I can safely tell you from personal experience that Covid has no boundaries as I lost my Dad this past April through complications that combined pneumonia with a positive CoVid test. And yes we were all following and reporting on this Met season hoping and praying CoVid would not derail the plans of Major League Baseball.
And I can also tell you that the New York Mets followed the pandemic protocol precisely and even went beyond the protocol to try to insure safety of others. As members of the press, we saw that from Day 1 of Summer Camp. To illustrate we were each given a magnet that had to put on the rest room door because they were not allowing more than 1 person in each rest room.
But it seems the way things have gone with Covid the disease is always a step ahead of us And that was my biggest fear when MLB decided to take the non-bubble approach to restart the season. There were so many ways this disease could spread even practicing social distancing and even though MLB was limiting traveling to one region. Players and team personnel still had to travel on planes, stay in hotels and eat meals (even with room service they had to encounter people) and I felt it was impossible to shield everyone from all those CoVid spread possibilities.
We saw teams suffer from it around the league and have even seen some players test positive but the news today that one Met player and Met team executive tested positive for CoVid hit home. I covered road games the Met played in both DC and Philly and saw the teams exhibit great protocol process but the bottom line is there are no guarantees with a disease that could spread from a person with no symptoms to another person just by breathing the same air.
And you also have players who are on the “taxi squad” traveling to MLB ballparks. Who knows what these players have been exposed to? There is simply no way of knowing which is why players must be tested every day. The fact that the Mets got positive test results in Miami does not surprise me because that geographical region has been a hotbed for the Corona Virus.
I know fans are disappointed especially with Met/Yankee Subway Series on the horizon but we have to put that all aside. As teams keep showing positive test results, MLB may have to reconsider a bunch of things including at least having a bubble atmosphere for the post-season.
My heart bleeds for the 2 members of the Met family that tested positive because I know what it feels like to get news like that about a family member and also realize you can not see them or visit them during this time because of the contagious nature of the disease. When my Dad tested positive he passed away a few days later and I would give up every earthly possession just to spend 2 more minutes with him.
I have to think with the protocol MLB uses they will need to research EVERY single place and person these positive test people encountered and that can be a long and laborious process. So I am not expecting the Mets to play games for awhile and I certainly think all the Met/Yankee games this weekend will be postponed.
But none of that really matters to me today. I have covered this Met team for over 30 years and interviewed every player in their clubhouse at one time or another the past few seasons. I also have tremendous respect with so many in the organization who helped me so much during my Chemo therapy months last year helping me to stay strong and believe.
I pray to God that He will watch over them and stand in their corner as they fight this dreaded disease. CoVid has touched all of us in one way or another and this is a shining illustration that we MUST adhere to social distancing and face mask wearing. This disease can still be transmitted in these circumstances but social distancing gives us a fighting chance.
We took a hit from CoVid hearing this news today but we MUST continue to fight this disease by adhering to social distancing no matter how uncomfortable that make us feel. We need to fight it together but also never forget to exhibit love and compassion for those who need it whether CoVid has afflicted them medically, emotionally, or economically.
I know it sounds corny but love and understanding has helped me overcome every obstacle placed in front of me in my life and it is the only way to beat this dreaded disease. This is not a social issue or a political one. It is a people issue and this Met news today brought that to eye level. And I hope it gets people to thinking that this disease has no boundaries. All the money in the world can not beat it but each of us doing our part can beat it.