Day 91

• In a statement today, NASCAR has banned the use of the Confederate Flag at their events and properties.  That's going to go over like a fart in church...     
• And it's cost them a driver-owner.  Ray Ciccarelli is done with NASCAR after the changes. 
• On the flip side:  When NASCAR does four races in two days in Miami this weekend (two XFinity, one Truck, one Monster Cup), about 1,000 military from a local base will be the first fans allowed at a NASCAR event since the shutdown.
• MLB Draft Round 1 tonight -- ESPN covers it.
• PGA Tour relaunch tomorrow with the Charles Schwab.
• And all parties involved in the Charles Schwab have been announced tested clean for the coronavirus.
• Martin Truex Jr. won the Martinsville race tonight -- Bubba Wallace drove the Black Lives Matter #43 to an 11th place finish.

Ninety days of this now, and the "new reality" looks incrementally more ominous...

• Calls for the NFL to be more open about the blackballing of Colin Kaepernick.  Some people in Seattle actually propose giving him a look.  Interesting thing:  That would give Seattle three Black quarterbacks who've started in the league.     
• Well, we finally know where Fight Island is, and it will host UFC 251...  In the United Arab Emirates...  Oh shit.  I always had the feeling Fight Island was a precursor to that dystopian situation like Thunderdome.     
• Bubba Wallace wants NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag.  
• Some discussion of the 2020-21 NBA season.  The GM of the Atlanta Hawks told ESPN that he sees the season not starting (best case scenario with a second wave) until December 1, which would have some issues arising with the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
• Botball has now decided to throw some donations toward Black Lives Matter.
• And tonight's relaunch of live boxing (fanless) will include another incremental ominousness which has been discussed -- outside crowd noise.  Not FAKE crowd noise, mind you (that has also been discussed), but the use of the Hear Me Cheer app to create a crowd noise during the event.  Oof.     
• One ROTFL moment:  The ring announcer for the ESPN card is at least 30 feet from the ring. 
• The LPGA will, as well, be at least one major short this year:  Evian Championship cancelled.
• Gary Player won a lawsuit over the branding of his name from his son's company.
• PGA and Web.com relaunches will have a George Floyd tribute -- an appropriate tee-time to the incidents will be left unused for a moment of silence, and other things as well. 
• ESPN and Top Rank added an "In Memoriam" ten-bell for many in the boxing community lost during the shutdown...  and the over 400,000 now killed by the coronavirus. 
• Much like the UFC's return, Top Rank is putting on multiple cards in it's comeback.  Another one Thursday. 
• Olbermann: 

#Thurbercast No. 60 this evening with “The Darlings At The Top Of The Stairs” and “The Spreading ‘You Know’” and the events it set in motion in my own life. https://t.co/N336BY3dNV

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) June 10, 2020

• And it sounds like Seattle is in chaos.  Thousands of protesters have seized the City Hall and are demanding the ouster of the Mayor.  Look out!  Here's the next battle of Civil War II.     

Day 89: One Reality Collides With Another

• The riots may fell the NBA return, as it now appears there is the real possibility, according to MSN, that the prominent Black NBA players may actually sit out the return in protest of police treatment of Blacks, scuttling it.
• At least one boxer is off tomorrow's return Top Rank card for testing positive for the coronavirus.
• At least two of the major top-level men's tennis pros do not believe the US Open can take place this year under the necessary protocols and restrictions.
• Newest MLB proposal has more possible money than the last one, but less guaranteed.  The season, at this point, would be 76 games.  Major League Baseball wants the season done roughly in normal time, but won't be starting until past July 4 now.  Oh God...  What, doubleheaders every day???  Sounds like BotBall may be the only baseball we get this season.     
• And the new offer appears to be DOA, according to at least Karl Ravech: 

The MLBPA regards today’s offer from MLB to be worse than the league’s last because it shifts greater emphasis on risk sharing in the postseason. Players would receive 50 percent of pro rata if there is no postseason, 75 if there is. @karlravechespn first on a new offer coming.

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) June 8, 2020

• Speaking of the MLB: The Show 20 amateur simulation:  BotBall is doing a special minor-league day for a decent part of it's schedule, raising money for the "Adopt a Minor Leaguer" program.  Not that, if the colluding bastards have their way, do I think we'll HAVE minor leagues at this point...     
• Last night's Olbermann:

#Thurbercast No. 59 featured “The Car We Had To Push” and “The Secret Life of Harold Winney” - the Secretary of the founder of The @NewYorker who embezzled $71,000 from his boss. Also some beauty shots and a lot of Ted. https://t.co/xKj6p79mH2

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) June 8, 2020

• Sony will try again for it's "E3" PS5 launch presentation at 1 PM Thursday, Pacific Time. 
• No Olbermann tonight -- sick dog. 
• The news many pro wrestling fans have waited for.  3 1/2 months after closing for Japan's coronavirus emergency, New Japan Pro Wrestling will return on June 15 for an "NJPW Together" mystery card.  After that, it's a rescheduled 2020 New Japan Cup from June 16 to July 11, the finals at Osaka-Jo Hall.  The cards will be fanless.  The winner probably gets an NJPW World Title shot the next night on July 12 at the annual Dominion event.  All cards will stream live on the NJPW World streaming service (about $9 a month, billed on the first whenever you join).  The New Japan Cup final on the 11th of July and the Dominion card on the 12th will be the first cards with limited fan attendance.

BOMBSHELL: Is Conor serious this time?

After UFC 250, this came across the wire:

Hey guys I’ve decided to retire from fighting.
Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been!
Here is a picture of myself and my mother in Las Vegas post one of my World title wins!
Pick the home of your dreams Mags I love you!
Whatever you desire it’s yours ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Dh4ijsZacZ

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 7, 2020

Day 87, starring Olbermann and his dogs...

