Major League Baseball has been hit hard with the pandemic taking the Miami Marlins out of action temporarily, and now the Philadelphia Phillies aren’t playing for a few days. It’s all connected. MLB has been trying to add better protocols on the fly it’s not working very well.

Now bring on the seven-inning doubleheaders. Seriously? So, no more 7th inning stretch? Is a four-inning start enough for a win? This is softball, not baseball. This isn’t the ‘Grand Old Game’. This is the board version.

Another issue MLB is considering expanding the 30-man rosters. Honestly, the talent will be so watered down at that point you can’t really call it “major league” anymore, since so many teams will have minor leaguers on it. Hey, I’m all for creating more jobs, but call this something else. Don’t play a World Series call it a Challenge Series, something so we can all see that this season isn’t what normal baseball is.

Playing for the sake of money is fine for the players and the owners, but so many fans are turned off already that they could lose most of their audience when the NBA and NHL start their playoffs. At that point, who are they playing for? Television contracts?

The beauty of this game was the fact that so many facets of it remain untouched from the very beginning. Now, rules are being changed on the fly. No other league is doing that. Will the NFL only play one half just to get the games in? Will the NHL play just two periods?

Major League Baseball should be shut down for a minimum of two weeks so they can get these teams healthy, if possible, and keep whatever integrity this season had. Instead, bulldozing ahead, further watering down the product can affect the game long-term.

The worst thing you can do is turn fans off who once loved the game. You might pick up a few new fans, but your core base is the bread and butter of the sport. Ask the NHL, they understand that. I wouldn’t even put these season stats in the record books. They’re bastardized and compromised.