Masks arenât just for catchers and umpires, anymore: Everyone has to wear them.
While watching veterans and rookies sliding into home, Major League Baseball wants fans to be safe in stands. The tradeoff to having a Cactus League season in 2021 includes severely-reduced attendance, cashless transactions, maintenance of physical distancing and mandatory masks, all aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19.
âTake me out to the ballparkâ is becoming âtake out your Ballpark app.â
Autographs?
Fuggettaboutit, as old Brooklyn Dodgers fans used to say.
The casual intimacy of chatting with players and asking for them to sign hats, shirts, programs etc., long a cherished Spring Training tradition, is another victim of the pandemic.