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San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Tuesday some of the proposed safety protocols to combat the coronavirus in order to start the 2020 season could be a “tremendous challenge.”
Kapler, who is in his first year as Giants’ manager, told KNBR that not being able to spit his gum or sunflower seeds is going to be difficult for him since it’s part of his routine.
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“When the game begins, I start with some coffee, it’s part of my routine,” Kapler told the station. “I quickly transition to gum — lots of gum, not just a couple pieces, a lot of gum. I don’t like the sweetness, but I like the size of the gum. My normal behavior is I spit a lot of the gum juice out.
“From there I transition to seeds. Sunflower seeds in the middle of the game. As much as you can fit in your mouth — you’re just spitting the seeds on the ground. I’m not alone. So many players, staff have routines like the one I just described. Different, but similar. They’re all going to have to stop those routines. That is going to be a tremendous challenge.”
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A 67-page draft of Major League Baseball’s proposed 2020 Operations Manual was sent to teams Friday and obtained by multiple media outlets.
According to the proposal, spitting would be prohibited along with water jugs and the use of saunas, steam rooms, pools and cryotherapy chambers. Teams are also asked to respond to the ideas by May 22.
While Kapler expressed that it will be difficult to change things up, he knows it’s for the best.
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“Everybody’s going to be committed to doing it because it’s so worth it. The trade-off between giving up that habit and getting to play baseball, we’ll play baseball all day long,’ Kapler said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.