A Confession and Some Links

I have to come clean. I have not paid a lick of attention to the negotiations to restart baseball. For someone who spends perhaps an unhealthy amount of time ingesting news, let’s be honest, I’ve had to go out of my way to avoid the details that have lead to a 60-game season starting in a month.

Baseball has always been a constant for me. I think I was well into adulthood when “Who is your favorite baseball team” fell out of my very first things to ask someone I met for the first time. I still remember when the realization that people might not care about baseball hit me out of nowhere. To me, baseball fandom was mandatory.

In early-March, I was getting ready for March Madness and baseball. Unfortunately, another bad asthma flare-up led to me be airlifted to the hospital and spending about a week in the ICU. By the time I got home, baseball had been canceled and the country was headed towards quarantine. The very thing I was looking forward to keeping me company during my long recuperation had been postponed and I felt pretty guilty at how pissed I was about it.

That being said, I continue to take this pandemic very seriously. My breathing is a lot better these days, in large thanks to a change in environment and medication. I’ve been able to go running without having my lungs seize up on me for the first time in years. Regardless of these improvements, I am aware of how high-risk I am and don’t think anyone should have to worry about the health of their friends, families, and selves if they are concerned.

The strange thing is that I want to be excited about baseball starting. I’ve been craving pinstripes on my television for months now. I want to see Gerrit Cole finally make his debut on the mound in the Bronx. I want to see Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hit monster homers. I want to see the Yankees beat up on the Red Sox and the Mets and the Astros.

But I can’t let myself do that yet. When baseball starts, whether it is next month or next year, I’ll be there cheering for the Yankees, but I can’t shake this feeling that there will be no baseball this year. I hope that’s not the case, but more than anything, I hope people stay safe. That being said – I put together some links to give us a roundup of what to expect if the Yankees do take the field on July 24th.

NorthJersey.com takes a look at rule changes and how they may affect the Yankees this season.

Meanwhile, the Yankees and Dodgers are the favorites for the shortened season.

The Yankees and Mets are exempt from the new Covid-19 quarantine rules announced by Cuomo.

NJ.com takes a look at who is healthy and other questions there are for the season.