentage of that team gets sick.  What happens then?  If a center gets sick the entire offensive line and QB are out for a month?  What happens when the first player gets hospitalized or worse?  

 

IMO the NFL would have needed to take steps that they aren't going to take to have a normal season.  I really hope I'm over thinking this because it would really suck to lose NFL football this year, especially since this is the first year since the 90s where I can say without being a homer that the Bills are the best team in the AFCE.  Hopefully somehow the season just gets postponed/shortened and not cancelled entirely.  But I'd be really surprised if we get a 16 week season on schedule.  

 

 

[atlbillsfan1975]

This is going to turn into another pro and con Covid thread. A bunch of people acting like they are right and stick their heals in the dirt. Why the mods let these stay on the main page is beyond me. 

 

Covid 19 has turned into talking about 

Religion

Politics

Abortion.

 

Everyone has an opinion and it does nothing to change anyone’s else’s. 
 

Edited June 20, 2020 by atlbillsfan1975

[Kirby Jackson]

37 minutes ago, atlbillsfan1975 said:

This is going to turn into another pro and con Covid thread. A bunch of people acting like they are right and stick their heals in the dirt. Why the mods let these stay on the main page is besides me. 

 

Covid 19 has turned into talking about 

Religion

Politics

Abortion.

 

Everyone has an opinion and it does nothing to change anyone’s else’s. 
 

The tricky part is that sports and covid/social activism are so intertwined right now. They can’t operate independently of one another. These issues can actually prevent these leagues from playing. 

[Penfield45]

9 hours ago, DBilz2500 said:

Not going to shut down a 15 billion dollar industry for a flu virus. Just not gonna happen. They’ll handle positive cases and move on. 

 

calling it a "flu virus" is pretty disrespectful to all the Americans and people around the world who have lost loved ones from it. 

 

 

[The Dean]

2 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Is anyone going to point out how sports are back

up and running in the rest of the world? Our bungling of the whole Covid-19 situation will be to blame if we have no football in the fall. 

 

Spot on. But the leadership in the country and in many states seem to have the lack of comprehension and vision as the poster below. 

 

 

3 hours ago, mannc said:

And yet no reports that even one of them is seriously ill, and none likely to be, given their ages.  Why is this even a story?  We have lost our damn minds.

 

 

Highly INFECTIOUS disease. The health risks are not to the players alone. And even if they were, your lack of understanding of what can happen (yes, even to  younger seemingly healthy individuals) suggests you are avoiding any legitimate medical news sources.  Try Hapless's Covid 19 Information thread in Off The Wall.

[Lurker]

Trees falling in the woods...

[Orlando Tim]

Baseball is not having a season at all so I am not surprised by this move, it lets the owners save money and eliminate their risk of being the reason for infection. 

[ALF]

We won't know till the end of August what will happen to the NFL season. 

[mannc]

34 minutes ago, The Dean said:

 

 

 

 

Highly INFECTIOUS disease. The health risks are not to the players alone. And even if they were, your lack of understanding of what can happen (yes, even to  younger seemingly healthy individuals) suggests you are avoiding any legitimate medical news sources.  Try Hapless's Covid 19 Information thread in Off The Wall.

The players who test positive will no doubt quarantine for a week or two to avoid infecting others, just like someone with the flu would be expected to stay home.  BFD.  Furthermore, the evidence that non-symptomatic people (esp. young people) are major spreaders of the disease is weak at best.  Finally, the vast majority of college coaches and trainers are also in age categories where the virus poses less risk than things like accidental drowning or being struck by lightning.  

What was your point?  No football this year?  GTFOOH!

[Penfield45]

1 hour ago, atlbillsfan1975 said:

This is going to turn into another pro and con Covid thread. A bunch of people acting like they are right and stick their heals in the dirt. Why the mods let these stay on the main page is besides me. 

 

Covid 19 has turned into talking about 

Religion

Politics

Abortion.

 

Everyone has an opinion and it does nothing to change anyone’s else’s. 
 

 

there is only one group of people who turn it into a political discussion lol

 

the same group of people that think wearing a mask is "un-american" and against their "human rights". the same people who were out protesting because the minorities who cut hair and do their nails needed to go back to work 

 

the rest of us are listening to what the government is saying and helping stop the spread and protect our elders. 

[WhoTom]

10 hours ago, Bferra13 said:

 

I cant take someone seriously when they say baseball is more boring than golf. Dont get me wrong, some of the big tourneys are cool. But other than that, no thanks. I doubt golf is ever going to take over baseball in revenue. Literally, PGA is not in the same stratosphere as the other leagues you mentioned there.

 

Commercials for ED medications say, "See our ad in Golf Digest magazine."

 

That's everything you need to know about how exciting golf is.

 

 

[Florida Bills Fanatic]

Everybody needs to chill.  There is too much money involved to put an end to the season. The players, TV networks, and owners want it to happen and it will.  There may be a few players that are afraid to participate and they will sit out.  For well conditioned athletes that don't have some serious preexisting health condition, many experts believe that there is very little risk involved.  Listening to players who have already had the virus, they all seemed to liken it to a moderate cold.  Every time I read an article about players from various teams that are working out together, it solidifies my opinion that the players want to play and they will play.  Players know they have a career clock and it is running toward zero.  They don't want to lose a year of that career time and more importantly the earnings that go along with it. Nobody needs to convince me that the owners want to play and make money.  That is a given.

 

For those of us that are afraid of getting seriously ill, we should continue to self quarantine, avoid risky behavior, practice good hygiene. social distance, and use masks as appropriate. People need to manage their actions for themselves.