Philadelphia Phillies and Major League Baseball COVID19 Pandemic Delay Day 15.
Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) have reached an agreement to help see baseball through the changes necessitated to the 2020 season by the current COVID19 coronavirus pandemic delay. I covered some of the ramifications for Phillies players in a piece earlier today here at The Bell.
Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic presented a comprehensive piece on the deal:
“The owners fretted over cash flow. The players valued service time, and were guaranteed they would receive it, both in the event of a partial season in 2020 or if there is no season at all. The final terms of the agreement, as conveyed by sources, reflect the give-and-take that defines all labor settlements, and are expected to be approved by the owners in a conference call on Friday.”
Stay updated on the coronavirus pandemic from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the NIH (National Institutes of Health. Also, check out the City of Philadelphia Business Activity and Stay at Home Order.
Now for the latest Philadelphia Phillies and Major League Baseball news from local and national resources:
The Philly staff of The Athletic put together a piece celebrating their 20 choices for a Philadelphia Hall of Fame of athletes who competed for local pro sports teams:
“Eight of our Hall of Famers were unanimous selections in our staff vote, and from that group, we chose a five-player first-ballot class: Bobby Clarke, Brian Dawkins, Julius Erving, Joe Frazier and Mike Schmidt.”
Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia presented a nice piece on Phillies southpaw pitching prospect Zach Warren:
“…with the baseball world on hold because of the coronavirus health crisis, it’s just him, a dozen baseballs and a couple of nets in a backyard about 40 miles from Citizens Bank Park. “It’s a pretty good setup,” the tall lefty said as he began to fire balls into one of the nets.”
Matt Breen at The Inquirer put out a piece on Rhys Hoskins adjusting to this temporary life without competitive baseball:
“Hoskins celebrated his previous 13 birthdays on a baseball field — either in high school, college or the pros. But now he was navigating I-95 as he turned 27 years old. Five days earlier, spring training was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.”
Todd Zolecki of MLB.com also published a piece on Hoskins on how the Phillies first baseman is keeping busy these days, including his big MLB The Show showdown with Miguel Rojas of Miami on Thursday night:
“Bryce Harper texted Rhys Hoskins on Thursday. He congratulated him for hitting a home run for him at Marlins Park.”
Rhys has done this before, taking on the Cespedes Family BBQ crew back in 2018:
Finally, Joel Sherman at the New York Post published a great piece on the cancellation of Major League Baseball’s usual Opening Day, which was scheduled for yesterday. Well worth a read if you enjoy having your heartstrings tugged at:
“Even as his health has faded, my dad’s love for baseball has not. Sometimes he cannot remember what he had for breakfast. But we did a quiz the other day and he was rattling off the NL champions of the 1950s like they were the names of his children.”
We’ll be keeping you updated here at Phillies Bell on all the latest in this daily Lunch Bell report. 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.
NOTE: If viewing our stories on your mobile device, switch to “Hide Reader View” in order to get the full experience which usually includes pictures, video content, and key social media posts.
MATT VEASEY 