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Angels' Maddon desperate for baseball: 'I'll play on the moon'

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Following a report that Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association are discussing a contingency plan to play the entire 2020 season in Arizona, those around the league are offering a variety of responses, both positive and negative.

Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon is in favor of adopting extreme measures to get the season off the ground.

"I’ll do anything," Maddon said, according to The Athletic's Andy McCullough. "I’ll play on the moon, I don’t care. Whatever the schedule looks like, I’m good. The only thing about Arizona is that it’s going to be really hot. Even at night, it’s going to be really hot. Those games will be tough. You’re talking 100-degree tough. That’s the part that concerns me."

The Arizona plan would include seven-inning doubleheaders potentially beginning in May, with players sitting apart in the stands to promote social distancing. The games would be played at various spring training ballparks and at Chase Field, the Arizona Diamondbacks' home park.

In a statement made Tuesday, the league acknowledged that discussions are taking place regarding using a fixed location to play, but that's only one of the ideas being batted around as a possible season-saving solution.

While Maddon and others are open to the concept, some, like Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler - who's expecting a child with wife Dominique in July - see it as a logistical nightmare.

"I couldn’t even imagine missing the birth and just not being around and going ‘hey, I’ll see you in December’ or whenever it is," Wheeler said. "That’s not going to work."

The regular season was originally scheduled to begin on March 26.

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