Page 19 - aruba today

A19
SPORTS Saturday 14 March 2020
Even Yogi might wonder

when it will really be over

By TIM DAHLBERG your tickets. The security our stance is that the more
AP Sports Columnist guards, equipment guys, testing the better. And we
The games are over, at broadcast helpers and hope our country gets to
least for now. many, many others are all the point where we can
There's only so much you in the same boat. have a lot of testing to bet-
can say about that when While the rest of us might ter assess the situation and
people are dying and the need help finding some- make better decisions go-
world is in danger. The thing to do other than ing forward."
playground has always watching sports, they need Until then it's anyone's
been the place to leave help just to live their lives. guess, and the guessing A line-up sheet from the previous day's baseball game is posted
your troubles behind but Kevin Love stood up quick- game has just gotten go- on the wall of an otherwise empty dugout and ballpark after the
when no place is really ly on the basketball side to ing. So far, no major league cancellation of the spring training baseball game between the
Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Mariners Thursday, March 12,
safe, sports can't be either. pledge $100,000 for team players have tested posi- 2020, in Surprise, Ariz.
That includes America's and arena staff hurt by the tive for coronavirus, though Associated Press
pastime, as painful as that loss of NBA games in Cleve- that doesn't mean it al-
might be. land. Expect other NBA ready lurks in clubhouses too," Seattle pitcher Ken- real choice. Commissioner
Baseball may or may not stars to do the same kind and on fields. dall Graveman said. "So Rob Manfred waited until
be played again this year. of thing, and Dallas owner Indeed, it's already been we're really trying to take the dominoes started fall-
There are no guarantees Mark Cuban says he's got found everywhere from a precautions. But yeah, it's ing in other sports to call
anymore, and anyone who a plan to pay his workers movie set with Tom Hanks crazy.'' things off, then announced
thinks the major leagues will even if there are no games. in Australia to a basket- The biggest precaution is a two-week delay that will
soon pick back up where Baseball needs to step up ball player in the middle of being taken by baseball almost certainly last be-
they suddenly left off Thurs- for its people, too, if only America. "Man, it's invisible, itself, though there was no yond that.q
day is either guessing or because those in the sport
has a crystal ball that the understand it's the right
rest of us have yet to prop- thing to do.
erly study. "My heart really goes out
That could mean no open- to the people who are liv-
ing day anytime in 2020, as ing paycheck to paycheck
shocking as that might be. and for whom this is an
No pennant races, and no economic catastrophe,"'
World Series to help us get Seattle owner John Stan-
the stink of the Houston As- ton said in Arizona.
tros off our minds. Here's hope that Stanton
The great baseball philoso- backs his words with his
pher Yogi Berra famously wallet, because a lot of
declared that it ain't over good people will soon be
'till it's over. Well, it's over, at suffering. The official delay
least for now, after the plug is for two weeks, but Stan-
was finally pulled Thursday ton said he doesn't have
as games were still being high confidence that the
played in Florida. season will begin on April 9
"It felt like the most mean- as now planned.
ingless baseball game in The original plan to start
the history of the sport," in- March 26 was made so a
fielder Matt Carpenter said World Series Game 6 would
as his Cardinals played the not be on election night.
Marlins in Jupiter, Florida. Now there's a chance it
Baseball players are lucky could come on inaugural
in a way. Unlike college day.
seniors who might miss the No one really knows be-
only March Madness of cause as good as baseball
their life, they still get paid is with analytics, even the
and still have a chance to best numbers people can't
play when this all gets bet- say for sure where the virus
ter. Not like the guy pouring is or where it will spread.
you a beer or the woman That's not baseball's fault
handing you a hot dog. because no one outside
Their jobs are gone, at least the sport seems to know ei-
for the near future, and the ther, mostly because rela-
chances of finding some- tively few tests have been
thing else in a suddenly done in the United States.
perilous economy are "Testing is a much broader
about as good as they are issue than just how it relates
being picked to sing the to a major league team or
national anthem if opening a sports team," Cubs presi-
day ever arrives. dent of baseball operations
Same for the people who Theo Epstein said. "We're
guide you to a parking far behind in this country as
spot, and those who take a whole in testing and so