I last attended a live baseball game on March 9, 2020. COVID-19 was a creeping threat, but at the time it was unclear how devastating it would be. MLB had no plans to cancel games but they did see the need to restrict some behavior, and told players not to sign autographs for fans to avoid unnecessary contact.
Well, as I strolled around the stadium in Clearwater prior to the game, the first thing I saw was Kevin Kiermaier and Willy Adames signing autographs for kids. Of course, I thought, players aren’t going to say no to kids over concern about a threat that still seemed very abstract.