We can all agree 2020 has been a pretty terrible year so far. There’s no need to go into detail. You know. We know. End of story.
One thing we might not all agree on is whether or not 2020 is deserving of professional sports. See, starting over the next couple weeks, North America will officially have the return of Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association.
Some fans, as you might expect, are thrilled to see sports back as they’ve officially streamed all their stay-at-home content and cannot wait to watch competitive athletics again.
The others, well, they think rushing back into playing games again is like putting a band-aid on a bullet hole as we as a nation still attempt to fend off the deadly coronavirus.
Nonetheless, despite what we all think, sports are back. And knowing some of your favorite musicians probably have opinions and predictions on what the upcoming MLB season and resumed NBA games will look like, we decided to ask them for their thoughts.
To check out what members of Black Veil Brides, Movements, Silverstein, Thirce and more had to say, be sure to look below.
ANDY BIERSACK - BLACK VEIL BRIDES
As a sports fan, how excited are you for the MLB and NBA to get started back up again? And which sport are you most excited to watch first?
I’m definitely excited for sports to come back however I am interested to see how it’s all going to play out in terms of safety. Obviously things will need to be demonstrably safe and the players’ health and well being are taken into account in a way that can be replicated as we get closer to football season, etc. I am excited for all sports to “come back” though.
What do you predict the MLB season is going to look like? Will it actually finish all 60 games? Are the Astros going to get drilled every single at-bat?
I am actually very curious to see how it plays out. Unfortunately with a truncated season you won’t get to see how it all would have shaken out over the course of the full regular season but if the Reds (who were predicted to be markedly better this year) can make it to the post-season it will be a big deal for everyone in Cincinnati! It’s been, as most years are in Cincy sports, a long stretch of crappy years. As far as the Astros go, I remember earlier this year seeing the “Astros shame tour” twitter account, I wonder how they are holding up with the delayed start to the “shame” haha.
How do you see the rest of the NBA season playing out? Will they really be able to pull off a season in a bubble? Are LeBron and the Lakers the favorite to win it all?
Again, I think a lot of fans are excited to see it come back but also share concerns about player safety. That said, if they can make “the bubble” work it will certainly be exciting to get this season going again. I was raised a Milwaukee Bucks fan and that’s really “my team” but since I’ve lived in Los Angeles my entire adult life I always root for the Lakers in the west. Ideally that would be the finals, with my Bucks winning of course!
Who are you rooting for to win both the World Series and NBA Finals this year
World Series - CINCINNATI REDS
NBA Finals - MILWAUKEE BUCKS
IRA GEORGE - MOVEMENTS:
As a sports fan, how excited are you for the MLB and NBA to get started back up again? And which sport are you most excited to watch first?
I am very excited! Opening day for baseball is on my birthday so I’m definitely most excited for baseball to be coming back. It’s going to be a great birthday!!
What do you predict the MLB season is going to look like? Will it actually finish all 60 games? Are the Astros going to get drilled every single at-bat?
I think the 60 games get finished and it will be one of the most exciting seasons yet. Anyone can win with only 60 games. The Marlins could win for all we know. I love the added extra inning rule with an inherited runner starting on second base and I am very excited to hear that ball crack on the bat in an empty stadium. A truly magical sound. Astros still get drilled every game but COVID-19 has definitely helped cool down the hatred towards them. We will see.
How do you see the rest of the NBA season playing out? Will they really be able to pull off a season in a bubble? Are LeBron and the Lakers the favorite to win it all?
I am super pumped to watch the bubble NBA season take place. It’s going to be something we most likely never see again and I’ll be watching as much as I can. Lakers are still a favorite to win it all but no home court advantage will be detrimental to some teams. Let’s just hope the Lakers don’t have to face the Clippers in the first round….
Who are you rooting for to win both the World Series and NBA Finals this year?
World Series I gotta go with my team the Angels facing off against my second team the Phillies. Anything can happen right?
I think it would be great to see a classic Lakers Celtics finals. Lakers would sweep in 4, completely destroying any hope of a championship for the Celtics.
BRENT WALSH - I THE MIGHTY:
As a sports fan, how excited are you for the MLB and NBA to get started back up again? And which sport are you most excited to watch first?
Provided it actually happens, I’m incredibly excited to watch the NBA again. I’ve missed it so much. It’s been FAR too long since I’ve watched Steph [Curry] drain a deep three.
What do you predict the MLB season is going to look like? Will it actually finish all 60 games? Are the Astros going to get drilled every single at-bat?
Can’t say I’ve been too up on MLB news other than the fact that the entire process of starting back up seems to be a total mess. I know the MLB is incentivizing people NOT to peg the Astros every at bat…. but… I mean, they kinda deserve it right? Cheaters.
How do you see the rest of the NBA season playing out? Will they really be able to pull off a season in a bubble? Are LeBron and the Lakers the favorite to win it all?
I’m trying to keep my expectations low because I don’t want to get my hopes up. I don’t think all players are going to take part, which is going to throw a wrench in the works for certain teams who were in contention provided some of their star players decide it’s just not safe enough. The bubble is possible… but these guys are all up on each other during games. If one person comes down with COVID it could have pretty wide spread consequences. Definitely playing with fire here..
Who are you rooting for to win both the World Series and NBA Finals this year?
Being an A’s fan and a Warriors fan, I have little faith in my team taking it all this year…. I mean, very, very little faith. So to answer this question honestly? I really don’t care. I’m just excited to watch people throw and catch things at the highest level of talent while yelling obscenities at my TV again. :)
STEVE SLADKOWSKI - PUP
As a sports fan, how excited are you for the MLB and NBA to get started back up again? And which sport are you most excited to watch first?
