BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — With so much going on right now—health concerns, job concerns, safety concerns—you may not remember, but today was supposed to be Opening Day for Major League Baseball.
The Boston Red Sox were scheduled to play the first of four games in Toronto, with their home opener set for April 2, but of course, that won't happen. With COVID-19 restrictions in place, who knows when Opening Day will be.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred was asked that question earlier this week, but said he didn't know—maybe June, July, or August.
The Red Sox had high hopes for this season.
"We have real good talent coming back, we've added talent to the roster this winter," Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom said earlier this year. "I think it's important to point out, we felt at the beginning of the winter that this team had a lot more talent on it than the 84 wins that we put up last year."
Weeks back, fans were wondering how the Red Sox would fare without Mookie Betts, without Chris Sale; if, and how, they would bounce back from a sign-stealing scandal that ousted manager Alex Cora.
But now, Fenway Park sits empty.
WBZ NewsRadio's Chris Fama visited to ask fans if they knew today would have been Opening Day. Some knew, but others, understandably, did not.
"Other things are more important now than baseball," said one.
But with no sports—no hoops, no hockey, nothing—one fan lamented not having games to help take his mind off of things.
"Now it's just an emptiness about everything," he said. "All sports, not just the Red Sox, but the Celtics playoffs and the Bruins playoffs."
Without any games at Fenway for the foreseeable future, another fan feared the dog days of summer could be a little "boring."
Another said he enjoyed Opening Day especially, because they announce all the players.
"It was exciting, it was the beginning of a full season," he said. "I think in a couple of months, May, hopefully things will start shaping up. Hopefully by June."
That fan said sports gave the city something to rally around.
"Just watching the games, it's exciting, it's something to do at night," he said.
Another likened the possibility of sports bringing people together to the way they played the same role in the aftermath of 9/11.
WBZ NewsRadio's Chris Fama (@CFamaWBZ) reports
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