Eagles’ draft picks turn heads; Pa. readies for soft reopening in some areas | Morning Newsletter

While the coronavirus pandemic has dominated most of the news cycle, the NFL draft continued as scheduled, albeit virtually. With that, the Eagles’ front office found ways, again, to cause some uproar with fans. As for other sports, we caught up with Inquirer Phillies reporter Scott Lauber to see what’s next in the baseball world and if there’s any hope that there will even be a season this year.

— Tauhid Chappell (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Each week we go behind the scenes with one of our reporters or editors to discuss their work and the challenges they face along the way. This week we chat with Inquirer sports reporter Scott Lauber on the current state of the MLB, which may or may not see the light of day this year depending on the pandemic.

What is the current state of MLB in regards to the regular season?

So, this is the $10.7 billion question — as in the $10.7 billion in revenue that MLB raked in last year. With that much money at stake, it’s easy to understand why owners and players share a desire to play as many games as possible. It also explains the creative — and, in my opinion, crazy — idea floated about MLB bringing together all 30 teams in the Phoenix area in May or June to essentially live in isolation and make use of nearly a dozen spring-training ballparks to begin the season without fans in the seats. If that sounds impractical, well, let’s just say there’s a long way to go to get from here to there. In reality, nobody knows yet what’s going to happen. It’s possible that the whole season will get wiped out, although MLB still regards that as a doomsday scenario. If I was commissioner Rob Manfred, I would encourage the idea of a shortened season that could be used as a vehicle for trying out radical ideas to potentially improve the game in the long run. But neither side seems ready to give up the ghost of playing as close to a full season as possible.

Opening Day came and went, how did fans celebrate while inside?

Most fans that I know are getting their baseball fix by watching old games on TV. Here at the Inquirer, Matt Breen, Bob Brookover and I are hosting a weekly Phillies podcast in which we rewatch and review a classic game from Phillies history. Hopefully, that helps to fill the void for some people.

How are you staying positive amid a year where sports across the board are seemingly frozen? Any suggestions to fans to keep spirits up?

Without nursery school to occupy him, my 3-year-old son keeps me pretty busy — and generally speaking, in a good mood!

What kinds of stories are you looking for while baseball season is currently on the back-burner?

To be honest, there are still so many compelling baseball stories out there to be told. Recently, I tracked down two ex-Phillies pitchers who were recently quarantined for 14 days in South Korea while they get ready for their season. I spoke with a few medical experts who helped me to better understand the challenges facing Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen in his attempted comeback from a ligament reconstruction in his knee. To mark the 40th anniversary of the Phillies' first World Series championship, we're beginning a series of stories on the unsung heroes from that 1980 team. So, there are definitely stories to be done. You just have to look a little harder to find them.

What are Phillies players doing while at home? Are many donating or contributing help to the city?

I’ll take the second part first. Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, Scott Kingery, and several other Phillies players have joined Ben Simmons’ “Philly Pledge” to support coronavirus relief efforts in the region. Harper recently donated $500,000 to Philabundance and two organizations in his hometown of Las Vegas. I’m sure other players have made contributions that weren’t publicized.

My understanding is that players are working out on their own while staying in contact with trainers and the coaching staff. It's a particularly tricky time for pitchers, who were about three-quarters of the way toward building their arm strength for the season. Now, without a target date for when spring training might resume, they must scale back or plateau to avoid overuse before the season starts.

Has this kind of disruption in MLB happened before? If so, how did the league respond?

MLB has previously endured work stoppages in the form of strikes, missing two months in the middle of the 1981 season, and canceling the playoffs and World Series in 1994. The sport also took a one-week hiatus after the attacks on 9/11. But there never has been anything quite like this, where an entire season could be lost or played without fans because of a global health crisis. These are uncharted waters, to say the least.

Will this pandemic change the sports landscape permanently? Will MLB be changed permanently because of this?

Great question. Also, probably unanswerable right now. I would love to say that, yes, fans will come running back to stadiums and arenas once the curve is flattened and the medical experts give the all-clear. But I also read about a recent Seton Hall Sports Poll in which 72% of the nearly 800 respondents said they wouldn’t attend a sporting event if it were held before a coronavirus vaccine is developed. After weeks and perhaps months of social distancing and staying at home, it’s probably foolish to assume fans will automatically feel comfortable sitting shoulder to shoulder in a crowd of 30,000 people at Citizens Bank Park again. When sports return, I think it’s inevitable that it will be without fans in the seats. When that occurs, and how long it takes for the gates to reopen to the public, is impossible to say.

You can stay in touch with Scott by following him on Twitter at @ScottLauber or email at slauber@inquirer.com

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