This new MLB "Phoenix Proposal" looks interesting......
Here's one player's perspective. Granted, Zimm is in a unique situation. 15 years into his career - all with the same team, he's been an all star, he's a World Series champ. Were it not for the fact that he and the Nats agreed to a one year deal, he'd probably be retired now. But I'm sure there are other players with families who have similar feelings.
Nats' Ryan Zimmerman's AP diary: Is baseball that important?
EDITORāS NOTE: Ryan Zimmerman is a two-time All-Star infielder who has played 15 years in the majors, all with the Washington Nationals. He holds most of the teamās career hitting records, and his two homers and seven RBIs last postseason helped the Nationals win their first World Series. With baseball on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, Zimmerman occasionally will offer his thoughts -- as told to AP Sports Writer Howard Fendrich -- while waiting for the 2020 season to begin. This is the second installment.
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Putting every team in Arizona in May? There would be so many variables and so many things that would have to be worked out that itās hard to fathom that it would work.
One example: I get to the field at 2 oāclock to play a 7 oāclock game at night. If weāre not going to be able to have any crossover between teams, then say weāre playing Game 3 of a tripleheader at Chase Field that day -- how much time do they have between games to disinfect the entire clubhouse?
Do I have a locker? Or do I just show up with my uniform on, AAU travel ball style? And then I just go right out to the field with my bag to start the game? Then youāre going to have people getting hurt.
We donāt get there at 2 oāclock for a 7 oāclock game just to get a chance to hang out with our friends. We have a whole process that we go through to prepare and get our bodies ready to play so we donāt get injured.
Also: People forget that weāre actually human beings.
I have my third child due in June. If this ābubbleā in Arizona was going to happen starting in May, youāre trying to tell me Iām not going to be able to be with my wife and see my kid until October?
Iām going to go four or five months without seeing my kid when itās born? I can tell you right now thatās not going to happen.
Not many people have to go through that, nor should they.
Then you might get people who would say, āOh, well, then someone else who doesnāt have kids will play.ā The more things that happen like that, then you have to worry about the product on the field.
I know everythingās being done by everyone in good faith. We want to play; we want to give people something to watch on TV; people love sports.
But youāve got to consider the human element. Maybe pump the brakes a little bit. Maybe this wasnāt supposed to be leaked yet. I donāt know if weāre at the point to set this sort of thing up yet.
This virus situation is obviously bigger than sports. Bigger than anything. Peopleās lives and health take precedence over everything.
Would it be nice to have baseball on or something for people to watch on TV? It actually could keep people inside a little bit more, so it could help with the quarantine and getting people to follow the rules a little bit more.
So I think the thought process of trying to get sports back is a good idea for the mental health of the country. People love watching sports, so to give them that would be great.
Itās just youāve got to kind of check the temperature of everything going on.
Look, all of us want to play. Thatās what we do: We play baseball. You wouldnāt ask a single person and have him say, āI want the season to be canceledā or āI want to continue to not play.ā
But you have to be sensitive to people dying and people having family members in intensive care.
And you have to think: Is it really that important to figure out how to play baseball right now?