Gov. Andrew Cuomo is offering up the baseball fields in the state of New York to all Major League Baseball teams, Politico reports.
During his press briefing on Tuesday, the governor offered every team a place to place temporarily in New York.
The league is trying to play a shortened season amid the coronavirus pandemic. Several games have already been canceled due to players testing positive for COVID-19.
“New York state could host any Major League Baseball game that any teams want to play and they could play those games in our stadiums,” Cuomo said. “New York state has one of the lowest infection rates in the United States. New York state has a full Department of Health protocol system in place. We have a testing system in place. I offer to Major League Baseball, if you’re having problems playing in other states, come play here.”
Cuomo said that ensuring baseball season continues would be “good for the economy, I think it would be good for the psyche, I think it would be good for the nation’s soul.”
He outlined a plan that involves players flying on a private plane and then quarantining in a New York hotel before getting testing for the virus.
“We could set up a protocol where you get on a private plane in a high risk state, you land in New York, you are transported directly from a plane to a quarantine hotel,” Cuomo said. “You are in the quarantine hotel and tested in the quarantine hotel. If you are negative, you play ball.”
New York is home to the Yankee and the Mets. It also has Buffalo’s Sahlen Field, which is serving as the temporary home of the Toronto Blue Jays. There are at least a dozen other minor league stadiums in the state, including fields used by Triple A-level teams in Rochester and Syracuse.
"I understand the practical dynamics — teams want to play in their own state and city. I get it,” Cuomo said. “There’s no fans anyways, it’s just about the coverage, and New York is the media capital.”
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.