“Reminders of the pandemic will be everywhere in the games. Masks and social distancing. Personal resin bags. No fans in the ballpark, no exchange of lineup cards, no throwing the ball around the horn after an out, no high fives, no fraternizing, no fetching a teammate’s hat and glove if he is on base when an inning ends, no spitting and no chewing tobacco.” Tom Verducci: Cherishing Baseball’s Return. “The return of baseball heals nothing. It is not that important. But its worth in these foreboding times actually is in its frivolity. The comfort of routine. The language of a box score. A ballgame on the car radio. The orderliness of runs, hits and errors–day after day.” (I doubted baseball would actually return. I really hope they can pull this off without serious illnesses. And I can’t wait until tonight’s first pitch between the Giants and the Dodgers—mostly because it could be the last time the Giants are tied for first place…)

+ “All 30 teams will be piping recorded sounds of fans into the ballparks, which means you’ll hear those crowd sounds in broadcasts of the games, too. MLB is also launching an interactive website feature called ‘Cheer at the Ballpark’ that will allow fans to cheer, clap or boo virtually, from home.” (All we need now is the drunk, slurring, idiot sitting behind you who keeps yelling wrong takes about the game until you eventually get into a confrontation in which you yell, “That’s not what irony means!” Ok, this is getting too personal. Play ball!)