Day 173, or should I say 50, Version 2....

• Houston and the A's were postponed yesterday due to the coronavirus concerns.  More word to come today.
• Today is the trade deadline for the abbreviated MLB season.  San Diego is trying to make up the ground with the Dodgers with some early moves.
• The Chicago Bears have disavowed Brian Urlacher's pro-White anti-protest rant about the wildcat strikes of sports -- partially using Brett Favre's playing after his father died as an example of why Black players should "shut up and play".  Gee, and you think the fact that Urlacher was one of only about 30% of the NFL who was White may have had something to do with that?     
• And we lost John Thompson today.
• The NFL has taken over the cheerleader-harassment scenario in Washington.
• And, with that, we are at September callups in Botball.  The season-long charity stream has finally hit the pennant races.  Hopefully some more people will be watching, but here's where we stand come September 1st:

1. AL:  The Orioles, Tigers, Royals, and Mariners have all been eliminated.
2. AL East:  Yankees (85-52), 6 up on the Rays (79-58). 
3. AL Central:   Twins (95-43, best record in baseball by a MILE), 8 1/2 up on Indians (86-51), 18 1/2 up on the White Sox (76-61)
4. AL West:  A's (79-58), 4 up on the Astros (75-62), 7 1/2 up on the Angels (72-66)
5. Wild Card:  Rays at Indians.  White Sox 3 back, Astros 4 back, Angels 7 1/2 back.  Indians 7 up on the Rays.
6. Twins #1 seed by 9 1/2 over the Yankees, who are 6 further up on the A's for the #2.
7. So not that much to play for in the American League.
8. NL:  The National League, however, is another story.  It's basically 3 by 2, 6 teams for 5 spots, someone's going home and a lot to play for in the Senior Circuit.
9. Only the Pirates have been mathematically eliminated, but the Giants, Padres, Mets, Marlins, Brewers, and Cardinals are all within about a week or so of joining them.  This is, truly, basically a six-team situation.
10. NL East:  Braves (85-52) have actually overtaken the Nationals (85-53), and, as a result, now have the best record in the National League.  The two have a series this week.
    
11. NL Central:  Cubs (82-55), 2 1/2 up over the Reds (80-58)  The two have a series this weekend.
    
12. NL West:  Dodgers (81-58), 1 1/2 up over the D-Backs (79-59).  The two have another series this week.
13. Wild Card:  Reds at Nationals.  D-Backs 1 game back of the Reds, the next team down is Philadelphia (68-69), 11 1/2 back of the Reds with 25 to play.
14. Braves 3 up on the Cubs for #1, Cubs 2 up on the Dodgers for the #2.
15. Twins are 9 1/2 up on the Yankees and Braves for the best record in Botball.

• There is a post I want to make today (and today would be the only appropriate day for it).  The problem being, if I make the post, anything I say damn well (for about 100 different reasons, and only 1 of them probably has to do with the post's subject matter -- the other 99 are non-related current events, politics, election, riots, etc.) probably can and will be used against me in a court of law at some point, probably early 2021, the way the world wants to fuck with things.
• I'll give one hint:  My alternate name for Day 173...
  

Day 172

• So they did that college football game in.  Especially with reports of outbreaks at places like Notre Dame and Alabama, let's see how many MORE they get in...  
• And now sixteen players off the Auburn team with concerns over the virus.
  
• Central Arkansas 24 - Austin Peay 17  ESPN covered the FCS game.
• Next round of the hostilities:  A pro-Trump caravan shot paintballs, etc. into the crowd in Portland, where rioting has gone on over three months now.  One of the BLM people returned fire.  One Trump supporter killed.
• And with all this craziness going on, the US Open tennis tournament WILL start on schedule tomorrow.
• Keith Olbermann was talking about the concept of a Western team getting the virus completing the problematic situation -- word today is that the Oakland A's now have at least one player positive for the virus.
• Unconfirmed report of a shooting surrounding another pro-Trump caravan in LA today.
  

Day 171

• And just days after the 2019-20 season finally ended, the 2020-21 European soccer season begins with the English Community Shield match, a season-opening tradition pitting the FA Cup Champion (Arsenal) vs. the EPL champion (Liverpool).  The EPL season proper begins September 12th.
• Update on a previous story:  Randy Frankel of the Tampa Bay Rays is about to throw 4,000,000 pounds to start a process to save Wigan Athletic Football Club, but the relegation to third-tier League One was secured when Sheffield Wednesday's 12-point deduction for their own financial mess will be applied similarly starting THIS SEASON, not off of last season's total.
• Charlton Athletic Club are suing for Wednesday's place in the second-tier Championship.  Charlton was the team which would've stayed up if Wednesday's points were deducted on the just-completed season.
• College football DID successfully kick off with one FCS game tonight, promoted to ESPN as a result.

Day 170

• There are days I literally see something which falls into the category of "Why do I bother trying?"  I did, however, try to promise someone I wasn't going to fall into complete trolldom for the sake of trolldom, so I'll let it sit for a bit.
• According to Keith Olbermann (through Mick Albicocco), he has video of Rob Manfred attempting a publicity stunt for the Mets-Marlins protest last night.  What he didn't count on was the walk-out/wildcat strike.

