Baseball could be in trouble

From what I’m hearing, Major League Baseball is doing way too much public bickering about the projected financial consequences of the pandemic. They need to quickly get their act together and make some sort of a deal. If they don't, it could be financially devastating to the future of the sport. Baseball had already lost popularity without a pandemic and is now only the third most popular sport in the country behind NFL football and NBA basketball. If there is no season, it could even fall to fourth behind hockey.

Even though hockey is low on the ladder for popularity, it seems like the NHL is the first major sport that has a plan on paper as to how to restart their season. They are going to skip ahead to the playoffs with an expanded playoff structure of 24 teams. Where they play the games has not yet been determined, but the season will probably start in July or early August. Anything is better than nothing at this point.

The NBA has also made significant progress in terms of restoring their season. They plan on using the Disney sports complex in Orlando as their home base for all teams. They’re getting close to determining how many teams will make the playoffs. Their plan should be out to the public by next week. Let's hope that good news continues.

Last weekend, the second installment of The Match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson was played. This time they had celebrity football partners, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Despite the terrible weather, it was much more entertaining than last year's event. The back-and-forth banter between the players was funny at times, and after the first two holes, I was impressed with how good Manning and Brady played. Tiger and Phil both looked rested and healthy. By the end of the round, they raised over $25 million for coronavirus charities. This was a great outcome to a fun event that gave us all some levity and sport during this tough time.

For you soccer fans, the English Premier league is supposed to come back June 17. It will basically be a victory tour for the Liverpool Football Club who have a huge lead in the standings and are going to win their first title since 1989! I know this pandemic has stolen a bit of their thunder, but it's still a great achievement.

And last but not least, I didn't forget and I still have plenty more to add to the reading list this summer. If you want to read a good book about baseball, you should read, “The Streak: Lou Gehrig, Cal Ripken Jr., and Baseball's Most Historic Record Book” by John Eisenberg. It includes a history of all of the consecutive game streaks in baseball history and while very interesting, I especially liked the parts about Cal Ripken. He is one of my role models in terms of his work ethic because he never quit trying to be the best he could be. Something I aspire to every day.

Have a nice and safe weekend. Stay well!