{"id":29649,"date":"2020-03-10T23:45:48","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T03:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/?p=29649"},"modified":"2020-03-10T23:57:16","modified_gmt":"2020-03-11T03:57:16","slug":"coronavirus-impact-arizona-diamondbacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2020\/03\/10\/coronavirus-impact-arizona-diamondbacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona Diamondbacks: Archie Bradley Speaks about Coronavirus Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

Coronavirus Impact on Major League Baseball<\/strong><\/h2>\n

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Mar 10) \u2013 The coronavirus impact has now been felt in spring training camps. Major League Baseball\u2019s temporary clubhouse limitations went into effect Tuesday morning, as \u201conly players and essential personnel may enter locker rooms and clubhouses at MLB facilities,\u201d to quote Monday night\u2019s press release.<\/p>\n

There was a strange feeling at the Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> camp. Before Tuesday, several writers would have been in the Diamondbacks clubhouse in the earlier hours, striking up casual conversations or having formal interviews with the players. Tuesday morning, however, a group of six stood outside the weight room as a media relations employee brought relief pitcher Archie Bradley<\/a><\/strong> to them for an interview.<\/p>\n

A Weird Feeling<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Bradley spoke right away about how the clubhouse felt Tuesday morning. \u201cIt\u2019s a little weird. Less crowded, for sure,\u201d he joked. In seriousness, though, he said that \u201cit\u2019s one of those weird things, where some of us are just now growing up to realize what\u2019s happening.\u201d Writers tend to be older than players, and Bradley pointed out that those who are have seen several other outbreaks before in their adult lives. He continued that \u201call of us are trying to figure out as much info as we can and make sure we\u2019re taken care of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kids aren\u2019t in the clubhouse, either, though. Visiting VIPs do not get to sit in or walk through. Close friends or family members also don\u2019t get to visit. This has contributed to the weird feeling, according to Bradley. \u201cPart of what makes baseball so great is the access you\u2019re allowed to have. To bring your family down, to bring your friends down\u2026playing in front of the fans. So, to think that we could get to a point where we may have to play without people in the stands, it\u2019s a weird thing.\u201d Players are so used to playing in front of crowds that anything else would be nothing short of bizarre. Bradley recalled watching the 2015 game<\/a> between the Chicago White Sox<\/a> and Baltimore Orioles<\/a> that was closed to the public. \u201cThat was so foreign and weird to see. That\u2019s not what you want for the game or anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keeping Coronavirus Impact Concerns in Perspective<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When the policy change became public knowledge Monday night, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) voiced concern that the lack of access would become a permanent change. Bradley does not feel that the change will be permanent, however. \u201cWith the access (writers) are given \u2013 how good it is for the game, the stories (they) write, the information (they) put out there \u2013 good or bad \u2013 it keeps people informed. To limit that is not good for the game or for (writers) in general.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is also no concern about fears of an outbreak negatively affecting play on the field. \u201cAs long as this doesn\u2019t progress and start to get worse, (we\u2019re thinking) that this is gonna blow over, and we\u2019ll get back to doing things normally. I think there is a little bit of fear that this could progress and become something bigger than what they\u2019re saying. But, at the end of the day, we have to trust what we\u2019re being told and follow the guidelines we\u2019re being told to stay healthy and protect ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The players\u2019 ultimate fear would be playing before an empty house, although that does not presently seem like a likely scenario. \u201cI keep up with (former Diamondbacks outfielder) Adam Jones<\/a><\/strong>, seeing his videos and pictures of them playing over in Japan with empty stadiums. That\u2019s ultimately the biggest fear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doing What They Can Do but Not Panicking<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The main cautionary steps that the players are taking have to do with hygiene. A doctor visited them Monday night and went over what the players need to do to be cautious. \u201cWe\u2019re all policing each other to wash our hands and be more clean. Little stuff \u2013 guys are more aware, when they sneeze, to cover their mouths. These are little things that you might get lazy doing that we\u2019re putting more of an emphasis on now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bradley stopped short of saying who needed the most policing on handwashing. \u201cThere may be (a player\u2019s) wife out there who says, \u2018My husband doesn\u2019t wash his hands?\u2019 so I\u2019m gonna leave that one nameless.\u201d<\/p>\n

Above all, the players aren\u2019t panicking and are trying not to let fear overwhelm them. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to keep it in perspective (and) not panic. That\u2019s the biggest thing, (to) not freak out. I know we\u2019re taking precautions, but right now we\u2019re just trying to perform and get ready for the season like we normally would.\u201d Part of not panicking is not shaving his trademark beard unless he has to. \u201cFor the greater good of humanity, I would probably do it if that\u2019s what it took, but I\u2019m gonna try to keep this on the face as long as I can,\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>