Bip Roberts Q&A: How condensed 2020 MLB season in Arizona might work

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NBC Sports California analyst Bip Roberts is like most of us lately, missing the everyday presence that baseball usually provides this time of year.

Instead, the .294 career hitter is acting responsibly through socially distancing and seclusion, no matter how frustrating and repetitive the days get.

Last week, we caught up with Roberts via FaceTime for this Q&A:

On the hypothetical seasons discussed and drastic measures MLB might need to take:
“What do we know? Do we know that this is gone for good? That it won’t come back if these guys are around each other? I want to see the game come back. But I don’t want to see anyone put their lives at risk, because of some of the unknowns right now.”

On the potential of playing half or all MLB games in Arizona, during hot August climates:
“I played in the Pacific Coast League. That was Las Vegas, Arizona, New Mexico. It was extremely hot. We played at night. We made adjustments during the day, were inside, they had air conditioning. We hit in the cages, inside. At night, once the sun goes down, it’s beautiful, it’s exactly what you want for your body to stay loose.”

On how many games it would take to compose a meaningful MLB season:
“Just go a half season. I think that’s enough games. They might not get any days off.”

On what the A’s current strong point is:
“Their confidence. Their ability to understand through 162 games what it takes, to perform day in and day out. There’s nothing like experience, when you go through long seasons. The team they put together has now been together long enough to understand how to win. This is a team that is designed to get to the playoffs, and play more than one game. They’re a lot better than that.”

[RELATED: 'Perfect' A's stopped by hiatus]

On what area might be the A’s biggest unknown:
“The most important part of that team towards the latter part of games is the bullpen. You just want to make sure, from the closer back down to the starter, that they’re solid. You can’t win without those guys. Being a reliever is so iffy, but they have guys that can bring it. It’s tough to nit-pick, and say ‘I don’t know if that’s good enough.’ ”

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