The Chandler Essays #6: And Then There’s Baseball...

There were lots of reasons to be excited about baseball in 2020.

The Boston Red Sox traded its 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers, joining an outfield of elite talent, including last year's NL MVP Cody Bellinger.

Power hitting superstar Josh Donaldson, who hit 37 bombs last year with Atlanta, signed to an offensive juggernaut the Minnesota Twins. (Fun fact: Their nickname the "Bomba" Squad is Spanish for the "Bomb" Squad.)

The Atlanta Braves boasted a talented, young core, including the flashy outfielder and 2018 ROY Ronald Acuña Jr. (23) and Silver Slugger Second Basement Ozzie Albies (22).

Meanwhile, Mets Ace Jacob deGrom has competition as the best pitcher in NYC after the Yankees signed the white whale of the 2020 offseason: 2019 AL ERA leader Gerrit Cole when he agreed to play on a nine-year, $324 million deal.

Baseball even saw a rise in a new bad guy to replace the "Evil Empire" Yankees after MLB's commissioner Rob Manfred fined the Houston Astros for stealing signs during the 2017 and 2018 season.

This scandal infuriated players, managers, coaches, and fans to the extent that Astros Right Fielder Josh Reddick disclosed to reporters of death threats sent to him and his family.

Bryce Harper looked like he was going to be THAT guy during Spring Training and deliver an already promising season.

(And I for one was ready to see dugout fights.)

Until MLB decided to shoot itself with a 100-mph fastball to the groin becoming, once again, a laughingstock.

While the season "plans" to start around July 24, 2020, players still need to sign on a health-and-safety protocol and figure out where and when they'll return to training.

Plus, let's not forget what put the season on indefinite hold in the first place, as 40 MLB players and staffers tested positive for COVID-19.

Momentous friction between MLB owners and the Players Union regarding salaries, number of games, and the costs of empty stadiums made it all the more unbearable for the fans.

There was a lack of communication, empty promises, and delusional hypotheticals that didn't bode well with anyone, but especially for the staff and minor leaguers.

The LA Angels furloughed most staff, including minor league coaches and scouts.

After months of negotiations leading to dead-end deals, a 60-game season at least seems like an intense race to the top of the division.

But baseball coming back means a return to its many non-COVID-related issues— like how to make the game less boring, to name one.

While the "Great American Pastime" has seen a gradual decline in attendance since the 2012 season, annual ticket sales are highest out of any league, including the NFL and the NBA, possibly since MLB has more games than any other major sports leagues in America.

More teams = more games = more ticket sales.

But make no mistake. The NFL and the NBA have the attention of two audiences MLB can't seem to catch— GenZ and people of color.

There is no doubt the "Old Ball Game" needs to change.

Fans have argued over how to play the game, a classic story of old baseball purists, and the "Let the Kids Play" generation.

I call it a sports phenomenon because arguing over a few rule changes and whether they improve or hurt a sport is something I only hear discussed within the grandeurs of baseball.

There is a tug-of-war between fans about whether MLB should go back to its glory days in the early-1940s or formulate ways to find new audiences like the NBA and NFL. Brand wise, this means mic'd up players, larger platforms, more player emotion, and more sponsors.

But to change the technical aspect of the game would put MLB at a crossroads.

The older fans seem to be more concerned about maintaining the game's integrity than its lack of attendance. In comparison, the younger fans want a fast-paced game with sellout crowds, which would involve some radical changes in baseball.

But MLB is reactionary and has failed to make any further progress for years.

If baseball had started back in June, it would have captured the world.

There would have seen no competition from other sports leagues, no sports equinox, just baseball.

It would be the only thing anyone would talk about and would have taken control of the sports conversation. "Did you see that catch last night?" "How about those NY Mets?" "Who's on first? Now, who's on second?"

But if "ifs" and "buts" could get baseball out of a rut, we'd all be watching right now.

Now that there are other things to do, besides watch TV, MLB missed another chance at being proactive.

Baseball would have exhibited itself to the youth and its declining Black audience, and everyone would have to see why the game is beautiful.

People who usually wouldn't pay attention would see why I'm excited about the Mookie Betts trade or Josh Donaldson joining the Twins.

MLB failed in the worst way possible. Not only did it make its sport unlikeable, it did so by its own fault. The owners seem greedy, the players/staffers unnerved, the teams unprepared, and lost the opportunity to acquire a new audience, while frustrating the ones it already has.

Thanks for reading. I have more baseball content which you can read here. Cheers!