You certainly can't fault Detroit Tigers skipper Ron Gardenhire for admittedly getting nervous after a player on the Cincinnati Reds tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
The 62 year old manager is among the highest risk group of people for contracting the illness that's practically turned the world upside down in 2020, and that he really started thinking about it after hearing the report of Reds infielder Matt Davidson‘s positive test, and the subsequent scratching of Mike Moustakas and Nick Senzel after they reported feeling ill.
“Those are the moments we talk about in taking care of yourself,” Gardenhire said. “You know it’s going to happen at some time or another. It’s unfortunate and myself, a Tier 1 guy (with the highest team access) who’s been through a lot, when I started hearing that I get nervous. I really do. I can honestly tell you that. I start thinking about it awful hard.
At this point, all one can do is to hope and pray that the safety protocols put into place will be enough to keep the illness from affecting anyone in Gardenhire's clubhouse.
“And now you think about those guys not being able to play for however many days, but (also) their health, “he continued. “So those are situations that are probably going to happen off and on and MLB’s ready for them. They’re all set. We know how to handle these. There’s protocols for every one of them. You just hope it doesn’t come into your clubhouse. Unfortunate for the other side it happened to a guy and some other people, too. So you have to deal with it. We have to figure out how to get by it and play with it and that’s where we’re at.”
As the team prepares for tomorrow's home opener at Comerica Park against the Kansas City Royals, Gardenhire said that the normal testing and safety protocols are being followed and would remain in place.
“We had our test this morning coming into the clubhouse,” he said. “We did our test that we do every other day coming into the clubhouse. And when we get home it’ll be the same thing. We’ll fly home and we had it today so the first day (back) we probably won’t have it and then the second day we will have it. And that’s just the protocol.”
We certainly hope that the Tigers will be able to make it through 2020 with no additional positive tests.
– – Quotes via Carlos Monnarez of The Detroit Free Press Link – –
