Positive tests in Clearwater should serve as wake-up call

It could have been a sneeze or a cough from somebody not wearing a mask, or a high-five from someone who forgot to wash his hands for 20 seconds.

The Phillies never will know for sure who started it, just that testing has confirmed five players and three staff members were infected with the coronavirus near their Clearwater, Fla. facility. The eruption came to their attention Tuesday.

None of the infected have been hospitalized, at least so far, yet some of the family members of the sick have also tested positive, per reports.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says most people infected by COVID-19 experience mild symptoms and recover, although the death count attributed to COVID-19 in the United States was on the verge of reaching 120,000 on Friday.

Pre-existing heart and lung conditions, cancer, HIV, diabetes, pneumonia and several other issues make you more susceptible to a severe case. And, of course, seniors are most vulnerable.

But the spike of Phillies infections almost certainly won’t be the last one when Major League Baseball resumes. Ditto for both the NBA and NHL as they train for their grand returns during the summer.

At the same time, if precautions are taken and you can get this kind of an outbreak in baseball, what’s going to happen when the Eagles get together for training camp?

Even with the newfangled protective shields football players likely will wear, even with the gloves they use they are in each other’s faces on virtually every play in football drills.

For the linemen, every play is a collision. What will happen when players are separated from their helmets, which occurs in almost every game? Is that going to trigger a spate of positive tests?

A handful of Dallas Cowboys, including Zeke Elliott, and a group of Houston Texans have tested positive for COVID-19. Several Alabama and Clemson football players have tested positive.

Sixers players have tested positive.

And now the Phillies. It doesn’t take much imagination to realize you’d better have a Plan B rather than one that simply calls for closing the facility, which is what the Phillies did in Clearwater.

During the April NFL draft Adam Schefter of ESPN speculated that the Eagles and other teams were worried about their quarterbacks being shut down by COVID-19, and that was a factor in the drafting of Jalen Hurts. Taking the quarterback off the board in the second round seemed a shocker even if he was the top talent left on the board.

“I’ve had teams tell me it’s more important than ever to have a backup quarterback in this pandemic,” Schefter said back then. “We’re going to be playing next year, coronavirus is out there, COVID-19, what if your quarterback gets the virus? It’s an interesting situation here. I think there are more problems than ever before. And so, I think teams are looking to shore up the most important position in the sport. And that’s why the Eagles did it.”

At the time the rationale appeared laughable. Now it makes sense.

Now we know why Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians, a forward-thinking coach, is formulating a plan to keep his No. 3 quarterback separated from the other quarterbacks just in case, you know, Tom Brady or Blaine Gabbert test positive. Arians’ understanding is a positive test means a player is quarantined for two weeks.

“I might have to quarantine a quarterback,” Arians said, “just in case of a quarantine.”

Face it, professional sports will go on this year, probably without fans in the seats to limit infections. With the money involved, there’s no stopping the sports industry right now.

It’s going to be fascinating watching teams adapt to conditions.

The Eagles could “quarantine” Hurts or Nate Sudfeld in case Wentz gets a bad test. If Fletcher Cox is quarantined, there goes the defense.

What does Sixers coach Brett Brown do if Joel Embiid tests positive? Embiid and Tobias Harris?

What happens to the Phillies if manager Joe Girardi has to fill out a lineup card that doesn’t include Bryce Harper, should the slugger test positive for COVID-19?

Think Flyers coach Alain Vigneault will quarantine Brian Elliott, just in case starting goalie Carter Hart flunks his coronavirus test?

Let’s not forget the coaches.

Arians, 67, has had some health issues. Rest assured the Bucs better have a coach in waiting if he tests positive. Brown is 59, Vigneault 59, Girardi 55, Doug Pederson 52.

Professional sports in the coronavirus era will be unlike anything the entertainment world has seen. So consider the outbreak in Clearwater a wakeup call for local sports teams.

It’s hard to believe you could have eight infections, and possibly more, if everybody is obeying the protocol at work and outside of it.

The good news is eight Phillies staff members tested negative for the virus, according to the club, while a group of 20 major league and minor league players were being tested.

The Phillies closed the Clearwater facility, despite the fact that it’s people who transmit the virus, not facilities or toilet seats or bats, i.e. the kind that fly.

It’s going to take people – taking precautions and being responsible – to make modern day sports work.

Contact Bob Grotz at bgrotz@21stcenturymedia.com; you can follow him on Twitter @BobGrotz.