Holy shit Rob Manfred is trying to force the Mets to pull a social justice awareness stunt tonight by having the players symbolically leave the field at 7:10 before returning an hour later to play at 8:10 even though the players don’t want to play tonight pic.twitter.com/4BJLaPUkoy

— Nick Albicocco (@NickCocco18) August 27, 2020

• Guys, Manfred is CLEAR White-Right.  He has done more to bring The National Pastime to the KKK whims of the President than anyone since about Keenesaw Mountin Landis.    
• At least nine NFL teams in total cancelled practice yesterday. 
• The Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, has resigned, citing his health.  Note that, in Japanese culture, though, usually citing health reasons is a saving-face motif.    
• The Big Ten is now considering a Thanksgiving football start.
• The Athletics-Astros game became the eleventh to be refused by MLB players over the current rioting.
• In an "Only in 2020" moment...  It appears as if the season-long BotBall project may be in serious technical trouble.  The stream has been increasingly intermittent over the course of the last several weeks.  And now, there's a very real chance that, due to an increasing possibility of a lawsuit between the person who's the head of the operation and his ISP, that the ISP is no longer even fielding technical calls to fix the problems in the stream.
  

 

If Black Lives Don't Matter, Then Neither Do Sports

This has not been a fun last 48 hours.

Though I stand in opposition to the man, what he did, and probably what he and what he did stand for, the White shooter in Kenosha set something off, and it's literally another case of "One man's terrorist is another's freedom-fighter."

There are some evident truths:

• We have a bunch of limp-dicked cowards in this country who are posing nude with their guns up their anuses, begging for the "right" to kill homosexuals, transgenders, uppity women, uppity Blacks, immigrants, anybody they don't like.
• We have a President who is gathering the big money in this country (including that of these demographics, who should realize they will all be purged when they are of no use to the fat orange motherfucker Piece of the Ultimate Shit) to attempt to get re-elected and all-but-launch a New Founding Fathers of America straight of the The Purge media series.
• Ten MLB games (three Wednesday, and every game not part of a rescheduled doubleheader Thursday)...
• Two days of NBA and NHL playoffs at least (Wednesday and Thursday at minimum NBA, Thursday and Friday minimum NHL)...
• Two days of regular-season MLS and WNBA play...  all cancelled.

If that were the extent of it, that'd be bad enough.

• Then I read this morning of tens of thousands of Tweets (meaning at least thousands of supporters) telling the NBA Black players to "Move to China". 

WHY DON'T SOME OF YOU MAGATS MOVE TO RUSSIA?  Putin would love you, and I hear Sochi is a wonderful resort town for your type. 

• I have heard repeated associated calls for the abolition of American professional sports.

Let's just get this down to brass tacks.

You want American professional sports gone because Jimmy the Greek was RIGHT and that the NBA is 80% Black and the NFL, 70%.

Herschel Walker, motherfucking SHAME ON YOU.  You are supporting your own DEATH, and you are too fucking stupid to realize it through that decades-long relationship you have with The Orange Pig.

• Sexual assault and harassment, much less rape, have become standards to bear in this country...  Isn't that right, Dan Snyder with ANOTHER scandal involving the sexual gratification of the elite at the unwilling bodies of the Washington cheerleaders??  Isn't that right, .....  Wait, I can't say that story yet.  Still waiting for word on forward progress on all of that!!!    

Why don't you say that the only purpose some of us had was to be that assaultive and be arrested, shot, killed, etc.?  I'll tell you this, you pigfuckers who believe that:  The women I've associated myself with (including Deborah) have been some of the nicest, most supportive, most intelligent, most engaging people I've ever known in my life.

But that's right...  The only purpose of Man is to Be Fruitful and Multiply -- as long as you're the right kind of man.  Other than that, you are to be envious of what "We" are entitled to and "You" are not!! 

So why would it be any surprise that we have another example of the cheerleaders being used as the sexual toys of the Football Man Elect, among MANY MANY MANY other things??

Let's get some brass tacks down right now.  This country re-elects The Orange Pig:

• People very close to me die in very short order.
• This blog eventually goes away...

Yes, you heard me right.  I'm not going to be around very long into a Trump second term.  Enemies of the President are usually considered Enemies of the State.  And, even though I'm not THAT high on the list, I probably will be actionable at some point after the promises I have been asked to keep are fully and finally finished as "kept".

There IS another reason:

• Largely Black-populated sports in this country, at whatever levels necessary, will be outlawed.  No more NFL nor NBA/WNBA at minimum.

I just want you all to marinate on that at some point...  Seriously...  I'll leave you there for the time being. 

• EDIT TO ADD:  Except for one point...  Tonight, when The Orange Pig accepted the nomination at the White House, many supporters lined up in no masks nor social distancing at the Washington Mall.  Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader, An unnamed Trump administration spokesperson (correction) admitted that Trump policy should be that every person in this country will get the coronavirus.
• He has basically condemned this country to a first-wave killing of over 10 million Americans, per the announced percentage of deaths over announced cases. 
• And then Mitch McConnell trying to appeal to the fat slobs in the Republican Party:  "Ermahgerd, they're going to tell you how many hamburgers you can eat!"
  
• FUCK YOU MITCH.  The government's been doing that for decades!!!
  

Day 169

• And now a showdown in the LA protests just into the morning:  They've been kettled into a tunnel and not let out.
• Latest racist claptrap:  NBA players now being told, trending on Twitter, to move to China.  Be careful.  Trump wins, and many MIGHT.     
• The NBA referees are staging a protest march this morning in support of the players, in front of tandem meetings of the players and the NBA Board of Governors.
• Current tea leaves are basically saying that the season is over if the Lakers and Clippers aren't part of it.
• In the NFL (so far today), the Colts, Jets, and Washington have cancelled practice in boycott protest over the situation.
• The NBA will continue the playoffs...  at some point.  Word as of right now is tomorrow.
  
