Major League Baseball Proposes Crazy New Rules To Avoid COVID19

While some sports are already coming back like NASCAR, others are trying to find new ways to safely start their season. For baseball, they're proposing some tight rules.

When it comes to protecting athletes from viruses like COVID19, it's not going to be easy. Most sports involve people in close proximity to each other. Sometimes bodily fluids are exchanged through sweat or even saliva. They're constantly touching each other whether it's through high fives or just physical competition.

That doesn't even include the fans! Sometimes tens of thousands of people packed in next to one another cheering on their favorite teams.

So how in the world do we bring them back safely and avoid spreading the virus at an alarming rate??

Major League Baseball is still trying to come up with a plan to make it happen before July (they're hoping to open up facilities mid-June) so they can open up and it doesn't look like it's going to be easy. It's going to involve quite a few changes according to ESPN who has received a draft of the league's health-and-safety manual.

First, the league is planning on conducting tests like crazy to make sure that none of the players on the field are infected. That will mean conducting up to 10,000 COVID19 tests per week. But to me, that doesn't even seem to be the most extreme. Some of the other things they're proposing...

No High-fives
No fist bumps
No hugs
No spitting
No tobacco use
No chewing sunflower seeds.

They also propose that fielders would be "encouraged to retreat several steps away from the baserunner" between pitches. First- and third-base coaches are not to approach baserunners or umpires, and players should not socialize with opponents.

A ball will be thrown away after it is touched by multiple players, and throwing the ball around the infield will be discouraged.