Jon Lester's Opening Day Message to Chicago Will Make Cubs Fans Both Sad and Hopeful

Right now, baseball fans are supposed to be taking in the sights and sounds of MLB Opening Day, whether that's at the ballpark or from home, perched on the couch. However, a certain invisible enemy has put a halt to that, as the start of the 2020 regular season is delayed until the summer, at least.

This time of year, Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jon Lester is usually getting set to take part in his first game of the season. Instead, Lester sent out a tweet on Thursday afternoon expressing that even though he's bummed out to not be playing the game he loves, the decision was made for betterment of everyone around the nation.

Yes, not having baseball to watch is depressing for Cubs fans. But the suspension of league operations is for the greater good of the country.

While the ongoing spread of the coronavirus has slowed down in nations like Japan and South Korea, cases are only increasing in Italy and the United States. It's never a bad thing to be overly cautious to save the lives of millions, and that's the decision that MLB and other leagues have made by freezing their respective seasons.

If everyone is on the same page and works together, sports and baseball will return sooner rather than later. In the meantime, as Lester said, our healthcare workers deserve our utmost support.