• Tonight's three NBA games have been postponed.
• The Mets and Marlins took the field tonight, held a 42-second (Jackie Robinson) moment of silence, the first batter laid a BLM T-shirt on home plate, and the game was called off.
• Six other games were also called off for today.  The three postponements from yesterday were all played as 7-inning doubleheaders today.
• The only games played today at all were rescheduled doubleheaders.
  
• I'll have a(nother) blog post on all that as time and circumstances permit tonight.  It's clear this is getting an "All In" moment here.
• The NHL has called off all play for at least tonight and tomorrow as well.
• Legendary Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson passed away tonight.
• It appears as if MLB will try a post-season bubble.  A proposal for one has been sent to the players' union.  That is, of course, provided we GET that far!     

 

And here we go again: Shit is hitting the fan as we speak...

I think it's clear we have hit the All-Stop Condition I spoke of at the beginning of this pandemic back in March.

Last night, a 17 year old from central Illinois who is a Trump-supporting militia member went to Kenosha and killed two people and maimed a third in the first real strike-back of the alt-Right against the BLM protests.

Look, it's reprehensible, but people need to get this is where we are.

I said to various fora I am still allowed to post in that this IS the Second American Civil War.  Just moving a shade slower than I think some would like.

But it's becoming clearer and clearer we're shooting our way out of this.  Talking doesn't work, either way.

Want one good example?  Tonight's NBA cancellations -- and the all-but-certain fact that tomorrow probably follows suit.

This, following a meeting in which ESPN reports at least an informal poll which indicates the two Los Angeles teams want the season over right now -- that it is no longer right they can play at all.  It got so contentious that LeBron James stormed out of the meeting.

There are a lot of people who believe Black-populated sports need to be done away with because of these people's beliefs being more like the Ku Klux Klan.

Someone forgot to tell them the story of Jimmy the Greek.

There is a non-zero chance we lose the NBA season, and who knows what happens from there. 

But the NBA best be very careful.  People know it's Black Man's League from the Donald Sterling incident, and the league IS 80% Black.  With next season all but certain not to start til at least a month after the election:  If Trump wins, the NBA is FINISHED.

And now, a Black suicide (there are conflicting reports as to whether the police wanted a piece of him for shoplifting, etc.) has set off Minneapolis again...

Day 168

• The Rams, Chargers, and 49ers will be fanless for the foreseeable for home games.
• The Lions called off practice yesterday in protest of the escalating tensions in Wisconsin -- which killed two last night and this morning.
• Soccer ultra-star Lionel Messi is on his way out of Barcelona and appears headed to dual deals with Manchester City in the EPL and NYCFC in the MLS.
• Nate McMillan has been fired as the coach of the Pacers.
• The British version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" will, in it's next aired series, have the series' first grand champion for a million pounds in 14 years.  The unnamed contestant is basically already being seen as the best contestant ever on the show, and it has already been spoiled that the contestant wins the game completely without the use of lifelines -- a John Carpenter without the call to his father!  (In actuality the first to do so, in reality the second.)
• Also in protest of the current situation in Kenosha, the Brewers refused to play tonight.  They got mutual consent with the other team -- the game will not be forfeited.
• And that began a cascade.  The Padres and Mariners called off tonight, as did the ESPN game of the Dodgers and Giants.  And after the Bucks said they wouldn't play, the NBA postponed the three Game 5's of the first round tonight.  And the MLS and WNBA.
• And tomorrow doesn't look good either for the NBA.  The Lakers and Clippers are reported by ESPN to wanting to end the season and playoffs now without a champion -- the rest of the league wants to play on at some point.  But it appears from reports that tomorrow's schedule may also be scrapped.
• Naomi Osaka has also decided to drop out of this week's WTA tournament in protest.
  

Day 167

• Interesting Botball stat:  The Baltimore Orioles' Tragic Number (Elimination from all playoffs) is 1.
• Real life Orioles are 14-14.  .500.  Unfortunately, they would be the last team eliminated.  They are currently ninth-best in the American League.  Interestingly, they've played 19 home games already of their 30.  They've won SIX.
  
• Worst RL team in the American League is the 9-21 Angels.  The Red Sox are 9-20.
  
• Worst in the National League is the 7-17 Pirates.
• It appears Usain Bolt went without masks for his birthday party.  *shakes head*    
• Earl Thomas has been fired by the Ravens for a training-camp fight and other disciplinary measures.  He costs himself $10,000,000 for conduct detrimental to the team. 
• Reports have the number of NFL coronavirus positive tests at 77 for the training camp.
• First no-hitter of the shortened MLB season.  Lucas Giolito of the White Sox no-hit the Pirates tonight.
  

