Baseball is back with real games, empty seats and fake noise
It’s not as quiet as you might think.
I headed up I-75 to Great American Ball Park on Sunday to see exactly what it feels like to watch a Major League Baseball game without fans in a 42,000-seat stadium in the time of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Yes, baseball is back. And it’s weird, but not just for the obvious reasons.
First things first, the Detroit Tigers defeated the Reds 3-2 to take two of three from the home team in the season’s opening series.
For the few of us in attendance Sunday, the game had the feel of a scrimmage. But it’s also like you’re watching an outdoor television studio. There’s a continuous noise track played over the loud speakers, sort of a buzz broken by public address announcements concerning batters, pitching changes and, between innings, the normal rotation of advertisements. The volume goes up when the batter puts the ball in play, and simulated cheers accompany the Reds’ hits and the opponent’s outs.
Chimes were played when the count reached two strikes on a Tigers batter. And when the visitors struck out, which happened often — Reds starting pitcher Trevor Bauer struck out 13, as for the first time in franchise history, Reds pitchers struck out 10 or more batters in each of the first three games — a loud, blast-furnace sound with flames emitted from the smokestacks in center field along with a “Strikeout!” graphic on the video boards.
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I’m sure you’re wondering, what was it was like for the media? Glad you asked. There’s no game-day traffic. (Good.) Plenty of parking. (Even better.) There were a few people mingling around outside the park when I arrived, but think they were just walking around on a sunny Sunday.
At the media entrance, I was required to answer health questions about potential COVID symptoms. My temperature was taken. (Normal, thank goodness.) Even in the park’s new open-air press box, moved from behind home plate to down the left-field line, media seating was socially distanced. The wearing of a mask or face covering was required at all times.
Before COVID, like all MLB teams, the Reds provided a buffet meal for the media and team personnel. Now, per league protocol guidelines, it’s a boxed meal. And there is no clubhouse access for the media. All interviews take place over Zoom.
Paintsville’s own Marlana VanHoose sang the national anthem beautifully, of course. After seeing VanHoose sing the anthem so many times previously — in Rupp Arena, Paul Brown Stadium, etc. — it was odd to see her singing in front of empty read seats. In the seventh-inning stretch, VanHoose sang “God Bless America.”
Long before that, however, just as I was settling into my media seat, the Reds announced a lineup change, that center fielder Nick Senzel was being replaced by Travis Jankowski. And Senzel had been inserted into the lineup after new second baseman Mike Moustakas had been scratched, and placed on the injured list, after feeling ill when he woke up Sunday morning.
And that news followed Saturday’s bigger news that infielder/designated hitter Matt Davidson had tested positive for COVID-19 after playing in the season opener on Friday night.
Did Moustakas test positive for COVID? What about Senzel? The Reds did not say Sunday. Health privacy rules and all that. “We’re hoping to get them back soon,” Manager David Bell said after the game.
And will Major League Baseball be able to pull off this 60-game sprint of a season? Can it outrun COVID to the finish line? After all, the Marlins reportedly have already had four players test positive for COVID-19. And we haven’t even played a full week of baseball.
Weird baseball. All in all, Sunday was interesting and fun, but not nearly the same.
There was no spark, no electricity. You need people in the seats for that.
Bottom line: Baseball was meant to be played in front of a crowd.
Next game
Cubs at Reds
6:40 p.m. Monday (FS Ohio, WLXG-AM 1300)
This story was originally published July 26, 2020 at 5:31 PM.
