MLB news & notes: April 9, 2020

A look at some links and news and notes as we await the return of training and eventually real MLB games:

• Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal discusses the major impact for minor league teams, players and their communities ($)
• The Boston Globe’s Michael Silverman takes a different approach, discussing the scheduling challenges for MiLB
• Baltimore Sun OpEd writer Peter Schmuck discusses the lunacy behind the ‘Arizona Alternative’, writing that MLB should disavow impractical and dangerous proposal
• Meanwhile, one former big leaguer is stepping-up-to-the-plate as a medical worker during the COVID-19 outbreak; this Huffington Post profile of Mark Hamilton is worth a read
• And of course, if you’re down in the dumps because there are no games, you can find some interesting baseball books to keep you occupied this spring