 

Day 166

• The 2019-20 European soccer season is FINALLY over.  Bayern Munich of Germany defeated Paris-St. Germain of France 1-0 in the UEFA Champions' League grand final in Brussels yesterday.
• The Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics are the first two teams to advance to Round Two of the NBA playoffs -- the Miami Heat can join them today.
• Roman Reigns has returned to the WWE at the end of the annual SummerSlam (this year, in the Amway Center in Orlando in the new WWE ThunderDome virtual-audience experience).  Bit of a gulp moment with how high-risk he is with the leukemia and treatments.
• Sonya DeVille, on the other hand, is taking some time off wrestling to deal with her real-life stalker problems -- she lost a Loser Leaves match to Mandy Rose to get her out of the company so things can be taken care of.
• About 30 or so games left in the Botball schedule.  Still raising money for Meals on Wheels -- hopefully we can get some more viewers as the pennant races start in earnest now:

1. Yankees (82-49), 5.5 up on the Rays.
2. Twins (89-43, best record in Botball), 5 up on the Indians
3. A's (76-54), 6 up on the Astros.
4. Wild Card:  Rays (76-54) at Indians (83-47)  White Sox 3 out, Astros 6, Angels 7.
5. WC at Twins, A's at Yankees.
   
6. Nationals (80-52, best record in the NL), 1/2 game up on the Braves.
7. Cubs (78-53), half game up on the Reds. 
8. Dodgers (77-56), 1 game up on the D-Backs.
9. Wild Card:  Reds (77-53) at Braves (79-52)  D-Backs 2 1/2 back, no other teams above .500 in the NL.
10. WC at Nationals, Dodgers at Cubs

• Dustin Johnson won the Northern Trust Championship in the Fed Ex Cup playoffs with an incredible -30 score and an 11-shot victory.   According to the PGA Tour website: 

1. The -30 is the second lowest score, relation to par, in the history of the PGA Tour since 1950.  It's been 17 years since Ernie Els won the Mercedes Championships in 2013 at -31 for the record.
2. It is also #2 on the lowest stroke total for a 72-hole PGA Tour event.  254, including a 60 on Friday.  Three years ago in Hawaii, Justin Thomas took him one stroke better, both in total and he got a 59 on Thursday. 

• The long-lauded "Process" in Philly with the 76ers is done.  After being swept out of the playoff bubble, Brett Brown, the coach of seven years got fired today and more is coming.
• The Heat join the Celtics and Raptors as Eastern Conference sweeps.
• Usain Bolt has tested positive for the coronavirus. 

Day 165

• SGDQ Online raised over $2.3 million for Doctors Without Borders -- an incredible number, given all circumstances.
• Both the Bears and Browns reported positive tests for the virus on Saturday, but the league is trying to silence the New Jersey lab which apparently produced and processed those positives.
• Takuma Sato of Japan won today's delayed Indianapolis 500.  11th season in the circuit, 6th series win.  His second Indy 500 win.  First was three years ago.
• Most of the teams who did not have virus outbreaks or be impacted by other teams' outbreaks have now finished basically half of the 60 game MLB schedule.

1. Tampa Bay at 19-10 is 1 game ahead and 4 games in hand on the Yankees at 16-9.
2. Minnesota at 19-10 is 1.5 games ahead and 1 game in hand on Cleveland at 17-11.  2 ahead of Chicago at 17-12.
3. Oakland has the best AL record at 20-9 and 4.5 up and 1 in hand on Houston at 15-13. 
4. The Yankees would win the fourth home spot for the best of 3's.
5. Atlanta is 16-12 and 2 up and 6 games in hand on the 11-11 Marlins.  The Mets are next at 12-14.
   
6. Chicago is 17-10, 3.5 up (but TEN games in hand) on the 9-8 Cardinals.  Cincinnati and Milwaukee are next at 11-15.
7. The Dodgers, as many expected, MLB's best record at 22-8, 4 up on the streaking Padres at 18-12.  The AL and NL West have largely been untouched by the schedule problems. 

• Interesting MLB quirk:  SIX games finished on today's schedule by the exact same 5-4 score.
  

Day 164

 Yep, skipped another one...  Slow day yesterday.

• Thom Brennaman has been fired from the NFL Fox broadcasts for his homophobic remarks.
• And now you can add Mike Milbury to the mess -- misogynistic comments, and he's been forced to step away from NBC's coverage in the playoffs.  No word on whether this is a permanent firing or not.
• Second round of the NHL Playoffs begins tonight.
• It's SummerSlam weekend for WWE.  Patrick Clark/Velveteen Dream has returned to NXT, with quite a bit of controversy, but HHH says they couldn't find anything.  Yeah, right.  Of course, given Vince and how he feels about anyone other than himself, am I really surprised?  That's a company-ender, though -- especially for someone like WWE, who prides themselves on relationships with corporate sponsors -- if you're wrong!     
• The Washington Nationals have had to fire a male employee for throwing coffee at a woman.
• Branden Jackson of the Seahawks was knocked out with a helmet-to-helmet hit.
• According to MaxPreps, it appears 17 states will call off high-school football for the Fall to some or more extent.  Seven states have already started games.  Seven states have still not announced their plans for 2021.
  

Day 162

• The English Premier League is scheduled to begin next season in about a month.
• Tonight, Joe Biden accepts the Democratic nomination for President.
• Mike Harmon, the driver who, seven years ago, was accused of stealing the trailer for Jennifer Jo Cobb, with much of her equipment inside, has just had his Infinity #47 and it's trailer stolen...  That is, if you don't believe this guy is doing the whole thing for insurance money, as untrustworthy as he certainly is...    
• So, in the NBA playoffs:
  

1. The East #1 is down 0-1.
2. The West #1 is down 0-1.
3. The West #2 is 1-1. 

Game 2's are tonight for the #1s.

