The Boston Red Sox Thursday, July 2, 2020 * The Boston Globe Baseball is coming back — but it’s going to be very different Dan Shaughnessy Red Sox players, who scattered to the four winds when JetBlue Park shut down in mid-March, were scheduled to be tested for the coronavirus at Fenway Park Wednesday. There’s a loose plan to start staggered workouts at the ballpark Friday, with a goal of opening a 60-game season at the end of July. But like everything else in our COVID-19 spring, no one really knows anything. The sports world is very different now. Prepare for anything. Prepare for nothing. If Major League Baseball is played this summer, it's going to look very different with no fans and goofy new rules. Just think of how some of these new ideas would have changed history if they’d applied back in the good old days. For example, let’s consider the notion of placing a base runner on second base to start any extra inning. If that had applied in the 1975 postseason, Carl Yastrzemski would have been standing on second in the bottom of the 12th when Carlton Fisk walked to the plate to lead off the inning after midnight. Fisk’s blast off the left-field foul pole would have been a two-run shot. Yaz would be the guy crossing home plate with the winning run, and no one from the media would talk to Fisk or Yaz in the Sox clubhouse after the game. Fast-forward to 2020. We have gone from Spaceman and Boomer . to safe spaces and Zoomers. It’s going to be less fun, but it’s the only baseball we have, and that’s better than nothing. These are the little things I think about when I look at the new competition rules and safety protocols suggested for Major League Baseball’s mini-season. It's going to be very different. You're going to see a lot of anonymous players shuffle on and off the big league rosters on an almost daily basis. You'll definitely need a scorecard to keep up with players, but you won't be at Fenway to buy that scorecard. A two-month regular season will produce outliers. Some good teams will be punished and some weak teams potentially rewarded. The World Series champion Nationals were 27-33 after 60 games last year. This is good news for Boston baseball fans. In a 60-game season, the Red Sox have a chance to make the playoffs. Even the Orioles have a shot. The Red Sox didn’t look like much in their first spring training back in March. Management appeared to have given up on the season with its salary-dump deal of Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers for three players you never heard of (big-baggage Alex Verdugo may now be the No. 5 batter in the Boston lineup). Assessing his team’s chances, Boston baseball boss Chaim Bloom acknowledged, “It’s reasonable to expect that we’re going to be worse.” On the final day of locker room access March 9 at Fenway South, reporters were still trying to get to know the 2020 Sox players (we didn’t know this would be the last day of clubhouse access). I spent a few moments with a team interpreter trying to learn about second baseman Jose Peraza, who played his last four seasons with the Reds. I shook hands with the pleasant infielder at the end of our brief session, then walked away and wondered whether we were still allowed to do that. Sixteen weeks later, I can confirm that Jose Peraza was on the other end of my last handshake. I made a run at Verdugo in front of his locker that same morning, but the young outfielder, still recovering from a broken bone in his back, was in a rush to get outside and stretch. “Sorry dude, got to run,‘' said Verdugo. “Maybe catch you tomorrow.” Maybe someday on Zoom. Maybe never. The games may resume at the end of the month, but the days of people like me trying to tell you what the players are like are over. Certainly at least until there’s a vaccine for COVID-19. Baseball is going to resume (we hope), but Dave O’Brien, Eck, and the RemDawg aren’t going to be dodging fouls balls from their broadcast booth at Fenway. They’re not going to be able to tell you what was happening in the clubhouse or around the batting cage before the game, because the plan is for them to call the action from a studio in Watertown. Essentially, they will know nothing more than you. Watching games on TV is a great equalizer. Everybody sees the same things and has the same information. Bill Simmons wins. Sports “coverage” 2020: watch TV and submit your opinion. MLB is allowing as many as 35 people in the press box for these games, but those reporters won't be able to tell you much of anything you can't see. Reporters can't go in the clubhouse anymore. There will be no more storytelling, no more color, no reporting on internal dustups in the locker room. We’ll be able to tell you about the plays in the games and the accompanying numbers. Nothing more. Some readers prefer it that way. Understood. It’s going to be analytics heaven and a paradise for millennial players who barely have time to look up from their phones to converse with teammates. Whee! Fortnite for everyone, media access for none. Play ball. In this protected bubble, David Price might just win 20 games in a 60-game season. A rare glimpse inside Wally’s world Stan Grossfeld It’s hard to get inside the head of Wally the Green Monster, but in an exclusive Globe interview, the friendly and furry Red Sox mascot talked about a range of subjects, including Major League Baseball’s decision to restrict mascots for the 2020 season, the summer heat, his parents, Yankee fans, and what he’s done during the pandemic. Chris Bergstrom, the Red Sox’ director of fan and youth engagement, spent 16 years as the main performer in the Wally costume and remains Wally’s “spokesperson.” Bergstrom handled 90 percent of Wally’s appearances and all the games from 2001-17. Q. When you debuted in 1997, kids loved you. But there was some pushback from the older fans. How did you win them over? A. I won the fans over by winning their grandkids over and their children over. That’s how you win the hearts of the adults. From there, you just become a part of Red Sox history. Q. Since you’ve lived in the Wall since ’47, why didn’t you put a bathroom in it? A. Manny has used it. Q. So, it’s a secret? A. Yeah, call and ask him. He’ll give you the keys. Q. What has surprised you the most over the years? A. Probably filming the “This is ‘SportsCenter’ ” commercial with [David] Ortiz and [Jorge] Posada. Even though it was for the commercial, seeing David in a Yankees cap is something that still gives me nightmares. Q. When mascots get together, what do they talk about? A. How you have to pace yourself, how much water you drink. Q. Did you ever nearly pass out in the heat? A. Every day. You don’t know what humid summers are until you come to Boston and hang out when it’s 95 degrees and humid. Q. What was the most weight loss you had in a game? A. Probably 8-10 pounds of water weight. You know, as soon as I had my postgame meal, I would put it all back on. So it doesn’t really count. Q. MLB initially banned mascots for the 2020 season, but then reversed the policy. Mascots are allowed in the ballpark, just not on the field. What happened to change their mind? A. I think they realized how much they would miss seeing me. Q. What’s a Red Sox game without Wally? A. There’s a whole age group now that doesn’t know what it’s like without Wally there, and I just don’t think it’s as much fun without Wally there. Q. What about TV time? Are you going to going to sit behind home and be in every shot, like the guy from Giant Glass? A. I don’t find the camera. The camera finds me. Q. Do you believe in cardboard cutouts for fans? A. Do you believe in cardboard Wallys? Q. What did you do to celebrate the return of baseball? A. Steamed up a couple of Fenway Franks! Q. Being Wally is all about hugging. How are you going to survive without hugs? A. I never thought about that. It’s a tough question. For now, it’s going to have to be virtual hugs. I have been working on my Zoom moves. Understanding how to live life in a virtual world. Q. What will you miss most about going on the field? A. It took a lot to run down to the field, so I’m going to enjoy doing fewer steps. Q. What have you been doing during the pandemic? A. Since we can’t do appearances in person right now, we’re doing virtual appearances. We could send a video message like “Happy Father’s Day” or we can jump on a Zoom call for a birthday party.