coronavirus

A primer on the plan for the 2020 season

June 23, 2020, 7:32pm

The plan to start the 2020 Major League Baseball season is now officially in place. Whether it is completed in full depends on the spread of the novel coronavirus and the ability of more than 1,000 players, coaches, trainers, clubhouse staffers, team executives, umpires, groundskeepers and other assorted support staff to keep it from spreading. It's a daunting task, one that has no guarantee of being successful. But MLB is going to give it a try after getting approval Tuesday night from the...

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Taking a shot at some O's questions for the 2020 season (with video)

June 24, 2020, 2:21pm

Orioles

Taking a shot at some O's questions for the 2020 season (with video)

So can the Orioles keep it real interesting in a 60-game season by playing much better than expected at the outset and moving into contention? It seems unlikely, but with a 30-game midpoint it would seem they could put together a run in that span that leaves them close to a playoff berth. Yep, some strange things can and likely will happen in a 60-game season. The Cy Young Award winner might win just six games. We could see a .400 hitter. And we could see unlikely teams in the playoffs. It...

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A different pace to the 2020 baseball season

June 24, 2020, 8:56am

Orioles

A different pace to the 2020 baseball season

Baseball used to be a marathon and not a sprint. What does it become when 162 games are reduced to 60? The number still seems too large for a sprint, but it's no longer apt to make comparisons to a marathon. Maybe it's become the 1500-metre run. Kip Keino, Jim Ryun and Sebastian Coe could throw out the ceremonial first pitches. That should cover one home series for the Orioles. The Orioles would be exactly halfway through their schedule without postponements. Eighty-one games in the books...

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A personal tale from the front line of battling COVID-19

June 24, 2020, 2:57pm

Nationals Orioles

A personal tale from the front line of battling COVID-19

Baseball is ramping up, and so is the coronavirus. As fans anticipate baseball's start next month, the acceleration of COVID-19 could still put a premature end to the 60-game season or even to the postseason. The virus is nothing to take lightly. I know first-hand. In 2020, I have battled two formidable foes while facing life-and-death situations: I knocked out a rare autoimmune disease that attacked my liver and gave me - at best - a 50-50 chance of survival. Before my treatments ended, I...

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Bleier on staying ready for season and reconnecting with fans

June 23, 2020, 4:13pm

Orioles

Bleier on staying ready for season and reconnecting with fans

Of the many questions that linger as baseball moves closer to a 2020 season, two of the most common are where teams will hold their second spring training camps and what's a reasonable amount of time for pitchers to get ready. The Orioles are going to conduct their workouts in Maryland, whether strictly at Camden Yards or spread out to include one or more of their minor league affiliates. The new coronavirus cases in Florida eliminate a return to Sarasota as the facility remains shut down. An...

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Change is the buzz word as baseball revs up to resume 2020 campaign

June 24, 2020, 5:25am

Nationals Orioles

Change is the buzz word as baseball revs up to resume 2020 campaign

Finally. After months of acrimonious negotiations, there's going to be a baseball season. It will be the most abbreviated season in the game's history - 60 games - and brings back memories of 1981, when labor issues couldn't be resolved and teams played about 105 games each. So forget about watching those replays of classic historical games. Say goodbye to watching Game 7 of the Braves-Twins World Series in 1991. Or the 1995 American League Division Series Game 5 between the Mariners and the...

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Was this bitter fight worth it?

June 22, 2020, 8:17pm

Nationals

So after all that, after months of nothing and weeks of bickering, after talk of a season that could be as short as 48 games or as long as 114 games, after proposals to expand the postseason to 16 teams and institute the universal designated hitter this year and next, after all that, what did we get? A 60-game season unilaterally imposed by the commissioner. The standard postseason format. The universal DH this year only. A grievance that is all but certain to be filed by the players in the...

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Closing in on a baseball season

June 22, 2020, 4:00pm

Orioles

It should surprise no one that Major League Baseball owners and players could not reach agreement on the number of games to play in the 2020 season. Last night, we found out the players' vote on the owners' latest 60-game proposal. They voted 33-5 against accepting that. Now we wait and expect to find out that commissioner Rob Manfred will implement a schedule. He was given that right in the March 26 agreement and could implement a schedule of 60 games that begins in late July. This could...

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Taking another quizzical look at the Orioles and baseball

June 22, 2020, 2:49pm

Orioles

There won't be baseball until late July or 2021, depending on the Major League Baseball Players Association and COVID-19. They must work in tandem after the union voted 33-5 yesterday against the owners' latest and final proposal. Teams voted unanimously last night to go ahead with a 60-game season under terms of the March 26 agreement. Players have until 5 p.m. today to let MLB know whether they can report to spring training 2.0 on July 1 and agree on the health and safety...

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More delays on deciding whether 2020 season can be played

June 21, 2020, 4:36pm

Orioles

More delays on deciding whether 2020 season can be played

Players reportedly were going to wait until today to vote on the latest proposal from ownership for a 60-game season, 10 short of their desired total. Then they were actually going to vote yesterday, per multiple reports. And then they didn't, per multiple reports. Isn't this fun? The latest outbreak of positive COVID-19 tests is going to push back the possible start of spring training 2.0 to at least June 29, with opening day postponed until July 26. USA Today reported yesterday that Major...

