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Major League Baseball is on hiatus for the foreseeable future due to COVID-19. Thus, we need ways to fill the time until it returns.

James Kelly

Well, Major League Baseball is officially on hiatus. The coronavirus epidemic has made it unsafe for fans and players alike.

That means we fans must figure out how to entertain ourselves. With that said, I’ve created a list of ways to distract yourself from the fact that there’s no baseball on television.

Watch every baseball movie ever made

This is a pretty hit-or-miss tactic. On one hand, watching the dramatization of baseball reminds you of how incredible real baseball moments are. Every movie ends with a crucial home run or strikeout. Teams overcome impossible odds, come together as a crew of scrappy underdogs, and win the pennant.

However, those same parallels also remind us that we still don’t have the real thing. Nothing compares to the actual drama of real baseball. The back-and-forth of a do-or-die playoff game. A walk-off to send a franchise hero off into the sunset. Those moments can’t be truly recreated by Hollywood.

Therefore, movies have proven to be a good distraction but they’re hardly a permanent solution.

Draft 38 fantasy baseball teams

If you want something a little closer to real baseball, drafting too many fantasy teams to follow is another solid distraction. Sure, they don’t really mean anything since there are no stats being accumulated. But the brief hour for every draft gives you the opportunity to imagine that Major League Baseball is still occurring. You’re able to pour over previous stats, projections, as well as your own gut feeling as to how many points a player will rack up in the definitely-not-canceled 2020 season.

Of course, once you finish the draft, you’re right back to square one. So just sign up for another league and keep living in the fantasy world ignoring the fact that baseball is on hiatus.

Play ‘MLB The Show 20’

What’s the best way to pretend that Major League Baseball is around in 2020? That’s right, play 2020’s Major League Baseball video game.

Maybe you play a full season as your favorite baseball team. Perhaps you start a Diamond Dynasty team and compile your favorite players in the league. You could also start your own career, work your way up to the majors, and win 12 consecutive championships at league-minimum pay for the ballclub of your choice. The possibilities are truly endless.

But once again, a baseball video game just isn’t the same as the real thing.

Actually play baseball

If none of those options can satisfy your thirst for real baseball, you could always just go out and play. There won’t be any crowds or dramatic moments, but getting out in the fresh air and playing some catch would definitely take your mind off the MLB absence.

Playing catch is additionally cathartic. You’ll be able to exercise and feel the baseball gods shining down on you in these dark times.

Cry

There’s the famous saying, “there’s no crying in baseball.” That means you don’t cry when you strike out, you don’t cry when you lose a game, you don’t cry under any circumstance.

Well, since baseball currently doesn’t exist, feel free to go ahead and break that rule. Yeah, it sucks. Baseball is the thing that gets many of us through the day. Unlike football or basketball, your favorite team plays nearly every night. There’s nothing more satisfying than coming home after a long day, ordering some takeout, and sitting in front of the TV for three to four hours to watch a ballgame.

So since that’s been taken away from us, it’s totally acceptable to cry about it. Especially if you’re a professional baseball writer who doesn’t have a whole lot to talk about right now.

Write about what to do without baseball

Hey, it looks like we’re doing this one right now. Sometimes playing catch isn’t enough to scratch that baseball itch. Or sometimes the city you live in is about to go on lockdown so heading to the park to throw the ball around isn’t the best idea.

So, if you can’t play baseball, you may as well write about it. Write something about your favorite games of 2019. Take a deeper look into the underlying stats of a lesser-known player. Really just do anything to keep your mind on baseball when there isn’t any fresh baseball news to talk about.

The offseason is usually the toughest time for die-hard fans. But at least in the winter, there’s constant news to discuss. Players sign mega-deals, stars become traded, and gigantic cheating scandals come to light. There’s stuff to converse over.

But this is worse. Now, the only news that breaks from the league is how many players test positive for coronavirus and how much longer Opening Day is going to be delayed.

Simply speaking, the aforementioned methods aren’t true replacements for the game we all know and love.

But if we combine them all and keep coming up with different stuff to talk about, we’ll move past this. And look on the bright side: this will be great practice in case the next CBA negotiations cause a labor stoppage.

Lifetime ballplayer and Yankee fan. Strongly believe that the eye-test and advanced stats can be used together instead of against each other.