Field Level Media
26 Jan 2021, 06:19 GMT+10
The Cactus League and affiliated communities sent a letter to Major League Baseball asking for a delayed start to spring training as the coronavirus pandemic continues to overwhelm Arizona.
The league released the letter on Monday. It was dated Friday and signed by officials from eight cities and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.
In all, 15 major league teams hold spring training in Arizona. But the letter made it clear that the greater Phoenix area, where 10 teams play, isn't ready for baseball. The league schedule calls for games to begin Feb. 27, with teams reporting about two weeks earlier.
"In view of the current state of the pandemic in Maricopa County -- with one of the nation's highest infection rates -- we believe it is wise to delay the start of spring training to allow for the COVID-19 situation to improve here,'' the letter states.
Arizona reported 48,456 new cases in the past week, according to the Centers for Disease Control. That represented 95.1 cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days, which leads the nation.
"We understand that any decision to delay spring training cannot be made unilaterally by MLB. As leaders charged with protecting public health, and as committed, longtime partners in the spring training industry, we want you to know that we stand united on this point,'' the letter reads.
The letter was signed by the Cactus League's executive director, Bridget Binsbacher; the mayors of Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Peoria, Scottsdale, Surprise and Tempe; Ed Zuercher, the city manager of Phoenix; and Martin Harvier, president of the Salt River community.
Each of those areas has stadiums that host at least one major league team. The other 15 teams hold spring training in the Grapefruit League in Florida, which had 52 cases per 100,000 residents in the past seven days, according to the CDC.
MLB issued a statement in response to the letter, per the Los Angeles Times.
"As we have previously said publicly, we will continue to consult with public health authorities, medical experts, and the Players Association whether any schedule modifications to the announced start of Spring Training and the Championship Season should be made in light of the current COVID-19 environment to ensure the safety of the players, coaches, umpires, MLB employees and other gameday personnel in a sport that plays every day," the statement reads.
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Long Beach Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Long Beach Star.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York -- New rules are now in place that should help New York meet its clean-energy goals ...
The New York Subliners swept OpTic Chicago on Saturday to advance to the loser's finals at the Call of Duty ...
Washington [US], March 7 (ANI/Sputnik): Scientists at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are strongly against administering only single ...
Ayo Dosunmu returned to the lineup after missing three games and broke a late tie by scoring the final five ...
Washington [US], March 7 (ANI): US former President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) has announced his plans to campaign ...
England's Justin Rose withdrew on the fourth hole Saturday due to back issues during the third round of the Arnold ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: Compromising with moderates, President Joe Biden and Democrats agreed to tighten the requirements for those eligible to receive ...
ANN ARBOR, Michigan: Some 375 University of Michigan students have been banned from entering school buildings because they have not ...
PARIS, France: The French government will not require residents of the Paris region to be locked down this weekend. However, ...
LARISSA, Greece: Central Greece was struck by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake on Wednesday, which was also felt in nearby Albania ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: In a bid to create a much greater supply of Coronavirus vaccines, the White House has announced that ...
AUSTIN, Texas: Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that beginning next week face masks will no longer be needed to be ...