• Now the New York Mets have a turn with positives for the coronavirus -- tomorrow night's game is postponed as a result of at least one player and one staffer with the virus.
• Adam Silver no longer believes Dec. 1, 2020 is a realistic start date for the 2020-21 NBA season because he wants fans in the seats.  He isn't gonna have a season at all if that is his criteria.    
•  
  

Day 161

• Derrius Guice is accused of rape by two women while he was a freshman at LSU.  
• Lane Kiffin wants Big Ten and Pac-12 players to be allowed to transfer.  Another step toward removing football from those conferences.    
• Spike of positives at Notre Dame has felled Fall practices.
• Huge fire in Northern California has royally screwed everything up.
• Thom Brenamann is done as an announcer for the Reds, it appears.  He had to basically resign from tonight's broadcast after uttering a homophobic slur into a mic he didn't think was live.  Rule Number One, and we're taught this Day One:  Assume any mic you talk into is LIVE!!!     
• 33 years on the mic, 27 with Fox Sports.  Wow. 
• Suspended indefinitely.  Per the Reds.
  
• The NFL is considering a playoff bubble.
  

Day 160

• Fucking heat wave...  Another record today, and had to struggle to keep both electricity and wits about us, and NO ONE is cooperating.
• It is now clear that the Sonya Deville stalker was there to do grave harm.  He has a bail hearing in a few days, but better NOT be released -- now or ever again.  And I think I can say that qualifiedly. 
  
• Three suspensions in Texas for the response of a San Diego Padre jacking a grand slam home run on a 3-0 pitch up seven runs.  Think this might spark more breaches of the "unwritten rules" to draw suspensions, especially in key matchups??     
• Nick Markakis, who opted out of the baseball season and then opted back in, is now on the IL for exposure to the virus.
• Bill Plaschke has announced he is finally clear and negative after a three-week battle with the virus.
• There is an altercation from last year's NBA Western Conference Finals under investigation, as an off-duty/workman's comp cop in Oakland is now in trouble for shoving one of the owners of the Trail Blazers.
• The KBO in Korea, a season-long savior of ESPN programming, may be about to shut down if cases continue to escalate in the country.  A Level 2 control situation has been invoked -- if it gets to Level 3, no more Korean baseball.
• Death Valley:  128 yesterday, 124 today.  There is a purported tourist picture at the visitor's station (which has a thermometer) of 131 at Death Valley on Sunday.
  

Day 159

• The Canadian Football League has called off professional football in Canada.  It will be the first time in a century the Grey Cup has not been awarded.
• The University of North Carolina TRIED to start classes normally.  That lasted one week.  Almost 200 positives have sent all classes to remote learning.
  

Day 158

• Next few days' posts may be brief or not at all (depends on how much computer time I get, etc. and so forth).  Fucking Mother Nature 100+ for the next two weeks.  Worst heat wave in at least 20 years.
• Games Done Quick is finally doing it's annual summer event, but SGDQ this year is, of course, SGDQ Online.  For Doctors Without Borders, all week on their Twitch channel.
• A Florida man was arrested today for trying to kidnap WWE's Sonya Deville at her house.
• To give you an idea of why I might not be posting as much, as available of computer:  Today, in Death Valley, CA, it reached 130 degrees.  That is the highest temperature the planet has had recorded in nearly 110 years.  It may, in fact, be the highest recorded temperature fully verifiable.  It is the global record for the month of August.  A heat wave in July 1913 had gotten to 134, but the 130 today is far more verifiable.
• According to The Weather Channel, 125 tomorrow, 123 Tuesday, and it'll be over 110 every day for the rest of the month.
• In almost a sign of the times, the man who serves as the mascot for the Los Angeles Kings has been suspended for sexual harassment.
  

Day 157

• Tuuka Rask of the Bruins has decided to sit out the rest of the playoffs.
• The Reds and Pirates will not play today or tomorrow because of the positive coronavirus case on the Reds.  And wasn't there thought Votto also had similar symptoms some time back?     
• The grandmother of Portland center Jusuf Nurkic has died to the coronavirus.  Portland and Memphis play today in the Western Conference 8-9 play-in for the right to play the Lakers.
  

Day 156

• Reports now have Ramon Laureano's suspension reduced to four games.
• The Basketball Hall of Fame has announced dates for their next inductions:  May 13-15, 2021. 
• Will McGee is done -- opted out of the season.
• The NBA will have one play-in series:  Portland, by playing and winning one more game than Memphis over the course of the two parts of this season, only has to beat Memphis once.  Memphis must beat Portland twice.
• Olbermann, with word from the last couple weeks sans Thurbercasts (sounds like serious foot/heel/knee injuries -- and God don't I know that drill!!!):

A quick video note about the absence of, and hoped for return of, #Thurbercast pic.twitter.com/MIX6GLWMJ2

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 14, 2020

• Late-night COVID-19 positive reported on the Reds, after their game with the Pirates tonight.  No word on tomorrow night yet.
  

Day 155

• Joe Kelly, who got his suspension reduced to five games, called the Houston Astros "snitches" and "rats".  Good luck finding another American team to play for!  Manfred loves him some Asterisks.    
• The first at-home games for the MLS season post-shutdown were last night -- and players kneeling for the Anthem were booed in Dallas as Dallas and Nashville started a home-and-home series -- they were the two teams who had enough COVID positives to be forced not to play in the MLS Is Back Tournament.
• 2,912 carriers attended the match in Dallas.  Yeah, I said it.  CARRIERS.  At me, you fucking Covidiots.  And don't come screaming to me when there' s no Cowboys or Longhorns or the like this Fall either!
  
