The MLB is looking to restart its season sometime in June and at the latest early July. This is great news for baseball fans, but it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. The league is optimistic the season can start then. That's assuming there isn't a 2nd wave of the coronavirus and that they can figure out logistics and safety for players. One interesting tidbit of their potential season would be the restructuring of the leagues divisions into 3 major ones. The East, West, and Central with no distinction of National or American league. Just 3 giant divisions based on geographic location. It would look a bit like:
EAST
New York Yankees and Mets, Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins
WEST
Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners
CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers
Looks good to me. I mean really, who is going to care about some weird division alignments or a shortened season that is nothing like anything we've ever seen before? I'm certainly not going to care. It's odd times right now, might as well get weird with the sports we love.
It will also make for cool storylines despite the fact that fans won't be in attendance. You have a rivalry already in the East with the Yankees and Red Sox, but even better, you have a new one that'll be built in hatred and cheating in the West. The fact that the Dodgers and Astros would have to be fighting for a division crown against each other is everything the MLB could hope for in a strange season. Each division has its own intriguing matchups, and hopefully we get to see them play out.
Let's be honest for a moment about a potential baseball season. It's going to suck to have games with no fans. The atmosphere a crowd creates is what brings the energy to the games. Not having that and nothing but the crack of the bat or thud of a ball hitting a glove will take some time to get use to, but it will be kind of cool as well. It will bring everyone back to a simpler time of baseball. Our childhood memories will be brought back quickly, because the game will sound like it did when most of us played. The sound of us, our teammates and the game itself. That is something we could ALL agree on that would be a unique aspect to this situation.
In the end, none of this will matter if the season doesn't happen. I hope it does, because I believe it could provide one of the most intriguing seasons in baseballs long storied history.
