The Coronavirus shortened, 60-game baseball season without crowds kicked off yesterday with the first two games, and though I don't watch baseball as much as I once did, I could not have been more excited for this small return of normalcy (side note: WTF is the point of ESPN+ if I can't watch ESPN on it? Why do I have all these streaming services if I can't watch live programming?)

Of course, in the Trump era, even this little bit of normalcy would take on a political bent, but mostly in a good way. Before the National Anthem last night, every single player on the Yankees and Nationals took a knee, which is the kind of solidarity from professional athletes that we have not seen in the Trump era (and given the number of Trumper baseball players, I was frankly surprised by this). It was kind of an amazing moment, though.

Every player and coach on the Yankees and Nationals takes a knee before the national anthem

(via @MarkZuckerman)pic.twitter.com/BReFKXrxOE

— Bleacher Report MLB (@BR_MLB) July 23, 2020

I won't embed any tweets except for the one from the former mayor of NYC, but I probably don't have to tell you that this gesture did not go over well with a lot of conservatives.

All those ball players, including the Yankees, taking a knee during the National Anthem of the country that made them millionaires is hypocritical.

Support for BLM, which is provoking attacks on our law enforcement and innocent people all over America, is disgraceful.

— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) July 24, 2020

Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci also threw out the first pitch, and had their been a crowd in D.C. to see it, Fauci no doubt would have been met with a standing ovation. But, of course, Donald Trump, Jr. made fun.

Just a bit outside!!! pic.twitter.com/pf7hA99z3n

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 24, 2020

I am still so flabbergasted when I see droves of conspiratorial and conservative people on social media hating on Dr. Fauci. It feels like, in some ways -- with polls showing that Trump has never been more unpopular -- that the country has finally broken through a little, but then I see all these people trashing Fauci, and it feels like I'm taking crazy pills.

In any respect, Trump obviously can't deal with being upstaged by Dr. Fauci, so he has arranged to throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium on August 15th, which I'm sure he only decided to do because there would be no crowds there to boo him.

Meanwhile, as a testament to just how mainstream BLM has become in just the last few months, both Major League Baseball and the NBA are sporting BLM logos. I hope that the NFL follows suit.

Also, props to both the NBA and MLB for this. These things matter. #blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/ID4L55mYdj

— TK (@TKhatesyou) July 24, 2020