NORFOLK, Va. - The conditions are perfect for Opening Day at Harbor Park: sunshine, temperatures near 80 degrees and little chance of rain. But, there won't be baseball played Thursday in Norfolk.
Because, despite the ideal weather for April baseball - the conditions are far from perfect.
As Virginia and the rest of our nation try to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the 2020 Minor League Baseball season is on hold. Therefore, Thursday's Norfolk Tides season opener vs. Gwinnett will not take place as scheduled.
"Today, this place would be slammed," Tides general manager Joe Gregory told News 3 Thursday. "The concourse would be full. It's a little eerie being here on Opening Day with it so quiet."
In fact, there won't be any games played at Harbor Park, home of the Baltimore Orioles Triple-A affliate for several weeks. Major League Baseball has committed to an eight-week delay that began March 16th. However, no Tides games have been canceled as of yet.
"We're going to make every effort to get every game in," Gregory admitted. "When we get the green light, we're going to be going as fast as we can. If we have to alter the playoffs, alter off days - we're going to do everything we can to play as much baseball as we can. I know the fans are missing baseball. But we're missing our fans, too. The relationships we have with the community are very important to us and I miss that interaction. We'll be here, waiting and ready - the first opportunity we get, we'll be throwing out the first pitch at Harbor Park."