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MLB will impose season after players vote down final offer

June 22, 2020, 4:11pm

Nationals

MLB will impose season after players vote down final offer

The Major League Baseball Players Association resoundingly voted down the league's latest (and final) proposal for the 2020 season this evening, leaving commissioner Rob Manfred to unilaterally impose a shortened season on the players, the details of which should be announced in the next 24 to 48 hours. The MLBPA executive committee - made up of 30 team representatives and the eight-man subcommittee that includes Nationals ace Max Scherzer - formally voted today not to accept the league's...

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Whenever baseball resumes, it won't look or sound normal

June 21, 2020, 9:48pm

Nationals

Whenever baseball resumes, it won't look or sound normal

The last three months have provided an opportunity to re-watch plenty of classic games, and honestly it's been a fun experience. But nothing compares to a real, live sporting event, and I think we're all reaching a point where it's becoming harder and harder to be without them. The last few weeks have provided a few viewing options, though, as a handful of sports and leagues resume competition in empty facilities. And they've given us a taste of what might be in store for the country's...

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Time for final decision on 2020 season has come

June 20, 2020, 8:56pm

Nationals

Time for final decision on 2020 season has come

After months of waiting followed by weeks of squabbling, the time has probably come for a final decision on the 2020 season. And barring a last-minute change of heart by the owners and players who have been refusing to budge from their most recent offers, it appears the sport is destined for a short season unilaterally mandated by commissioner Rob Manfred, which will probably be met with a formal grievance filed by the Major League Baseball Players Association. What, you thought this saga was...

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Trying to remember what I love about baseball

June 19, 2020, 1:47pm

Orioles

Trying to remember what I love about baseball

My feelings on the sport of baseball are a bit conflicted right now. There is disappointment that we still don't have an announcement about the start of the 2020 season. I still expect there to be a season, but the harsh words and mistrust between Major League Baseball owners and players are pretty strong right now. But, I'd like to take a moment away from that. I'd like to take a lot of moments away, really. I'm trying to remember today what makes baseball great for me. It is not as easy...

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Nationals sign first-round pick Cavalli

June 19, 2020, 12:22pm

Nationals

First-round pick Cade Cavalli signed with the Nationals today, only nine days after the Oklahoma right-hander was drafted 22nd overall in the country. Terms of Cavalli's deal weren't immediately available, but the Nats have room to go above Major League Baseball's designated $3.027 million slot value for the 22nd pick. The club created extra space to spend more on their top three picks by signing fourth- and fifth-round picks Brady Lindsly and Mitchell Parker to bonuses well below their...

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Friday morning Nats Q&A

June 18, 2020, 8:19pm

Nationals

Well, it's Friday again. And we still don't know when (or if) the baseball season will begin. I'd claim to be surprised by this development, but at this point, nothing surprises me. Yet I'll admit I'm still optimistic a deal will get done soon. Maybe in the next 48 hours? I know the difference between the 60 games the owners are offering and the 70 games the players are asking for is larger than it appears at first glance. It reportedly works out to a total of $250 million in increased pay...

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Progress in latest round of talks, but no deal quite yet

June 17, 2020, 7:55pm

Nationals

Progress in latest round of talks, but no deal quite yet

Is it possible? Is it possible Rob Manfred and Tony Clark are close to a deal and the 2020 season is nearly upon us at last? Well, yes and no. After a Wednesday that featured a whirlwind of emotions, from brief moments of joy to forceful words of caution, here's where it appears things stand: Manfred and Clark, after meeting in person (and in secret) in Arizona, seem to have made significant headway toward a deal. But not a completed deal, both because they didn't sign any formal papers and...

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MLB takes a step toward a 2020 season

June 17, 2020, 3:31pm

Orioles

Will we hear the cry to "Play ball!" in July? One day after I wrote in this space about how bad it looked and how we had a right to be disappointed in both the players and owners, it seems an actual deal may be getting closer. The players held firm to get 100 percent of prorated salaries and they will reportedly get that. But just for 60, 65, or 66 games, something in that neighborhood, although they could negotiate for more. The owners didn't want to pay full prorated salaries for much more...

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Optimism on the rise for a 2020 season (plus notes)

June 17, 2020, 3:25pm

Orioles

Optimism on the rise for a 2020 season (plus notes)

This is going to happen. There's going to be a baseball season. At least until I refresh Twitter. Truth be told, I'm so certain of it that I'm already deciding whether to eat dinner at home before heading to the ballpark or packing a sandwich. We'll always wonder why commissioner Rob Manfred and Tony Clark, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, didn't meet face-to-face a long time ago and hammer out an agreement. A couple of weeks ago would have sufficed. We...

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Nats have a lot to lose in shortened or canceled season

June 16, 2020, 8:30pm

Nationals

Nats have a lot to lose in shortened or canceled season

It's June 17, and we still don't know when (or if) the Major League Baseball season is going to begin. But at this point, it's pretty safe to say that however long the potential season is, it won't be long. It won't equate to one-half of a normal season. It might not even equate to one-third of a 162-game slate. And that could have some significant ramifications for the Nationals, not necessarily positive ones. I've been thinking about what 2020 is going to mean for the Nats as a whole...