There’s a certain bravado that comes with playing baseball this year, a sense that willpower and team unity will overcome. Don’t think about the risks too much, they say, just play the game you love and cash that paycheck.
As Buster Posey reminded us Friday, it’s so much more complicated than that.
After Posey revealed the reasons behind his week of reluctance, there could be no contrary opinion, no “Hey, wait a minute, what about the Giants?” It’s alarmingly clear why Posey won’t be playing this season, if it even exists. Fans and teammates can only hope he and his wife can get through the mental anguish of having two little ones, their adopted twin girls, in the hospital after premature birth.
Back in New York, in the offices of the baseball commissioner, Rob Manfred has his fingers crossed.
Posey is the most prominent ballplayer to opt out of the season, and that is a bottom-line issue with widespread influence. He’s a three-time World Series champion, a potential Hall of Famer, a clubhouse leader and pillar of integrity. There is no hierarchy of importance in a pandemic, no case to render others irrelevant, but Posey’s announcement resonates like thunder in a sport desperate to keep its public-relations spin afloat.
Among the thousands of Americans who feel insulted by COVID-19 restrictions, attending anti-mask rallies and hugging each other out of pure defiance, every sporting headline brings a dose of reality. There are players privately sharing Posey’s willingness to just stay home, and it cuts straight to the heart when one of the game’s true mainstays addresses what’s really happening in this country. It’s more important than a pennant race, a sense of clubhouse brotherhood or adding statistics to the resume. It’s just the right thing to do, and none of us should be surprised if more high-profile players come forward.
We’d supply an update on exactly how many players have tested positive across the 30 teams, or how many have decided not to play, but the list would be hopelessly dated within days. It’s disheartening, not to mention a waste of time, to read the customary preseason forecasts — who will win the divisions, who’s got the toughest schedule, etc. — because there’s absolutely no point. If Mike Trout decides to sit out the season (he’s giving it serious thought), do you think that might alter the Angels’ chances just a little? What if four New York Yankees suddenly turn up positive?
What we’re seeing in the training camps right now isn’t baseball, but an ongoing circus, designed to please, and there are worried faces behind the clown masks. People wondering why the hell they’re putting their families and loved ones through so much stress. Trying to grasp the notion of gathering in large numbers every day when such acts are so vigorously discouraged in real life. Realizing that elsewhere in the entertainment business, out there where the rest of us live, the curtains have closed.
Be bold with the prospects
Before everything changed in the world, the Giants had a developmental plan for Joey Bart, probably starting him in Double-A ball this year. He won’t suddenly be the catcher in Posey’s absence, and the team would be lucky to acquire Russell Martin or another veteran capable of taking over the job. Posey’s absence does change things, though. If a September schedule actually takes place, a lot of teams will be getting early looks at their young players. It’s one of the nice things about a 60-man roster; everyone’s available. If the Giants don’t at least get a glimpse of their future — and, yes, that includes exciting shortstop prospect Marco Luciano and another catcher, No. 1 draft pick Patrick Bailey — their fans should be disappointed. The minor leagues don’t exist for now. There’s no place to “develop.” A taste of big-time experience isn’t going to wreck any kid’s career. … It will be interesting to hear Posey’s frame of mind as the 2021 spring training approaches. People were raving about his hitting approach in Arizona, how he looked substantially recovered from hip surgery, and the additional off-time can’t hurt — as long as he stays in shape. As always with Posey, family concerns will come first. … Franmil Reyes, a 25-year-old Cleveland outfielder who has slugged 53 homers over his first two seasons, had to apologize to the team Thursday for attending a holiday party and not wearing a mask last weekend. “I learned from it and it won’t happen again,” Reyes told reporters.” Oh, but it will, with someone else. With many others. … One bit of schedule analysis guaranteed to hold form: Seattle is the most unfortunate. Between their July 24 opener and Aug. 16, the Mariners play seven games in Houston.
If you’ve lost a bit of love for the grand old game and figure you’ve exhausted the supply of classic films, try “The Battered Bastards of Baseball,” available on Netflix. Strange title, to be sure, but this is a magnificently endearing, true story about life in the minor leagues. … Perhaps a bit under the radar, but worth watching: The National Women’s Soccer League, which has condensed its season into a single tournament culminating in a July 26 final. CBS is showing a number of games on conventional television, and all of them on CBS All Access streaming. There are some notable absences (for a variety of reasons), including Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Sam Kerr and Alex Morgan, but there’s plenty of world-class talent on display. Defending champion North Carolina, featuring a future national-team star in Lynn Williams, a Fresno native, is particularly entertaining. … And in closing, we quote the great Kate Scott, via Twitter: “Please wear a mask. Please physically distance. Please wash your hands. I understand if numbers in your town are low or it hasn’t impacted those you love it can feel far away, but this disease is real and here and continues to spread. Please continue to care.”
Bruce Jenkins is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: bjenkins@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Bruce_Jenkins1