JAYS ARE USED TO BUBBLE LIFE
Team’s season-long grind could give them an advantage if they make the post-season
Pity the Tim Hortons not far from the Blue Jays' downtown Buffalo hotel, their home away from home for the 2020 baseball season.
As far as we can surmise, the bustling location of the popular coffee and doughnut chain may take the biggest hit from Major League Baseball's post-season bubble plan.
Starting next Tuesday, all teams in playoff contention will be required to report to a hotel and essentially live under quarantine.
Other than some tightening of the rules, it's something the Jays have been doing since they first reported to Buffalo on Aug. 9, anyway.
Life in and around the 19 games they've played at Sahlen Field has been relatively simple. The Blue Jays have mostly stuck to their hotel, save for the walk up Washington Street to the park, have heavily utilized the local food delivery services, and many players have made the local Tims a part of their day.
It hasn't been glamorous and it's definitely been a grind. But with the routine entrenched, it may work in the Jays' favour. Remember when being based in Buffalo and “stuck” in a minorleague facility for 30 “home” games was seen as a serious disadvantage? Now it may provide a competitive edge.
Essentially, the Jays have been living in a bubble since they reported for training camp in Toronto in early July. While at the hotel attached to the Rogers Centre for summer camp, the team lived under strict quarantine, with the risk of serious fines from the federal government for any violations.
There was some early grumbling when it sunk in with players that they may be essentially confined to a hotel for three months. And there was more when the possibility of sharing big league parks in Pittsburgh and Baltimore fell through. It didn't take long for the griping to subside, however, especially once players recognized it could work to their advantage.
When the season began, Jays players and coaches agreed to a more rigid set of health and safety protocols than the league had in place. So when there were outbreaks with various teams, the Jays remained healthy.
While under less restriction in Buffalo than in Toronto, players embracing the plan under the belief that a healthy team could have an advantage in the 60-game season loaded with challenges. The Jays have had their share of injuries, but no virus-related disruptions from inside their own walls.
While Buffalo may have been home to the Jays and they've appeared to enjoy a home-field advantage, it hasn't exactly been “home.”
The team checked out of their rooms for road trips, for example, and while at least one player rented an apartment, the vast majority have lived the hotel life since the start of the season.
With a stretch of 28 games in 27 days right in the guts of the season, there hasn't been much time for socializing anyway, and the displaced Jays have made the best of their situation.
On an off day last Thursday, many congregated in a socially distanced group room at the hotel to watch the NFL season opener. Yet that, too, is essentially living the road life.
So, when the post-season begins Sept. 29 and if the Jays maintain their position to be part of it, it will pretty much feel like business as usual. As one player put it, the mentality quickly became: let's not make an issue of it but instead channel it and make it into an advantage.
Whether that carries on to the playoffs — should the Jays maintain an American League spot — remains to be seen. But it can't hurt.
The bubble plan — agreed to by MLB and the union earlier this week — is designed to tighten the protocols from early next week through to the conclusion of the World Series. Players will be prevented from leaving their hotels — except for travelling to the park for games — and from seeing family members. As well, MLB will assign 24-hour security to team hotels.
The first-round of the post-season — a cutthroat best-of-three series — will be played at the home site of the higher seed. Before Wednesday's action, that would mean a trip to St. Petersburg, Florida, to face the Tampa Bay Rays.
The remainder of the American League playoffs will shift to Southern California with games played at either Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles or Petco Park in San Diego.
The World Series, slated to begin Oct. 20, will be played in its entirety at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
With a seven-game homestand to end the season starting here on Monday, the Jays move to the bubble will may be the easiest transition in baseball. rlongley@postmedia.com