To be completely honest, I’m not really excited at all. To be steaming recklessly ahead, as both the NBA and MLB are, feels very dangerous for the players, coaches and especially the employees of organizations and stadiums/areas contained within the ‘bubble’ (who don’t have a choice to opt out.) The fact that MLB thinks there can be cross-border travel and have teams moving around with some semblance of normalcy is particularly insane and I am disappointed that the Federal Government of Canada has granted an exception to the Blue Jays to potentially play baseball in Toronto at all. [Ed note: Since the posting of this interview, Canada has sense denied the Blue Jays access of playing home games in Toronto.]
Honestly, I am still on the fence about whether or not I will be watching if – I think it is still an if – both or either sports do end up coming back. There’s just so much more that demands society’s attention right now; it’s hard to believe that sports will actually call attention to the injustice and fundamental inequality of life in North America that the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare for all to see. I hope I’m wrong though!
What do you predict the MLB season is going to look like? Will it actually finish all 60 games? Are the Astros going to get drilled every single at-bat?
The unwritten rules of baseball are bullshit but that’s probably not going to stop anyone from throwing at the Astros. From a sheer numbers perspective, the season feels like it’s going to be small-sample-size chaos – if they do have to play (they shouldn’t), it’s a great way to mirror the chaos going on throughout the world as we navigate this pandemic. I don’t think they’ll be anywhere close to finishing sixty games, though!
How do you see the rest of the NBA season playing out? Will they really be able to pull off a season in a bubble? Are LeBron and the Lakers the favorite to win it all?
How dare you ask a fan of the longest-tenured single-season NBA Champions whether any other team is the favourite? The Raptors will repeat or there will be no Finals. Those are the only options. If we’re doing some straight comparison between the NBA and MLB, the smart money is on the NBA being able to complete the playoffs within that bubble – but part of me thinks that there’s too much potential for a super-spreader event at Disneyland in the weeks before the season restarts for there to even be an NBA season. Ultimately, like MLB, this feels like a fundamentally irresponsible undertaking that exposes too many people to too much risk in one of the continent’s hardest-hit regions.
Who are you rooting for to win both the World Series and NBA Finals this year?
There is no evidence to contradict a Toronto sweep of the MLB and NBA seasons this year. But in all likelihood, COVID over common sense in six… maybe seven games!
SHANE TOLD - SILVERSTEIN
As a sports fan, how excited are you for the MLB and NBA to get started back up again? And which sport are you most excited to watch first?
Sports are back. VERY back. We go from having nothing to watch to having three major sports all cramming in games at the same time (let’s not forget the NHL!). As a cautious, health conscious person do I think it’s a good idea? HELL NO. But as a sports fan, BRING IT ON.
What do you predict the MLB season is going to look like? Will it actually finish all 60 games? Are the Astros going to get drilled every single at-bat?
I think one of the three sports is not going to make it through. My vote is baseball because of the sheer number of players and teams and traveling. However, it’s also the least physical, so maybe that will help. And as sick to my stomach I am with what the Astros did, sorry Houston fans but that shit was dirty, I think the pandemic helps keep the focus away from drilling them with every pitch and just going out there and trying to win a game without contracting a potential fatal disease!
How do you see the rest of the NBA season playing out? Will they really be able to pull off a season in a bubble? Are LeBron and the Lakers the favorite to win it all?
Prediction: The Raptors repeat. Yes, losing Kawhi was bad but did you know the Raptors actually had a better record this year without KL than they did with him? Now that the team is healthy, still deep, and has proven to have amazing chemistry, I think there’s reason to think they have a great chance of beating these “super teams” whose stars aren’t as used to playing together, especially with all the distractions. They’re also awesome on the road. And no, they will not beat the Lakers in the NBA Finals… they will beat Denver - who no one talks about but I predicted would make it to the Western Conference Finals at the beginning of the season.
Additional Predictions:
MLB: The Blue Jays make the playoffs. The kids are coming in hot, and with little time to watch tape and readjust, I think the Blue Jays have a great shot at the AL Wildcard. It will be hard to stop the Yankees (I think they will win it all), but the Blue Jays have nothing to lose, have that youth energy, and in a shortened season, that could make an impact.
NHL: The Maple Leafs lose three straight and are out. It’s what they do! I hope I’m wrong. And Boston wins the Stanley Cup - just to make my life a little bit worse.
RILEY BRECKENRIDGE - THRICE
As a sports fan, how excited are you for the MLB and NBA to get started back up again? And which sport are you most excited to watch first?
I’m pretty sure I miss baseball and basketball as much any fan, but I REALLY think starting MLB and the NBA back up in the middle of a surging pandemic is a bad idea. Our federal response to COVID has been an absolute shit show. We’re at 130K+ dead and we still don’t have a coherent plan of how to flatten the curve. Large swaths of the country think that wearing a mask and social distancing is either unnecessary or an insult to their freedom somehow. Cops are killing black people and abusing peaceful protestors. There’s FAR more important shit to think about right now. Professional sports can take a backseat. It’s got to.
What do you predict the MLB season is going to look like? Will it actually finish all 60 games? Are the Astros going to get drilled every single at-bat?
At this rate, I think there’s about a 50% chance they make it to opening day on July 23rd and a 0% chance they finish the season. They’re blowing the testing to even open up practices at this point. That doesn’t really bode well.
How do you see the rest of the NBA season playing out? Will they really be able to pull off a season in a bubble? Are LeBron and the Lakers the favorite to win it all?
Nope. And they shouldn’t even be trying. Eh. Who cares.
Who are you rooting for to win both the World Series and NBA Finals this year?
I am rooting for us (but feeling awfully dire about our ability) to flatten the curve so that I can work and support my family. That’s all I really have the time or energy to root for at this point.