#Thurbercast No. 58: two of the chapters from “My Life And Hard Times”: “The Night The Bed Fell” and “The Night The Ghost Got In.”https://t.co/Ho0gOALeYb

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) June 7, 2020

• I could be sitting on something right now which could explode in the next few days or weeks.  It is definitely at the "I Have Good Authority" level, but a lot more could be coming of this very soon.  I'll let you know more when things get a bit more concrete.

Which players do you believe need to speak up, Mr. Goodell??

Today, Roger Goodell found himself, as a lot of people in this country are, doing damage control not to get swept up in the first rounds of the Second American Civil War.

He regretted not being more receptive to the players and resolved to listen to them on issues such as race relations, police abuse, etc.

The problem is simple, Mr. Goodell.  Which players?

You see, one of the reasons we can praise Adam Silver so cleanly for how he handled the Donald Sterling situation is a very stark reality of his league:  Without African-American players, THERE IS NO NBA.

Even with all the international expansion and the like, according to racial expert Richard Lapchick, 74.4% of the 2015 NBA players were Black.  Basically three-quarters of the league is Black.

Similarly, 70% of the NFL players are Black.  This has been the case for a number of years.  So you would THINK that the NFL would have the same issues and need to be far more receptive to the needs and safely of African-American players.

But for two problems...

First, all of the NFL CEO's and Presidents are White.  Only 9% of team and league officials were Black in 2018, and that number has been steadily declining since 1996, where 14% of such officials were Black.

The second problem is even more stark.  The NFL, much to the chagrin of many people around the sport, has become, especially in the ESPN-media-driven era, all about the quarterback.

The media has pointed out that it has even been a rare occurrence that 10 teams started a week's games with a Black quarterback.  From 2000 to Week 12 of 2017, according to an article from The Undefeated:

• Only twelve times in that 17 1/2 season span were there at least nine Black quarterbacks starting a week.
• Only TWICE did that number reach ten, both in 2003.
• From 2004 to Week 12 of 2017, the number of times that even nine Black quarterbacks started in a week was only five.  Four in 2013, Week 5 in 2017.
• In 2017, only eight of the 32 teams had a Black quarterback.
• Only three times, including Patrick Mahomes last season, has a Black QB won the Super Bowl.
• At the end of the 2019-20 season, according to Wikipedia, there are now sixteen Black quarterbacks who had, at some point, started in the NFL.

1. Cam Newton is no longer in the league for the time being, and it may be a while before he finds a substitute fit after leaving Carolina.
2. Tyrod Taylor was the backup to Philip Rivers last year in Los Angeles.  With Rivers gone, though Taylor is believed to start this year as the Chargers' starter, CBS Sports lists him the second most likely quarterback to lose that position.
3. Robert Griffin III, now the backup to Jackson in Baltimore.
4. Russell Wilson, still the starter in Seattle, and a second of the three Black quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl.
5. Geno Smith is one of Wilson's backups, but has not played a regular-season game since 2018.
6. Teddy Bridgewater is probably going to be the successor to Newton in the starting role in Carolina.
7. Jameis Winston, after being the starter in Tampa Bay after being installed as the #1 draft pick, will now back up Drew Brees in New Orleans.  And I predict he will play quite a bit after Brees' big mouth.    
8. Brett Hundley has been a career backup -- first in Green Bay, now in Arizona.  Only real starts were the season Rodgers was hurt.
9. Dak Prescott, the big-money starter for the Cowboys, but for how much longer??
10. Jacoby Brissett WAS the starter in Indianapolis, but that's where Philip Rivers landed, so he's now a backup.
11. DeShaun Watson, the highly-entertaining and athletic starting quarterback of the Texans.
12. DeShone Kizer, waived by the LA Raiders, so he's no longer in the league as of the moment.
13. Mahomes
14. LaMar Jackson, another heir apparent to the top rung of teams in Baltimore as it's starter.
15. Kyler Murray, Arizona's starter and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
16. Dwayne Haskins, who started seven games for Washington last season after the starter was benched, but was injured in his seventh start and that was the end of his season.

So, of the 16:

• Six, possibly seven are starters now.
• Two probably will be starters this year, one moving to a new team, one graduating to the starting job of his old team.
• Two have lost their starting jobs (one to a new team) to White quarterbacks.
• Two are out of the league.
• And three are backups to other Black quarterbacks.

What's the point of the entire exercise?

Even with 70% of the players Black, it is still a White Quarterbacks league.

So WHICH PLAYERS are you talking about, Commissioner Goodell?

Day 86

• After his wife made posts on social media calling for people to kill the rioters looting and trying to run over people, Aleksandar Katai was called in to meet with officials of the LA Galaxy.  He was fired today with a financial settlement.  Oof.  That probably means they didn't like what they heard from him, either!  You are seeing a very definite counterattack on the part of the Right in this country in the last 48-72 hours.     
• The current WNBA plan is a 22 game season at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL.
• It really appears the media narrative about Major League Baseball is turning to a fact that the owners' attempt to continue to squeeze the players (which started as the open-faced collusion of LAST season) will cost the sport at least the entire 2020 season.  It appears now the MLB plan is now getting down to a 48-game regular season (meaning a July 31 Opening Day???)...  The MLBPA has at least gotten down to a half-season, but still.
• There is now the belief that older coaches, in the expectation the NBA WILL have positive coronavirus tests in the restart, may be asked to refrain from the NBA, at least for the completion of the 2019-20 season.
• The first PGA Tour event with fans appears to be getting ready to be The Memorial in Ohio, July 16-19. 
• No Olbermann.  ESPN needed him Friday night.