“I think we have too many issues we’re trying to deal with in the country. It’s as chaotic as it’s ever been for our generation.”

Smith is no stranger to unrest. As a 10-year-old in south central Los Angeles in 1965, he and his family went through the Watts riots in which 34 lives were lost.

“We slept on the floor because of all the sniping and looting going on,” Smith, now 65, said.

“The National Guard set up right across the street. That was a long time ago but history has a way of repeating itself. And here we are again.

“That was crazy and, though I’m not in the midst of it now, it brings back so many terrible memories.

“It’s just too chaotic. As much as I’d like to go to the ballpark and enjoy it, it’s just a bad time.”

According to the players’ union’s proposal Sunday to the owners, the schedule would be 114 games, rather than the 82 Major League Baseball originally had projected, and the players would be paid 1/162nd of their 2020 salary for each game played.

The season would start on June 30, a few days ahead of when MLB would start it, and would wrap at the end of October, a full month after the owners had targeted it to end before a month of postseason play involving 14 teams. MLB has said it is worried about a second wave of coronavirus outbreaks in the autumn and doesn’t want to be playing into November.