Justin Klugh – FanGraphs: Removing one’s self from baseball isn’t easy. I haven’t been able to during the shutdown. However, there is a way of thinking that a slight absence will make you appreciate the game that much more once you return to it. I have to believe that there is some truth in that kernel of thought. It’s true in so much of the rest of our lives, still, I can’t remove myself from baseball because it is my sanctuary, even in these baseball-less times.
Allison McCague – Baseball Prospectus ($): Social distancing doesn’t mean that we are in this all on our own. As I alluded to above we still have baseball to keep us company. That may not be in the form of live games, but there is still plenty of good writing to read, old games to watch, and fellow fans to talk to. It’s important that we take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, but that doesn’t mean we have to isolate ourselves completely, just physically.
Craig Edwards – FanGraphs: Even during a shutdown there are labor issues within Major League Baseball. The owners were initially reticent to grant players service-time for a season lost. Thankfully the Major League Baseball Player’s Association fought back and appears to have secured their right to service time. No matter the situation, labor, unions, and solidarity remain important.
Lead photo courtesy of Hiroko Masuike – The New York Times
