November 27th, 2020 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka There isn’t a human being on the planet who isn’t looking forward to that precious day when we can say:
“Remember that horrible COVID-19 pandemic and those godawful tests?”
I’ve got some bad news, my fellow Homo sapiens – It’s going to be a while.
There is zero doubt – none whatsoever – that a vaccine for the deadly virus will soon be available. However (and you had to know a ‘however’ was coming), there will be some, perhaps many, who will absolutely positively refuse to be inoculated for whatever their personal reasons. Unfortunately, and in the simplest of terms, unless every living soul on the planet is vaccinated (and that isn’t going to happen), COVID-19 will, in all likelihood, never completely go away … and that is terrifying.
On every level, being able to get in a Major League Baseball season in 2020 – albeit a shortened 60-game regular season and (eventual) 18-game postseason – was nothing short of a miracle. With so many people involved in the day-to-day operations (i.e., players, coaches, umpires, trainers, medical personnel, television crews, etc., etc.) under extremely strict health and safety protocols, for MLB to pull off what they did with very few confirmed cases (or even positive tests) was absolutely remarkable, if not impossible.
As for those who believe that there should forever be an asterisk next to the 2020 World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers’ name because “…it wasn’t a real baseball season,” you can put your asterisk where the sun doesn’t shine. If anything, the 2020 MLB season was the single most difficult MLB season in the game’s storied 151-year history. Keep in mind that these insanely difficult conditions were the same for all 30 MLB teams.
So where do we go from here?
To (again) be brutally honest, with confirmed COVID-19 cases hitting new record highs almost daily and with an effective vaccine (probably) still several months away, getting in a full 162-game MLB season in 2021 is unrealistic. Although there has been much speculation (and rumor) that teams will be able to play home games in their home ballparks in front of ‘socially-distant’ limited crowds, this, quite frankly, seems like a bit of a reach at this point.
The good news is that it is still the largest COVID-19 testing site in LA County.
(Photo credit – David Crane)
Negativity aside, even if MLB is forced to go with a 60-game regular season in 2021 (although it would most likely be longer, perhaps something in the 81-game [half-season] range), anything is better than no baseball.
ANYTHING.
Play Ball!
…please?
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Posted in 
I think we will see ST pushed back with the start of the regular season to start May 1. With a re-vamped schedule to limit long east-west road trips for teams I can see a 125-135 game schedule with some Sunday 7 inning double-headers once again.
Season will start off with no fans in attendance but gradually as the season progresses we will see the return of fans initially with a much reduced attendance and then gradually a bit more, but we won’t see any max capacity sell-outs this year.
We’ve got to get back to some semblance of normalcy in 2021. Somehow amusement parks, movie theaters, concerts, baseball games all have to return with fans in attendance.
Not a political statement, but if the FDA says the efficacy of a Covid vaccine is supported by data and there are no known side effects, where do I sign up?
Thanks for the feedback – A very good (and well-thought-out) assessment.
…and I’ll be right behind you in the vaccine sign-up line.
BTW – “efficacy” is such an awesome word!
In French, efficacy (“efficacité”: with an accent on the third syllable) is a very common word, whereas in English it’s used much less often. Don’t ask me why!
How bout May through Sept 15. Then right to the playoffs. Play around 120 which would be twice as many as the 60 played for 2020.
Regardless Dodgers will be the favorite to repeat.
Won’t argue that.