MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred addressed the topic in his weekly call with owners yesterdayGETTY IMAGES
MLB is "not ready to open its parks to fans," according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. A league spokesperson said, "Given the state of the virus throughout the country and that most of our clubs do not have authorization from their local jurisdictions allowing for it, we are not able to consider hosting fans at this time." MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred "addressed this topic in his weekly call with owners" yesterday. Sources said that the Rockies and Rangers, in particular, "have been pushing to open their parks to limited capacities" (TWITTER.com, 8/17).
DASHED HOPES: In Massachusetts, Chris Cotillo notes Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy has "repeatedly expressed hope that Boston would be able to allow fans into Fenway Park this summer." Kennedy last week said that the club was "awaiting approval from MLB, the state of Massachusetts and the city of Boston." Kennedy: "We've had ongoing conversations with both the state and the city. ... We've made our case, we presented to all three and we're waiting to hear back. We'll be guided by the health experts but we really do think, if we were given the opportunity, we could pull off a socially distanced Fenway." Kennedy said that Manfred "may be hesitant to allow certain clubs to have fans in the stands while others can't due to potential competitive disadvantages." He said of Manfred, "He's trying to figure out what the best plan here is as it relates to the end of the season, for September. He's got different municipalities, different case loads around the country. Obviously, Massachusetts has done incredibly well. We'd be sort of a model citizen in terms of having the opportunity to try" (MASSLIVE.com, 8/18).
