As Lexington Legends hit pause on 2020 season, they still await word on 2021
As the dominoes fell throughout the sports world late last week — the NBA, the NCAA basketball tournaments, the NHL — and one organization after another announced the suspension of its events amid the coronavirus pandemic, one sport was put aside without the same level of fanfare.
Baseball.
Not that Major League Baseball did not move as swiftly as the rest — calling off the remainder of spring training Thursday and later delaying by at least until May the start of the regular season — it just seemed different. The NBA stopped cold in midseason. March Madness was silenced in full swing. A baseball season not yet underway lacked the same urgency.
We still don’t know everything we want to about the virus but we know more now than we knew this time last week, when there was still discussion that outdoor spectator sports such as pro golf and baseball could continue as normal.
Even more quietly pushed down the 2020 calendar was minor league baseball.
As the Lexington Legends prepared to begin what could be their final season as a franchise this year, now comes a second level of uncertainty.
The Legends were scheduled to open the 2020 season April 9 against the Greenville Drive at Whitaker Bank Ballpark, two days after a preseason exhibition game against the Bowling Green Hot Rods.
Now, both of those events, and the entire season, are on hold.
“Once the public health experts and agencies have decided it is safe to begin the 2020 season, and the players are physically ready to begin the season, we will do so,” Pat O’Conner, minor league baseball’s president and CEO, said. “But, for now, I ask all fans to follow the protocols set forth by public health officials, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and your local government authorities.
“Please visit MiLB.com to stay connected with your local team. Questions about exchanging tickets, refunds and other general questions should be directed to your local team.”
Normally, the Legends’ parent club, the Kansas City Royals, would be completing spring training and preparing to make minor league assignments. The Legends typically announce their new roster during the week of the season opener.
This waiting takes place during a season of particular stress for the two-time defending champions of the South Atlantic League.
The Legends were among 42 teams targeted by Major League Baseball last November for a potential contraction of minor league baseball.
The proposal, which would reportedly take effect after the 2020 season unless changes can be negotiated, is intended to increase efficiencies and improve conditions for players at the minor league levels.
If MLB’s proposal passes, the Legends would be stripped of their affiliation with Major League Baseball, a potentially devastating blow to the franchise.
Losing its MLB parent club would force the Legends and other teams on the proposed list to attempt to make their way as independents or fold altogether. Two other South Atlantic League teams, the Hagerstown Suns and the West Virginia Power, were also on the list reported by the the New York Times, among others.
The plan to cut 42 of the 160 affiliated teams has been criticized by minor league team owners, fans and politicians.
MLB and the minors last met Feb. 20, and talks are expected to continue into the summer.
The Legends have overcome trying times before.
In the team’s inaugural season in 2001, the Legends led the Asheville Tourists 2-0 in the South Atlantic League championship series and were declared winners when the remainder of the series was canceled in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
This time Lexington’s minor league baseball stronghold faces a global pandemic and an intractable league squabble.
When is the next time you’ll be able to head out to Whitaker Bank Ballpark for a Thirsty Thursday, Star Wars Night, or a good-old fashioned baseball game?
“With the information surrounding COVID-19 constantly changing, we ask for your patience during this time,” Legends President and CEO Andy Shea said in a letter to fans on Monday. “As soon as we are given more information, we will relay it to you.”
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 2:50 PM.