Peter Gammons: MLB Should Embrace The Fun Of A Shortened Schedule
BOSTON (CBS) -- There's a certain pacing and rhythm to baseball that is unique to the sport. A part of that cadence involves the 162-game season, a full-on marathon that allows for teams to go through countless ups and downs from late March through early October to earn a spot in the postseason.
This year, with the coronavirus pandemic derailing any and all plans, that length of schedule simply cannot happen. But if and when the league and the players' union reach an agreement to return to the field, Peter Gammons said the league has an opportunity to really make the most of the situation.
"Think of all the ways that a short season could still be fun. It's not going to be the marathon; this is a sprint," Gammons told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche. "It could be fascinating. I wouldn't be surprised if the San Diego Padres win the World Series. They're 13-deep on their pitching staff, a great bullpen, great young arms. It could happen with a team like the Miami Marlins, because they have a lot of experience playing with no one watching."
Gammons said that the condensed season could (and should) lead to some really tight divisional races that would not be sustainable over the course of a normal season.
"You might end up with an incredible race between the Dodgers, the Padres and the Diamondbacks over 60 games that probably couldn't last for 150," Gammons said.
As for the nasty battle that's played out between the owners and the players, Gammons said there won't be any winners in the game of baseball from that prolonged fight.
"Nobody's going to win in this, and I don't believe that the economy in this country has any chance of being back to the point where people can afford as many luxury boxes, people can afford $100 to park, and you know, $12 for a bottle of water. Baseball didn't need to draw attention only to money while we're losing 115,000 people."
