DAY 4 WITHOUT BASEBALL
Well that was quick. Within a day, multiple sports leagues/associations, such as MLB and NBA, announced play will be suspended due to the threat of the coronavirus. There will be no Opening Day on March 26th at Dodger Stadium.
Bummer. My brother and I had went to a string of like 6 consecutive Opening Day games. It’s crazy to think the coronavirus hasn’t stopped spreading and that it spread so deep into our lives that sports are taking a break. I’m blessed no one in my immediate family has shown symptoms of the virus. I say it like this because the virus can be in your system for 5-14 days before showing symptoms. Stay hydrated, friends.
Growing up, I watched the Lakers and Dodgers religiously. I haven’t been into basketball as much recently, even though we’ve been dominating, but I still follow baseball on a daily basis. This was a busy offseason for baseball, especially compared to recent years. Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, and Stephen Strasburg (star players in the 2019 World Series) were all free agents and all signed lucrative new deals during the winter meetings. MLB released its investigative findings on the 2017 Houston Astros team, declaring they cheated and banged on trash cans en route to a tainted World Series title. The Dodgers traded for Mookie Betts! They actually did it, after the Red Sox felt short-changed, we still managed to make it happen. Spring training goes on for 2-3 weeks and bam! That’s it. We’re pulling the plug.
Unfortunately, this is the right thing to do. With Rudy Gobert of the NBA’s Utah Jazz getting infected, we are faced with the reality that this virus moves quickly and is impossible to contain in events that hold massive amounts of people. It’s out of a movie. This is one of those situations where we, as a society, are unprepared and rely on government to fix the problem. As of right now, it seems like they’re unprepared too.
I can honestly say I’m not scared of the coronavirus. I am aware of the possibility I, or a family member, may contract it and I am aware of the possibility we won’t. I have always taken health precautions so nothing will change in that regard.
What does change, though, is how am I going to spend my spring/summer nights. I love baseball and I love watching baseball. Taking away the Dodgers from me at this moment is cruel. We lost again in the playoffs and we are hungry to end our title-drought. Yesterday we were in the start of that journey. Today, that journey is put on hold without assurance it will resume anytime soon. Being together with Dodger fans at Dodger Stadium is one of my favorite feelings. I enjoy cheering on our boys in blue and heckling the other team. I enjoy sipping on beer with my loved ones, watching one of the most exhilarating yet slow yet calculated yet random sports there is.
We keep moving, though. We keep the Mamba Mentality and get our jobs done everyday. We keep our families safe. We stay healthy and we stay blessed. For when baseball returns, we’ll be ready.
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