Rockpile

A Nolan Arenado-sized sacrifice

Rockies news and links for Wednesday, May 6, 2020

By AJ Hendrickson@ProbablyAJ May 6, 2020, 6:00am MDT

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Hi, friends, and welcome to Wednesday’s Rockcovid.

Sorry. I mean Wednesday’s Covidpile.

Wait. That’s not it either. Let me try again. Welcome to Wednesday’s Covidcovid.

You know what? Screw it. Welcome to the news. All COVID. All the time.

We Have to Bring Baseball Back by Scott Boras | The New York Times

Everyone shut up! A rich guy is talking!

Here’s a list of the things noted non-Arenado agent Scott Boras says we need and can easily get in order for baseball to start:

Masks
Latex gloves
Hand sanitizer
A testing provider who can test a couple thousand people a day
Players to want to be isolated from their families and society for an extended period of time

He assures us that the last one has already been secured.

Cool. But has he considered these one-word counterarguments?

Sweat
Allergies
Baseballs
Really?
Trout

I agree that things can’t be shut down forever, and I want baseball to come back too, but here’s what I keep coming back to:

How much risk are we willing to accept?

What if a player gets COVID and dies?

What if it’s Nolan?

No play, no pay: How the Rockies’ TV broadcast crew is getting by without games | The Athletic ($)

Speaking of people who aren’t getting paid, apparently the Rockies’ broadcast crew is largely made up of independent contractors, not employees, which means they’re not getting paid right now. They also don’t get health insurance benefits. So that’s cool.

For those of you who are wondering, this is apparently not the norm. Most teams have broadcasters who are employed either by the teams themselves or by their regional networks, although their crews often include some freelancers.

Nice job, AT&T.

Opening Day Is Almost Here, 5,000 Miles from Home | Bleacher Report

Did you know that the first COVID cases were confirmed in the US and South Korea on the same day?

This article is a few days old but seems relevant with the KBO starting Monday night/Tuesday morning. It addresses some of the precautions being taken, especially with foreign players, and how cultural differences between the US and Korea have affected the countries’ responses to the pandemic.

I feel like anything I say about this one could easily get political, and that sounds way too exhausting. So I’ll just reiterate:

What if it’s Nolan?

‘We want to play,’ but focus is on MLB players’ health and safety, union chief Tony Clark says | ESPN

Tony Clark says the players union hasn’t seen or discussed any formal plans for baseball’s return, and he wishes things that weren’t even real considerations would stop being leaked to the media.

Yeah. Me too.

How each National League team would fare with a universal DH for 2020 | The Athletic ($)

Hey, an article that’s not directly about COVID. That sounds like fun!

I know a lot of baseball purists despise the idea of a universal DH. But hear me out.

Imagine a world...

Where there is baseball, and people are playing it.

Where there is baseball, and Nolan Arenado is playing it.

Where there is baseball, and Nolan Arenado is playing it, and he has a real first baseman who is not Daniel Murphy because of a universal DH for the 2020 season.

Yeah.

I never thought I’d advocate for a universal DH, but then again, I never thought I’d have to suffer through three of the best infielders in baseball (yes, I’m including Ryan McMahon here) having to throw to Daniel Murphy at first base.

So I guess what I’m saying is...

#TeamDH

★ ★ ★

You know what has nothing to do with COVID? Photo polls.

Last week’s poll ended up with a very small sample size, so I’m making an executive decision.

Best Little League Photo: Nolan Arenado’s actual Little League photo

Best Glamour Shot

When you get that black background and the soft focus around the edges, you know it’s a serious photograph. Here a few of the best, most glamourous of the glamour shots.

1. Germán Márquez