Miami Marlins just became scary lesson for all sports on perils of playing in a pandemic | Opinion
For all the world to see, the Miami Marlins just became Exhibit A for all that can go wrong when you try to play games in a pandemic.
It is this baseball club, situated in one of America’s continuing coronavirus/COVID-19 hotspots, that you look to now when you wonder if this whole sports restart — for our entertainment and so leagues can make money, not necessarily in that order — is worth the risk.
The worst that can happen, happened.
The Marlins suffered a virus outbreak infecting almost half the team on the first road trip of the season. At least 11 players and two coaches have tested positive — forcing Monday night’s scheduled home opener at Marlins Park to be canceled.
It is an historic happenstance in a year unlike any in American history as the U.S. virus death toll grimly approaches the 150,000 milestone while sports start back up in empty stadiums and arenas.
The Marlins’ next game, when and where it will be — all to be determined.
Will there even be a next game this season? Should there be? You have to wonder now if the Marlins will be a tipping point, a reason for sports to rethink the whole restart, amid a pandemic not nearly contained, and one that could continue or even worsen in the second half of the year as science raises to develop a vaccine.
There already is speculation MLB’s truncated 60-game season could be in jeopardy. Monday night’s Yankees-Phillies game also is postponed.
Miami’s players, coaches and staff remained in Philadelphia in self-quarantine Monday pending further test results.
Tuesday’s scheduled home game also is expected to be postponed. Miami is then scheduled for two games in Baltimore, and may bus directly there from Philadelphia. That means Miami’s rescheduled new home opener would be this Friday at earliest, vs. Washington
“The health of our players and staff has been and will continue to be our primary focus as we navigate through these uncharted waters,” said Marlins CEO Derek Jeter on Monday. “After a successful Spring 2.0, we have now experienced challenges once we went on the road and left Miami.”
Jeter called postponing the home opener “a collective pause [as we] try to properly grasp the totality of this situation.”
Meantime what are other sports thinking when they see what is happening with the Marlins?
The NBA’s Heat and NHL Panthers both are scheduled to restart their season this coming Saturday. The Dolphins’ full squad assembles Tuesday to become some version of NFL training camp.
While the Marlins remained stuck in Philadelphia with half of the team quarantined.
What a holy mess.
it renders inconsequential what otherwise was a good start to the season by the Marlins, who won two out of three in Philly including a rally from four down on Sunday. If only we had the luxury to be talkin’ baseball, to be excited about Miguel Rojas’ 7-for-10 start.
We don’t have that luxury. Not now. Not after starting pitcher Jose Urena, catcher Jorge Alfaro, infielder/outfielder Garrett Cooper and outfielder Harold Ramirez all missed Sunday’s game after testing positive. Not after eight more unnamed players and two coaches also have now tested positive, meaning at least 14 in total.
And how many teammates did they infect?
In hindsight, the Marlins were dumb to take on the added risk of playing a scrimmage game in Atlanta before flying to Philly.
Just as MLB should be rethinking all of the travel that comes with playing games in home stadiums, rather in in isolated hub cities like basketball, hockey and MLS soccer are doing.
“It’s a lot scarier on the road,” as Marlins manager Don Mattingly put it Sunday. “It’s fair to say guys are concerned about things.”
Teams in every sport can follow every health and safety protocol in place, but there risk of contracting an invisible virus is still a risk — more so with travel involved.
“”It’s what the world is going through,” Mattingly said. “Put the mask on. Wash your hands. Don;t touch a bunch of stuff...”
Do all of that, and hope it’s enough.
It wasn’t for the Miami Marlins, who just became the lesson that should scare the hell out of every team in every sport.
This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 11:03 AM.