• Not sure what did it, but Nebraska will shut down football for the Fall as well now, not thinking of previous plans to play outside the Big Ten.
• The Southland Conference has postponed football, etc.
• The Cowboys are going to try to have fans at their games.
• Washington... is not.
• Mark Emmert has announced the cancellation of all Fall NCAA championships.
• AEW's Jimmy Havoc has been fired for his sexual misconduct in the #SpeakingOut movement.  Two other wrestlers were released, but neither had been involved with the company for months, so that was just trimming.
  

Has anybody figured some of this out yet?? That, if sports survives, this might be the catalyst for what results???

• Baseball:  7-inning doubleheaders
• Universal DH
• Runner on second to start any extra innings
• College Football:  No more Big Ten or Pac-12 or most of the FCS...

Figure it out yet?

This is how they get rid of most of the chaff.  This is how they get rid of most of what is no longer economically viable to continue in any respect, even at the pro level....

If sports survives all this, watch the next five years.

Day 154

• Portland won the MLS Is Back Tournament and the CONCACAF Champions' League place thereto, 2-1 over host Orlando.
• FUCKING NO, NBA!!!!!

Players will be allowed to bring in family and "established longstanding personal friends," into The Bubble, per memo shared with teams today.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 12, 2020

• The only damn reason you've been able to succeed in this is a tight bubble!!    
• 2020 Masters will be held without any spectators, just like the PGA Championship was.
• The rescheduled 2020 Kentucky Derby has shelved all general admission.
  

 

Day 153: AKA, let's see if this new Blogger setup actually WORKS...

 Not that Blogger didn't announce it (nor is it irreversible), just they finally pulled the trigger sometime yesterday...

• Appears at least one slur by the Astros' coach precipitated the brawl.  I really want people to look at Jomboy's breakdown of the situation -- he notes that Laureano was actually trying to tell the pitcher that his slider was too inconsistent and THAT was the reason he was getting hit.   
• The Mountain West has officially pulled the plug on college football for the Fall.
• The official vote on the Big Ten (the 12-2 vote reported was apparently tea leaves on the part of the University presidents) is supposed to come today.
• The coach of Nebraska, however, has said he's prepared to try to go on his own!
  
• The Pac-12 will similarly meet and finalize a decision today -- a created board of Student Safety has encouraged the closure of Fall sports for this year.
• The SEC demands to go forward.
• I really see this as the impetus to actually regionalize college football to a Southeastern US model, where's it's really been (when you think about it) for a number of years now.   
• The other two Power 5 conferences are still deep in deliberation.
• Much of the talk of calling off college football for the Fall has actually centered around associated heart conditions people who come down with the coronavirus eventually have to deal with.
• The MLB is actually proposing a bubble for it's playoffs, should it get that far.
• The New York Rangers won the first pick in the (Supplemental) NHL Draft Lottery.
• There is now word that the beginning planning stages of a Spring League of football for players opting out of college and NFL free-agents is being planned for a bubble in Las Vegas.  A six-team tournament is also being planned for October.
• University of Massachusetts has just joined UConn in calling off football til the Spring.  And will be missed just about as much...     
• Oakland A's:  Ramon Laureano, 6 games for his role in the brawl Sunday.
• Houston Astros:  Alex Cintron, 20 games for his slur that started it. 
• Just reported by ESPN at noon Pacific:  The Big Ten has become the first Power 5 conference to call off the Fall football season.  They'll try Spring as well.
• And, as largely expected, the Pac-12 joins them an hour or so later.
• In an unbelievable turn of events, the 2-2 draw between Columbus and Tampa Bay in the first game of the First Round of the Eastern Conference playoffs has been preserved through FOUR OVERTIMES.
• In another:  The NHL, as a result of the current realities, has postponed the second Eastern Conference game until tomorrow morning!!!!
• Almost 11 minutes into the EIGHTH period, Tampa Bay beats Columbus 3-2.
• The Big XII, for now, is going forward.
• And Hard Knocks, with the two LA teams, is still on for this season.
  

 

Day 152

• More glorious humor from the NHL:

Thank you... to all the fans in the stands today! 😂🤣 #StanleyCup Round Robin pic.twitter.com/eZBSw6KegO

— NHL (@NHL) August 9, 2020

• The Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition has been moved back to November 28 to attempt to maximize PPV revenue. 
• The Zeldathon crew is raising money for the next couple days on their Twitch channel for Direct Relief. 
• Still want to believe this is all fake?  Add Alyssa Milano (who's been sick pretty much this entire time and is pleading for people to do the right thing!!) and Antonio Banderas to the list of celebrity positives for the coronavirus.
• The Dan Patrick Show this morning reports the Big Ten season will be cancelled.  A vote taken last night during a conference of the schools indicates a 12-2 vote not to play -- only Iowa and Nebraska voted to play.  Official announcement appears set for tomorrow.

