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.