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Being a huge goof is the only way I know how to cope with anything in my life, so the serious times we live in right now makes it hard for me to function. To that end I was hoping to find a lot of stuff unrelated to the Corona-virus epidemic to cheer give us all some respite, but well, as anyone who has been on any website at all in the past week well knows, that’s easier said than done.
So here’s all this instead. Wash your hands after reading.
Previously on Twinkie Town:
- A lot of people trying to make sense of this non-baseball having world, including Zach who pulled out the unexpected Lost reference (Still mad they killed off Charlie like 10 years ago.) and Mark whose choice of header photo is absolutely excellent. Today we are all that lone crow lost in an empty stadium. Or something similarly poetic and dumb.
- The Blue Wahoos did a good thing that every team of all levels needs to do right now, asap, pronto. (Should do more, tbh.)
- FSN is broadcasting past Twins games during the delay, which is a great idea. Almost makes me wish I had cable.
Elsewhere in Twins Territory:
- Most Twins players have headed home, with only about 20 remaining at the Twins spring training complex in Fort Myers. Sergio Romo is somehow adorable and heartwarming even now.
- Our Pals over at Twins Daily have a nice list of ways to consume baseball in a time without baseball. Just don’t like, actually consume a baseball. Like, you probably wouldn’t die, but I can’t imagine it being a good choice.
Coronavirus News Roundup:
- It has become increasingly unlikely that the MLB season will resume any time before Memorial Day weekend, per Bob Nightingale of USA Today. Meanwhile the CDC has recommended against gatherings over 50 people for the next 8 weeks, which leads me to think it unlikely we’ll see meaningful games until June, taking into account that a couple of weeks at least will likely be taken for some kind of Spring-ish Training 2: The Revenge.
- A Yankee minor leaguer has tested positive for COVID-19, the first reported case in affiliated ball. In likely related news, MLB teams are cancelling all organized workouts.
A minor league player in the New York Yankees system has tested positive for coronavirus, sources tell ESPN. He is the first known case in baseball. He was quarantined Friday morning after saying he was running a fever.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 15, 2020
MLB expected to send out guidelines advising teams to end organized group workouts at spring and home parks, sources tell me and @EvanDrellich. Camps would remain open for individual needs, but with limited staff. Idea is stricter compliance with social-distancing practices.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 15, 2020
Around the World in Bases and Balls:
- If you still need to fill the void in your soul with balls, boy do I have a treat for you! All 2000 18 hours of Ken Burns’ Baseball are available to stream for free! If you haven’t seen it before, I highly recommend it.
- MiLB dot com interviewed 5 female broadcasters about the importance of women’s voices in sports media. The main reason that such a thing is important is obviously because I am very cool, and wouldn’t be here without other cool ladies blazing trails before me.
Today’s soundtrack is Super Punch-Out!! One of the better games about punching things out.