In the United States, the baseball league is starting a shortened season. In the past, the president has often taken on the traditional "first pitch" before the game - instead of Donald Trump, however, the virologist Anthony Fauci will throw the first ball. Not the only sign of change in the MLB.
Dr. Anthony Fauci is the best-known virologist in the United States. In the corona crisis, most Americans trust him more than the president, many worship him. And whom does Dr. Anthony Fauci? The Washington Nationals.
He loves the Nats, he loves everyone at the Nats, stammered Fauci, excited as a little boy when he was interviewed in late April by Ryan Zimmerman, a Washington Nations baseball legend. He was a fan of Zimmerman since he left Virginia University.
US virologist Anthony Fauci is a big fan of the Washington Nationals baseball team ( imago / UPI Photos )
Kneeling causes boycott calls
The veneration is mutual. Dr. Fauci was a real champion for the country during the corona crisis, the Nationals think, and that's why he should throw the first ball for them today on Opening Day. A great honor, to which presidents have been regularly invited to the stadium. Donald Trump, however, had turned down an invitation three years ago, scheduling problems.
The fact that the hero of the corona crisis throws the first pitch, but not the president, shows how the world of baseball has changed, not only through the virus, but also through politics. This week, for example, Gabe Kapler, the manager of the San Francisco Giants, and some players knelt during the anthem, a sign of protest against injustice.
There is nothing more patriotic than peaceful protests when things are frustrating and upsetting, Kapler later said. Indignant fans called for the boycott of the league.
Individual players do without the season
Most should be happy, however, that it is finally starting. After a long dispute between clubs and players, the season was shortened from 162 to 60 games. The game was not in one but in real stadiums, albeit without fans. In order to protect the players, some rules have been changed. Spitting, for example, is now prohibited
Nevertheless, some will not be there. Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman, for example, cares about his family's security. His wife has just had a child.
So the Nats have to defend their World Series title without it. The first game of the season will be played against the New York Yankees on Wednesday evening. The weather forecast for Washington, DC predicts 33 degrees and thunderstorms.
