MARION (WSIL) -- As we are now two months into the coronavirus pandemic, the Southern Illinois Miners baseball team didn't have a traditional opening day. The question looms, is the season in jeopardy? When will baseball return? Can minor league baseball survive without its fans?
"We are not Major League Baseball, we don't have TV revenues," Miners Manager Mike Pinto said. "I know they are talking about opening their league with no fans in the stands, you just can't do that here, minor league baseball can't do that at any level."
When baseball does return, how quickly can the Frontier League get back into action?
"We have to sit and say seven different states are affected, our teams are located in seven different states, two countires. Quebec and Trois-Rivieres can't cross the border until July 1, at the earliest and they are dealing with a quarantine period so when they go back, they have to quarantine for 14 days. So as a league, how do you build a schedule out for all the stay at home regulations and then you have different gathering restrictions, every state is different and then how do you turn your ballpark into something that is safe for your fans, your players, all your employees, how do you create proper social distancing this year, all of those things come into what is our life right now."