Day 151

• The Vikings' Cameron Smith needs surgery to deal with a congenital heart condition, according to Yahoo! Sports -- a condition only discovered after irregularities in his COVID-19 testing.
• Two prominent Power Five conference athletic directors told CBS Sports on condition of anonymity they believe a cancellation of the 2020 college football season is inevitable. 
• And to that end:  Conference call tonight in the Big Ten to that effect.
• And it sounds like the whole thing may come down Monday...  
• Cleveland Indians have sent Zach Plesac home and suspended him for violating the protocols.
• Collin Morikawa won the PGA Championship for his first major title today.
• Outfielder Lane Thomas is the SEVENTEENTH member of the Cardinals organization testing positive for COVID-19.  The next series they are scheduled for has already been cancelled or postponed. 
• The NFL officials have reached an agreement on opting out -- if they do so by a certain date, they get $30,000 from the league and their jobs guaranteed for the 2021 season. 
• Sad news tonight in the pro wrestling community.  James Harris died this afternoon -- and his wife notes that it probably was due to complications from the coronavirus.  You'd know Harris better by his famed gimmick for many years, Kamala the Ugandan Giant.  Harris' wife said that he probably got the virus at the dialysis center at which he had to go in the latter years of his life, tested positive Wednesday, heart attack this afternoon.
• And Chris Jericho did a show at the no-mask Sturgis Rally.  Love ya, Jericho, but this time, you're a stupid idiot.  Let's hope that doesn't put you on that "List" and that you don't get....   .....
• It.    
• And Round 2 of Protect The Astros will be coming Monday:  Oakland's Ramon Laureano will get a long vacation for, after being hit twice today and three times in the Astros series, going after the dugout of the Astros.
• But one major complication that Manfred won't care about:  When Laureano was hit the second time today, famous YouTube analyst Jomboy saw and pointed out that Laureano was actually trying to advise the young pitcher on how not to lose a slider inside -- that same pitcher has hit Laureano on Friday as well!
• But the hitting coach for the Astros was not impressed, told Laureano to "Come at me, bro.", which Laureano did.  
• I forecast 10 games for Laureano, and a pat on the back for the Asterisks.

Day 150

• The entire series of Cubs-Cardinals has been postponed -- MORE positive tests on the Cardinals.  
• And now it sounds like their series with Pittsburgh is kaput too!
• Colorado State has suspended it's football activities for an abuse investigation.
• California will go with all colleges online unless circumstances allow.
• Eric Kay, a former director of communications with the Angels, has been formally charged with illegally supplying drugs which led to the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs.
• And the first D I-A/FBS domino falls:  The Mid-American Conference has called off all Fall sports, including football.  They'll try the Spring. 
• MLS:  Orlando will play Portland in the MLS Is Back final on Tuesday -- and then on Wednesday, the season will resume in home markets.  Oh shit...    
• Speaking of "Oh shit...", I hope, Chris Jericho, you didn't just make a huge mistake in booking some shows around Sturgis, SD this weekend...
• But here's this week's Saturday Night Special: 

• The Las Vegas Golden Knights and Philadelphia Flyers won the round-robin tournaments to be the #1 seeds of the conferences in the NHL Playoffs, which enter the First Round proper on Tuesday.

Day 149

• The NCAA has cancelled all Division II and III championships for the Fall and they will NOT be rescheduled -- opening the door for blanket cancellation of all Division III sports until at least November.
• And now, once the Pioneer and Big Sky conferences have cancelled their fall sports seasons, the FCS part of Division I won't have it's championship for football in the Fall either.  Attempts will be made to cobble together a schedule for the Spring.
• Houston Astros:  Kent Emanuel, 80 games for PEDs.
• Oakland A's:  Former bench coach Ryan Christenson celebrated a win yesterday...  by throwing an apparent Nazi salute.  Just call off the goddamned season already!!!     

Day 148

• In another indication that this is going further and further down the road, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular has been cancelled for this year.
• Four Astros got plunked last night by the Diamondbacks. 
• Governor of the state of Ohio tested positive for the virus before a Dump visit. 
• At the deadline for opting out, 66 NFL players have opted out of the 2020 NFL season.

Day 147

• The American Federation of Teachers is actually proposing that if the nation's schools are forced open, you may see a NATIONAL TEACHERS STRIKE.
• A massive party was broken up on Sunday at Mulholland Drive in LA after not only three people got shot, but the entire situation appears to have spread the coronavirus in that area and that of the attendees.
• The Miami Marlins returned to MLB today with 18 new players -- and a 4-0 win.
• Colorado State's football team is claiming the university, citing the "need" for football, is covering up the risk to the players.
• Speaking of Colorado, the state has become the ninth high-school sanctioning body to change it's football season into a spring season this school year.  They are proposing an eight week regular season in March and April of 2021.
• Earlier yesterday, Minnesota threw in the towel on 2020 high school football as well.
• They join (Southern) California, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, Virginia and Washington in moving high-school football to the spring.
• The District of Columbia as done so as well.
• Hawaii is still suspending all high-school athletic activities on a week-to-week basis.
• People had better get the damn idea that this is probably going to mean that schools just are not going to be able to meet at all.  We're already getting disaster stories coming out of Georgia...    
• About 3/4 of the University of Idaho football team have been reported that they do NOT wish to play in a Fall season, due to the virus.
• The Sun Belt is proposing an 8-game conference season and a full 12-game regular season -- one of the first conferences to propose as such.
• Somebody got stupid yesterday and decided to fly a drone into the stadium where the Twins and Pirates played yesterday.  The game was temporarily stopped in the fifth inning.  *facepalm*    
• Interesting news out of Detroit:  The NFL has now declared that Matthew Stafford coronavirus positive (based on further testing) a false positive. 
• Rafael Nadal has also withdrawn from this year's US Open of tennis. 
• The Madrid Open clay-court tournament has been called off for this year.
• The University of Connecticut has CANCELLED the football program for 2020-21.   First FBS program to walk away.  I do wonder how many FBS programs will walk of any real importance, however.  (In short, no one will miss UConn Football without being a UConn alum.)     
• To give you an indication of how much college football may be "Relevant Teams And Conferences Only", the Big Ten, at the same time UConn called it's season off, announced the backbone of it's 10-game conference season.  Start around Labor Day, two definite off weeks, and four extra weeks built into the schedule in case games have to be postponed. 
• I, earlier, scoffed at even a 25% full Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indy 500 in a little over two weeks.  They have announced today:  Sanity wins.  No fans for this year's 500.

