LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Nothing screams that baseball season is finally here more than a prediction column, but not even the Houston Astros can steal the signs of what 2020 will bring.
Before I get to the questions of which teams will win the six division titles and playoff wildcard spots, other questions are coming in high and tight.
Like …
… now that baseball is positioned to be the first of the four major American sports back from the novel coronavirus pandemic with two games Thursday night and 14 more Friday, how deep will MLB actually grind into the season?
All 60 scheduled regular-season games?
Will it be 60, plus every inning of the playoffs, which Dr. Anthony Fauci has said need to conclude by the en of October?
More than 30 games until an COVID-19 outbreak shuts it down?
Less than 20?
I believe I heard somebody whisper baseball won’t make it through next weekend. Grab some bench, buddy.
There's a lot to celebrate -- especially for the University of Louisville baseball program. By my count, seven of Dan McDonnell's former players will start the season in the big leagues:
Will Smith, catching for the Dodgers; Adam Engel in the outfield for the White Sox; Nick Solak playing everywhere for the Rangers; Adam Duvall in the outfield in Atlanta; Nick Burdi pitching in Pittsburgh; Chad Green pitching for the Yankees and Kyle Funkhouser making his MLB debut in Detroit.
Welcome back, old friend. It is so good to see you. #OpeningDay 🖊️ Written by Tom Verducci🎙️ Narrated by Jon Hamm pic.twitter.com/wO1R01rWrG
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 23, 2020
Questions? I’ve got more questions than virus denier umpire Joe West has about COVID.
Where are the Toronto Blue Jays going to Play Ball?
Canada said No to Toronto.
Pennsylvania said No to Pittsburgh.
The players appear to be saying No to Buffalo.
The latest, greatest choice is Baltimore, which makes sense because Baltimore is a once-great baseball town that hasn’t had a team since Cal Ripken Jr. retired.
But if you’re going to make a team play and live away from home for at least two months, shouldn’t you place them in a spot where weather will never be a factor?
Like Milwaukee?
Sure, Tampa and Miami are the only domed facilities in the Eastern time zone but the virus has caused more problems in Florida than it has in Wisconsin. Give Bernie Brewer a buzz.
Excuse me for rushing through this column, but there is another baseball question awaiting an answer:
How many teams will actually participate in the playoffs?
The number is supposed to be 10 — the six division winners as well as two wildcard teams from each league.
But Jon Heyman of the MLB Network reported that the players and owners were negotiating about expanding the playoffs to 16 teams, which seems like something they could have figured out during the three-plus months when nobody was playing.
Sources: MLB and union are re-engaging on the possibility of expanded playoffs for this season. Has to be done before first pitch 25 hours from now, but there seems to be optimism. Hope was to go from 10 playoff teams to 16.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 22, 2020
But it’s baseball (a game I love) and nobody ever worries about a clock.
Sixteen playoff teams works for me — this season.
There is nothing standard about 2020. Only 60 games. No fans. Limited schedule with teams from the Central divisions playing only teams from the Central divisions (AL and NL). Ditto for the West and East.
Don’t tell Willie Mays, Tommy LaSorda and Pete Rose but the National League is being forced to live with the designated hitter. (About time.)
Rosters will begin with 30 active players and then be cut to 28 and 26. Extra innings will always begin with a runner on second base. The 20-second pitch clock will be enforced (wink, just like NBA officials will call traveling).
You can’t argue about that. In fact, you’re not supposed to argue about anything. Just stay in the dugout, properly socially distanced, and don’t even think about spitting sunflower seeds.
For Old School seam heads, confusion will reign. Traditional benchmarks like 20 wins or 100 RBIs must be divided by 2.7 because of the abbreviated schedule.
Everybody says even a single seven- or eight-game losing streak will be toxic, too much to overcome. Every nervous manager will start the game on the top step, rushign to make a pitching change — except for Joe Maddon of the Angels because he’ll find the best spot where the TV cameras can find him.
If strange is the flavor of the year, make it completely strange. Go ahead and expand the playoffs.
Keep more cities and more fans engaged. Along with the standings, the world will focus on the television ratings. If baseball cannot generate solid numbers after nearly four months away with minimal competition from other sports, alarms will sound.
Maybe the players and owners will finally realize they need to stop tearing each other (and the game) down.
No alarms here. On Sunday I went to three stores, before I found Cracker Jack to eat during the first seventh-inning stretch of the season — Yankees at Nationals, followed by Giants at Dodgers Thursday night.
I also grabbed sunflower seeds, hot dogs and peanuts.
I’m ready — and even have my traditional predictions.
AL — Yankees in the East; Twins in the Central; As in the West; Astros and Rays if its a five-team post-season with the Red Sox, Indians and White Sox joining the party if they go eight deep.
NL — Braves in the East; Cardinals in the Central; Dodgers in West; Reds and Nationals grab the first two wildcards; Cubs, Brewers and Padres in an eight-team scrum.
Give me the Yankees and Cardinals in the World Series — with the Cardinals and their super fan Jon Hamm celebrating in late October (or early November).
Play ball!
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