Major League Baseball has been exploring all of its options in order to restart the 2020 regular season, which never got underway due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, details have emerged about the plan to bring MLB back into action, and it’s both thorough and slightly surreal.
As reported by the Associated Press, the 67-page draft of the 2020 Operations Manual outlines what the league hopes is a safe way to restart the season. There are logistical restrictions that one could have expected, such as a ban on eating at restaurants on road trips and the requirement to wear personal protective equipment while on buses and flights.
However, some of the other restrictions are stranger, though not entirely without merit: there is a ban on spitting, as well as on mascots. Teams are also discouraged from using the showers at ballparks, with MLB recommending that players shower at home or in their hotel rooms. Fielders are also encouraged to take a few steps away from base-runners in between pitches, and are encouraged to not “socialize” with their opponents.
The plan must still be approved by the players’ association, but if it passes, it will be a big step towards restarting baseball in the United States. While the games will look and sound different due to the lack of fans no matter what the final plan looks like, this draft of the MLB Operations Manual would also bring seismic shifts in how players and staff interact with each other during games, as well as in between them.
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Read the full story at the Associated Press
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