How much did fans miss attending games?

If absence does make the heart grow fonder, can something similar work when it comes to baseball attendance?

I've heard from a few fans lately that basically said they can't wait to attend another Orioles game when they are allowed back into Camden Yards and it's safe to do so. They missed going to games. I can tell you that applies to some of the media as well. Speaking only for myself, I greatly missed the daily in-person interaction with O's players and staff. And seeing some media friends, too.

Does this apply, however, to most fans?

We also have heard from other fans who said they found out they could get by without sports being a major presence in their lives. For months, they were forced to go without games. They found other things to take up their time and were not missing the games as much as they thought.

But some were very ready for the return of sports. This group realized that suddenly a 5 a.m. Korea Baseball Organization game sounded like a great idea. The NFL draft garnered even more interest than usual. Some of us missed sports and were thrilled to get it back - in almost any form.

Baseball in the majors returned in July and most were delighted, even if fans would not be attending the games. It was strange to see the ballparks without fans, and let me tell you, it was strange to sit in a press box with a mask on, very few reporters in the building and no fans in the stands.

And we still don't know what 2021 will hold. Will we see a 162-game season? Will fans be allowed back? Will they be allowed back with just a small percentage of tickets being sold initially and the crowds being allowed to grow as the year goes on? Stay tuned for these answers.

How much did you miss attending games this year? Will you be excited to get back in the ballparks?

World Series notes: According to the online sportsbook BetOnline, the Los Angeles Dodgers are a 1-to-2 favorite (-200) to win the World Series. That makes Tampa Bay the underdog at 7-to-4 (+175).

The website lists odds for exact World Series outcomes, except I didn't see a Tampa Bay wins in four odds listed. But here are the rest.

13/4 - Dodgers win 4-2
15/4 - Dodgers win 4-1
17/4 - Dodgers win 4-3
23/4 - Rays win 4-3
7/1 - Dodgers win 4-0
7/1 - Rays win 4-2
12/1 - Rays win 4-1

Here are odds on some players to win the World Series MVP:

13/2 - Mookie Betts
7/1 - Corey Seager
8/1 - Tyler Glasnow
9/1 - Charlie Morton
10/1 - Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler, Randy Arozarena

In Game 1 tonight, Clayton Kershaw starts for the Dodgers against the Rays' Tyler Glasnow. In 35 career postseason games, Kershaw is 11-12 with an ERA of 4.31. He is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in five career World Series games and the Dodgers have lost his last three World Series starts. Glasnow is 2-1 with a 4.66 ERA this year in four postseason starts. In six career postseason games, he is 2-3 with a 5.47 ERA.