ARLINGTON, Texas — Hope -- without it we have nothing.
In baseball, hope springs eternal.
"Baseball has always done a good job of providing hope for people," Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward told WFAA on Tuesday. "I was a player during 9/11. It brought a lot of hope back to the people to say, 'Okay, we're going to resume back to normal."
Normalcy is a thing of the past and a hope for the future.
Tuesday was supposed to be the Rangers' highly-anticipated home opener at the new ballpark Globe Life Field.
"I don't know if we're going to play a game there anytime soon, but we'll see," admitted Woodward. "We'll be ready. It'll be waiting for us, and we're excited about it."
The retractable roof was open on Tuesday afternoon as a few Rangers fans strolled by the new ballpark.
"There's a reason why we're not in there today, and we should remember that," said Rangers fan Daniel Ward.
The 2020 MLB season has been postponed as the world confronts the outbreak of COVID-19.
"We all want to play baseball again, but keeping our families safe is number one," said Woodward.
For a sport that normally consumes nine to 10 months of the year, the bonus time with family has been beneficial to many ballplayers.
"It has been nice to spend some quality time with our families," Woodward said. "Maybe parent more than we normally do."
In the meantime, the Rangers have found creative ways to pass the time.
Outfielder Joey Gallo held batting practice in his living room this week.
Pitcher Tim Dillard produced hilarious music videos of him surviving a household of energetic children.
"We're in the same boat as everybody else," Woodward acknowledged. "We got to deal with it."
For those struggling with the absence of sports, there is something else that can help occupy time.
Unmitigated, unrelenting hope.
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