Blake Snell is afraid.

In case you never heard of Snell, he is a 27-year-old pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays. In a Twitch stream Wednesday night, he said, “I should not be getting paid half of what I’m getting paid because the season’s cut in half.”

That’s what the players agreed to in March.

He said he is worried about his safety because of the coronavirus but is willing to overcome his fear and play. But, “I got to get my money. I’m not playing unless I get mine, OK?”

His eloquence continued: “Bro, y’all gonna be like … ‘Play for the love of the game, what’s wrong with you? Money should not be a thing.’ Bro, I’m risking my life. What do you mean it should not be a thing? It should 100% be a thing.”

Let’s hope Snell gets paid. America has suffered enough without having to live with the prospect of going an entire summer without seeing him pitch.

Bryce Harper of the Phillies Twitched, too. He said, “I love Snell. That’s my guy, bro. … He’s speaking the truth, bro. I ain’t mad at him. Somebody’s gotta say it. At least he manned up and said it. Good for him. I love Snell. The guy’s a beast — one of the best lefties in the game.”

Bro, could we please get a grip on ourselves?

MLB players will not be in any danger if they start playing games in the beginning of July, as planned. And that would be the case if there were fans in the stands.

Forget about dying. What about the chances of Snell, Harper or any other major league player ending up in the hospital? Based on data from New York City, which is the epicenter of covid-19, for people between 18 and 44, it’s 0.1%.

You know the country is in a panic when you see people riding bikes on a country path wearing masks. When I mentioned I had seen that to world-renowned Pittsburgh pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht, who was a guest on my radio show, he laughed and said it was idiotic.

He also said it was idiotic for people to be required to wear masks on the beach, a requirement in California and New Jersey.

It’s not just athletes who are afraid, and it’s easy to see why guys such as Snell and Harper would think they’re actually risking their lives by playing in a baseball game.

According to The Athletic, MLB issued a 67-page guide to keep players safe, and it’s hilarious.

Some highlights: Players need to wear masks when not on the field. New baseballs will be used any time a ball is put in play. No fist bumps or high fives. No spitting. Wash hands after every half inning. And my favorite: When the ball is out of play or in between pitches, fielders are encouraged to retreat several steps away from the base runner.

Let’s hope nobody watches the games. Seeing players go through that will scare everybody even more, and even more Americans will go about their lives masked.

It might make sense if getting the disease actually would put players in danger of going to the hospitals or dying.

Again, there’s a 0.1% chance of that happening.

Sorry, but I’m with Dr. Knut Witkowski. For 20 years, he was the head of biostatistics, epidemiology and research design at Rockefeller University’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science. Seems pretty impressive, no?

He recently was interviewed by the website Spiked and was asked if covid-19 is dangerous. “No, unless you have age related severe comorbidities.” (Very old and sick.)

Then there was this exchange:

Spiked: Should people be social distancing?

Witkowskil: No

Spiked: Why not?

Witkowski: Why? What is the justification for that? People need to ask the government for an explanation. The government is restricting freedom. You don’t need to ask me for justification. There is no justification. It is the government that has to justify what it is doing. Sorry, but that is how it is.

I think the good doctor would have a tough time getting through MLB’s 67-page safety guide without throwing up.

Be safe.

Play ball.

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