Marlins outbreak highlights why Rob Manfred, Tony Clark NEED to resign!
By Manny Gómez
Another reason why Rob Manfred and Tony Clark should resign? Just days after Opening Day, the Marlins are experiencing an outbreak that threatens season.
After an exhilarating weekend for baseball fans, one with non-stop wall-to-wall MLB action, Monday morning was like hitting a wall. Just four days after Max Scherzer tossed the first pitch of the 2020 season, multiple games have already been postponed as the Miami Marlins had 14 members of the team test positive for COVID-19.
In response to a Ken Rosenthal tweet in which two infectious-disease specialists said the Marlins situation was “a clear outbreak,” Jayson Stark of The Athletic reported that those same specialists also said that “the Marlins should not have been allowed to play” on Sunday after four members of the team had tested positive for the disease.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Unfortunately, however, a group text, per Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer, between Marlins players decided the game in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Not Rob Manfred, a freaking group text.
As a result of the current outbreak, two games have already been postponed. Miami’s game was postponed because the team has not been able to travel due to the outbreak plaguing the team, and Yankees/Phillies was postponed because Miami was the visiting team in Philadelphia this past weekend.
What all of this should highlight for baseball fans, however, is how the financially-focused negotiations between Rob Manfred (MLB) and Tony Clark (MLBPA) was an exercise in futility. This is evidenced by the irresponsible health and safety protocols both sides promptly agreed to despite the many holes it features.
The first sign of this occurred in early Summer Camp when after the July 4th weekend, a number of teams were forced to cancel workouts. This issue extended into the regular season when ahead of the Opening Series between the Yankees and the Washington Nationals Juan Soto tested positive for COVID-19.
In this case, the Nationals proceeded with the series without first knowing the results of the follow-up tests. Thankfully, as far as we know, there was no outbreak among Nats or Yankees players.
Now, we have this problem and, in my opinion, it should result in the resignation of both MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA head and Thanos look-a-like Tony Clark. To agree to return to play under these conditions, without rapid daily tests and/or outside of a controlled bubble, was to invite this crisis with wide-open arms.
To top things off, Eduardo Rodriguez’s case should be a prime example of why no one should take this situation lightly. E-Rod, a 27-year-old at the prime of his career, was placed on the IL recently after testing positive for COVID-19. He promptly developed heart issues because of the disease.
As much as some of the leaders of this great country try to downplay the seriousness of this virus, which has taken the lives of close to 150,000 Americans, E-Rod is a prime example of how COVID-19 has no bias towards race, age, or gender. All are in danger and thus all should take this extremely serious – this includes MLB and its players.
Teams should not be left to decide whether or not to play games via group texts, Manfred and Clark should have handled that. Teams should not be allowed to play before the results of tests arrive and those tests should be conducted on a daily basis. It’s that simple.
Do you know what else is simple? Rob Manfred and Tony Clark need to go, STAT!