There have so many reports the past few days about MLB maybe/sorta/kinda getting back on the field in a month that fans are beginning to act the way they do whenever a player hits a routine fly to the outfield.
"YEAHHHHH! THAT'S GONE! LET'S GOOOOOOO!" And then an outfielder makes an easy catch of a ball that never had a shot at going out. The fans, disappointed, sink back into their seats.
MORE: Spring training may restart in home parks
That seems to be where we are as baseball attempts to start up while the coronavirus remains mostly unchecked in the U.S.
There was another round of leaks Wednesday to national media that MLB is close to coming to the players with a proposal to start Spring Training 2.0 and then follow it quickly with Opening Day 1.0. The timeline in those leaks was similar to what was leaked Monday and Tuesday: Camps starting in mid-June, openers on or about July 1. In fact, that has been the presumed timeline for the past few weeks.
Of course, the Players Association has been disputing the leaks; it says MLB hasn't come to it with any proposals. That may change in a week's time, according to the leaks.
There are still a lot of news cycles for things to go sideways. Fans need to prepare for more off-the-wall ideas and more needless speculation. They need to brace themselves for a longer delay in the reopening process in the event the virus becomes deadlier in the next few days.
That's the bad part about getting one's hopes up after these teases. The drips of information just puddle around people's ankles and don't quench anyone's thirst.
Advice to MLB, the MLBPA and agents who are trying to be seen: The next round of news should be of real progress: an actual agreement to reopen, or the sides saying they're deep in talks on finalizing one. Stay silent about everything else. Wait to deliver a no-doubter.
