Philadelphia Phillies and Major League Baseball COVID19 Pandemic Delay Day 13.
Based on the original MLB schedule today was supposed to be the eve of the 2020 season opener. The Phillies were to spend Opening Day in Miami for a 4:10 PM game with the host Marlins on Thursday afternoon.
Of course, that is all on hold now. Major League Baseball has delayed the start of the season due to the pandemic. Fans looking for a baseball fix can enjoy every 2018 and 2019 game on MLB.TV for free. There are also many great classic games available on YouTube.
On March 16, President Donald Trump released guidelines for America under the “15 Day to Slow the Spread” plan. The President has set a loose goal of Easter Sunday to get American business going again. Hopefully we will get some idea as to MLB plans regarding the 2020 season sometime soon after that point.
Get your updates on the coronavirus pandemic from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the NIH (National Institutes of Health. Also, the City of Philadelphia has issued a Business Activity and Stay at Home Order.
Now for the latest Philadelphia Phillies and Major League Baseball news from local and national resources:
Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Meghan Montemurro at The Athletic, and Scott Lauber at The Inquirer all reported today on former Phillies 2008 World Series-winning manager, Wall of Famer, and current club advisor Charlie Manuel‘s recent health scare.
Zolecki: “Manuel, 76, had what should have been a routine stomach surgery in Winter Haven, Fla., on Dec. 16. He suffered complications almost immediately. His body battled infection and major colon issues. He required emergency surgery Dec. 19. It looked bleak.”
Salisbury: “Manuel is hunkered down at home with his wife, Missy. They are taking the coronavirus health crisis seriously for a couple of reasons. One, it’s the right thing to do. And, two, they’ve come too far in recent months to chance anything.”
Montemurro: “Other than a two-day stint in Philadelphia for routine work in early March, Manuel has stayed in Florida. He takes four-mile morning walks with Missy, pacing himself as he builds up to the 5- to 7-mile route they used to take.”
Lauber: “…he wants to keep working, traveling to the Phillies’ minor-league affiliates to talk hitting with young players and lending his expertise to anyone in the organization who wants it.”
Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia conducted a phone interview with Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola on Tuesday. Read his piece and listen to the interview by clicking on his name.
Seidman writes: “Nola is still in regular communication with manager Joe Girardi and pitching coach Bryan Price, last speaking with them Monday. To keep busy, he’s been “rolling around and fishing” and spending time on his kayak. What he misses most right now is the competition. There’s no substitute.”
Jayson Stark at The Athletic wrote about possibilities for the 2020 Major League Baseball schedule once the game returns. Stark asked when baseball might actually get going again: “No one knows,” said one person in baseball this week per Stark. “And anyone who tells you they know is lying.”
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic combined on a story with Stark on ways that MLB could possibly generate interest once the game does return, seeing this altered 2020 season as an opportunity:
“An opportunity to devise a template unlike any other in the game’s history, in response to conditions unlike any other in the nation’s history. An opportunity to create a laboratory out of a shortened season and test a wide range of experimental ideas that could help energize the sport.”
We’ll be keeping you updated here at Phillies Bell on all the latest in this daily Lunch Bell report, scheduled to be released between 11:30-12:30 daily. It will include articles curated from around the web as well as any breaking news. During the pandemic we will include any relevant updates in that regard as well.
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MATT VEASEY 