The Fourth of July weekend provided the first real stress test of MLB’s COVID testing protocols and the results backfired as badly as a cheap package of grocery store fireworks. Even snakes and sparklers would have been an improvement over a flawed process that saw several teams forced to collect their own samples because testers didn’t show up to camps.
Many people around the league expressed frustration, to the extent that commissioner Rob Manfred reportedly “jumped on” Nationals GM Mike Rizzo for what was perceived as insubordination. All for having the temerity to suggest that MLB failing to “resolve issues with their process and their lab” could result in a lost season.