Spring training canceled, regular season delayed at least two weeks
In the Western Hemisphere, Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day by many. For the New York Yankees, it may be unlucky, but it also may be lucky in disguise. As the world deals with the pandemic coronavirus, schools, Broadway, Disney World, and large gatherings of all types have been shunned, canceled, and postponed. In the case of Major League Baseball, it means no more exhibition games and a delay to the beginning of the regular season.
All of these moves are being taken to hopefully lessen the spread of the deadly coronavirus that is often fatal to older people and people with underlying health issues. When the media asked Yankee Manager Aaron Boone what he thought about the delay to the season he said:
“I’m not overly emotional about it,†he said after the Yankees beat the Nationals 6-3 in a Grapefruit League game. “This is obviously a unique situation. It’s bigger than baseball, so you just kind of want to be part of doing your best on behalf of the world. You don’t want to contribute to this becoming a real poor situation, so we’ll be cooperative and try to play our part the best way we can.â€
Baseball is not the only sport to be affected. The NBA has canceled the rest of its season after Jazz star Rudy Gobert tested positive for the disease. The NHL has canceled its season. The USL Championship announced a 30-day postponement of its matches, and the National Women’s Soccer League has canceled its preseason. The MLS is suspending its season temporarily. The NCCA March Madness Tournament that was previously going on but without fans has now canceled completely, and the list goes on and on.
So what does this mean to the Yankees and Yankee fans?
Considering the dire situation, it will be a minor inconvenience for fans who will now have to wait at least a month without their beloved sport. For the Yankees, it just may be a lucky turn of events. With early injuries, the stay may help some players become more healthy. Those affected are Giancarlo Stanton with a grade 1 calf strain, Aaron Judge with a fractured rib, and Zack Britton with a bruised right wrist. It was a question as to if any of these players would be ready for the start of the season on March 26 at Baltimore. Now that the season has been delayed, they may be ready to go when baseball resumes.
One of the most significant upsides to the delay is that pitcher James Paxton who was expected to miss at least the first two months of the season due to recovering from back surgery; the delay lessens that impact. Players that took part in two Florida East Coast games returned by bus to George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, where they will remain with the other Yankees Players. Boone was asked what the players would be doing during the delay.
“I’m sure we’ll have sim games(simulated),†Boone said. “Obviously, we started building pitchers up and things like that, so we’ll want to continue with that smartly.
“My guess is that it remains a fluid situation obviously, so we’ll just kind of take MLB’s lead and the situation’s lead and hopefully get to a point where we can get back out there.â€
As I reported yesterday, when the news of the possible MLB shutdown came across Twitter, General Manager Brian Cashman at the game, had his cell phone constantly adhered to his right ear. Cashman was not available to take questions following the game in West Palm Beach, due to a conference league-wide call with the MLB that was expected to last for hours.  However, Boone said in a final statement before boarding the bus back to Tampa:
“We’ll do our best to put our guys in a position to be ready to go whenever that bell rings,†Boone said.
Not a lot is known about the coronavirus, which makes it even more of a mystery. From knowing for sure how long it lives on surfaces, to whether it will diminish as the summer approaches like the common Flu, are just a few of the unknowns. Some venues, including public gathering places and schools, are closed for two weeks, one month or delays even beyond that adds to the difficulty in determining when baseball and other events may happen. We do know that the first Yankee game going forward is scheduled for April 6 at Baltimore Park at Camden Yards at 6:35 pm.
At this point, MBL has not commented on whether the season would be delayed or if the season would be shortened by the delayed start time. My guess is that the season will be shortened as it’s hard to believe we would be watching the World Series on Thanksgiving instead of the traditional football. Another consideration is the weather in mid-November. It is best to remember Aaron Boone’s statement that everything is fluid right now, and everything is subject to change as the coronavirus progresses or subsides.