Cancel the Season

How many fans think that a 60 to 70 game season is going to be meaningful this year? Anybody? I will tell you as a long-time, long-suffering New York Mets fan, it will be an extended spring training season with a make believe, meaningless playoff season which could end in November. AGAIN.

Even if my Mets were to be a playoff team, win the pennant and then win the World Series against the New York Yankees, it would not mean the same. In fact, as a baseball purist who thinks that Maris still holds the single season home run record, Aaron is the all-time Home Run King and Johann Santana DID NOT throw the Mets’ first no-hitter in 2012 (due to an obvious blown call by the umpire), there is no way I could not think the winner would not be tainted.

In the strike season of 1981, when baseball canceled a total of 713 games or about 7 weeks of baseball, there were still enough games remaining from August 9 to the end of the season to have meaningful baseball that year. In fact, the All-Star Game was played on August 9, and the season resumed the next day. Then, there was a playoff between the first half winner and second half winner in each division and the winners then played for the pennant. The total games played for each team was anywhere from 102 to 111, with the average at around 106. Meaningful baseball.

Then in 1994, the players went on strike again on August 12, and did not return that year, causing the cancellation of the remainder of that season, the playoffs and the World Series. The average games played in 1994 was 113, while 144 games were played in 1995, along with the post-season and the World Series. Again, meaningful baseball.

So, how does MLB justify playing baseball this year with a maximum of 70 games and consider this a fair and meaningful season? After all, batting averages will certainly be blown out of proportion with the possibility that several players could potentially hit over .400 and that starting pitchers would only get around 12 or 13 starts when they average 35 in a typical 162 game season. How is that real and meaningful?

What about all the Season Awards, like Cy Young, MVP, and Rookie of the Year? How could one be judged on a season as lost as this one is?

In fact, for a league so fascinated by and hung up on metrics, what metrics would be considered valid? Would some metrics be ignored? It really would be unfair to pick and choose the metrics that counted, especially if a player were in a “walk year.” And if a player, like Yoenis Cespedes, who missed an entire season due to an injury and rehab, is eligible for free agency, what metrics does he bring to the table? His make believe season? Or his last “meaningful season”, you know, the one where he was injured and played 39 games?

Unlike basketball and hockey which were nearing the end of their seasons when their seasons were placed on hold and may come back to play a couple of games to get into shape before their playoffs, baseball isn’t going to come back for almost another month.

Maybe it is time to face the reality that baseball is done for 2020. I know, as a fan not only of my Mets, but of the game itself, the integrity of the season truly is on the line if they play it at all. Right now, the owners and the players are “negotiating” about money and games and all that this entails. But no one, not even the writers, have mentioned the integrity of the game.

I know fans are disappointed the games not played are lost forever. I am one of them. But, it would be more disappointing to sit down some day with your grandchild and explain the real history of the game you love and the records which are cherished, now, like Ted Williams hitting .401 in a 154 game season, or Bob Gibson with a 1.12 ERA in a 162 game season. How could you explain and justify Joey Bigelow hitting .430 or Frank Fredricks pitching a 0.98 ERA in a 60 or 70 game season? I know I could not. Nor do I want to.

Cancel the season and get ready for next year.