Day 146

• Six St. Louis Cardinal players have been announced as testing positive for the coronavirus:

Cardinals announce names of six players who tested positive for COVID-19: Yadier Molina, Paul DeJong, Edmundo Sosa, Rangel Ravelo, Junior Fernandez and Kodi Whitley. All six gave their permission for their names to be released.

— Tom (@Haudricourt) August 4, 2020

Day 145

• Last night's Olbermann:

#Thurbercast No. 87 tonight: the latest on baseball’s collapsing season plus “The Trial Of The Old Watchdog” and “The Secret Life Of Harold Winney” https://t.co/QhcWJHsaq4

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 3, 2020

• Manager Terry Francona of the Indians, didn't manage yesterday, gastrointestinal issues.  How many more, fuckers?  CALL IT OFF!!!    
• Gotta put this one up there from yesterday: 

NHL’s got a sense of humor pic.twitter.com/GiF5ejqiip

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) August 3, 2020

• Well, this is an interesting quip of news to file for (maybe (MUCH)) later:  The XFL has been sold, and one of the main new owners of the bankrupt league:  The Rock.  Dwayne Johnson is now a principal owner of the XFL. 
• The Cardinals outbreak is up to seven players and six staff members.  Olbermann is right.  CALL.  IT.  OFF!!!     
• According to Bob Nightengale, the Marlins are going the "reconsitution" route I spoke of in an earlier Tweet on this situation -- half the team is being cobbled together from various sources, and...  hoo boy. 
• Big XII announces their farce attempt at a college football season -- 10 games, 9 conference. 
• Tonight's Olbermann: 

#Thurbercast No. 88 included baseball’s continuing Homer-Simpson-Cliff-Dive, plus “A Box To Hide In, “The Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing,” and “The Owl Who Was God.”https://t.co/SuVhDuulV9

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 4, 2020

Day 144

• Yoenis Cespedes has disappeared from the Mets -- most efforts to contact him have been unsuccessful, but word is now he's not opting out, nor is it COVID-19 related.  Hmmmm...  Late report indicates he WAS opting out.
• Joey Votto has self-reported coronavirus symptoms and gone on the IL, but no positive test to report.
• Kris Bryant of the Cubs also has a gastrointestinal issue.  Negative for the virus, but on the IL as well.
• Matt LaCosse is reported to be the EIGHTH New England Patriot to opt out of the season.  OK, SOMETHING is going on in New England.  I'm not 100% sure WHAT, but SOMETHING is happening here.     
• High-risk players who opt out of the NFL season will receive a $350,000 stipend from the league for the year -- lower-risk players would receive $150,000.
• The Pac-12 is having a player revolt over COVID-19 concerns. And the rest of the college football world will believe nothing is lost, especially with the Rose Bowl as a purported semifinal.  Would not even rule out the game being moved to Atlanta or something to reduce travel.     
• Jeff Passan reports more Cardinals positives incoming...
• Latest word is that the request of the sports networks to find alternate programming starting tomorrow was a bluff.  Well, the virus isn't bluffing, Commissioner Blinded By The Light And Fuck The Dodgers...     
• Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from the US Open (should it take place as scheduled) and blasted tennis' responses to the coronavirus. 
• Head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles Doug Pederson has tested positive for the virus. 
• And today in MLB:  Two 7-inning games (the first doubleheader), and FOUR postponed games.  Real fine job there, Robbie...    

Day 143: The Baseball Season May Be Over in 48 Hours

Breaking News: multiple sources inside and outside the game report MLB has warned its TV outlets to have alternate programming for games as early as Monday.

Meaning the shutdown the Commissioner threatened today could conceivably happen 48 hours from now: https://t.co/2svotCEGe0 pic.twitter.com/K3C22vwGjB

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 1, 2020

• Appears to be major ad partnership between at least the NBA and Grift Kings and Scam Duel (Draft Kings and Fan Duel). 
• Sergio Perez will miss the British Grand Prix -- coronavirus positive. 
• Four more of the Cardinals organization have tested positive for the coronavirus -- Saturday's game is postponed. 
• The Marlins are busing the 20 or so positives back to Miami. 
• Marqise Lee has become the 7th New England Patriot to opt out of the season.
• According to an on-going ESPN list, 35 NFL players have now opted out. 
• Matthew Stafford of the Lions is on the NFL's COVID-19 reserve list.  That only means he probably has been exposed to it. 
• Lorenzo Cain of the Brewers has thrown in the towel on baseball's season. 
• Last night's Olbermann, as he's off tonight: 

A special #Thurbercast No. 86 includes “The Moth And The Star” AND MY MOTH AND STAR TATTOO - and in real time the developing story that Baseball has warned the tv networks that carry it, that a seasonal delay/cancellation could come as early as Monday: https://t.co/jUPmKRjPZl

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 1, 2020

• NHL "qualifying round" begins today. Five games on television -- on top of the conclusion of the NBA season.
• Chris Jericho's Saturday Night Special for the week: 

• Australian State of Victoria under a State of Disaster and an 8-6 curfew for the next month due to the spike in cases in cities like Melbourne.