A's Mulling Options on Season's Start
The A’s haven’t made any formal decision as of 9:30 a.m. (PT) this morning, but it seems inevitable that the Oakland’s start of the Major League Baseball seasons will be reworked as pro, college and high school sports scramble to deal with the outbreak of COVID-19, the coronavirus, in the United States.
The options would seem to be playing in front of an empty stadium, the games could be postponed or canceled, or the venues could be changed.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued guidelines that called for all gatherings of 250 or more be cancelled or postponed until at least the end of March. The City of Oakland has issued a ban on gatherings of 1,000 or more people at its facilities.
The Coliseum Authority has said it plans to close the doors at the Coliseum and the Arena until April 1, which would ostensibly take playing the games in front of an empty stadium off the table.
In 1996, when the Coliseum was under reconstruction, the A’s played their first “homestand” at Las Vegas’ Cashman Field. That site has been replaced by the 10,000-seat Las Vegas Ballpark, which is a year old and might be a possibility if the games are moved.
It’s likely the A’s are waiting for an overall decision on the season start from Major League Baseball. Games could be cancelled or the start of the season could be pushed back in to April, which would lead to the World Series being played in November, assuming the full schedule of 162 games would be played.
Already the NBA has suspended its schedule for the time being. The NHL said Wednesday night that it was aware of the NBA’s move and was talking with experts about the immediate future of pro hockey.
The A’s were originally scheduled to host the Minnesota Twins for four games starting March 26, followed by three against the Houston Astros, the first two of which are on the final two days of March.
The A’s said in a statement that “We are unwavering in out support of public health and ensuring the safety of our community is our top priority.
“Following the City of Oakland and Alameda County’s announcement today prohibiting gathers of 1,000 people or more through the end of March, the Oakland A’s are working with Major League Baseball on alternative plans for our games that will be impacted at the Oakland Coliseum.”
In 1996, when the Coliseum was under reconstruction, the A’s played their first “homestand” at Las Vegas’ Cashman Field. That site has been replaced by the 10,000-seat Las Vegas Ballpark, which is a year old and might be a possibility if the games are moved.
Talking with the A's media Thursday morning in Mesa, Ariz., manager Bob Melvin said he wouldn't be surprised to see Cactus League games canceled as a precaution against COVID-19, adding "It's time to slow down. My opinion, in our case as well, take care of this as soon as you can."
On Wednesday, Melvin addressed the possibility of playing in front of empty seats and having the media banned from the clubhouse for the time being.
“That would be unfortunate, but again, that’s kind of the place where we are,” he said. “Hopefully this is a short-term thing. Because the intimacy of the fans being close to the field and the media being close to us … it’s really important to us.”