Your “What’s Old Is New Again, Again” Wednesday Evening Open Thread

NFL Noise:

• Well, it looks like the Chargers will pick up Roger’s mantle & at least possibly maybe consider Colin Kaepernick for their bench.
  • “I haven’t spoken with Colin, not sure where he’s at as far in his career, what he wants to do, but Colin definitely fits the style of quarterback for the system that we’re going to be running,” head coach Anthony Lynn said to ESPN.
  • After all, they currently have the Super Bowl contending trifecta of Tyrod Taylor, Justin Herbert and Easton Stick.

• Everybody already doesn’t care about the Bears starting QB competition, but the race to really ignore is for Bears kicker.
  • Eddy Pineiro has to compete against Ramiz Ahmed to hold onto one of the most cursed jobs in pro football.
    • Pineiro only has the job because he fucked up least during 2019 training camp.
    • Ahmed last kicked in 2018, as a college senior for Nevada.
  • Both guys have names guaranteed to trigger the MAGA types who send 26-tweet chains to team sites demanding players RESPECT THE FLAG!!1!1!

• There are conflicting opinions about whether the Hall of Fame Game will be played, and if fans will be allowed to attend.
  • The Governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, said it’s unlikely fans will be able to attend, because although “it’s a great, great event that we’ve been looking forward to, having a crowd that size (23,000) is highly unlikely.”
  • Meanwhile, Hall of Fame communications vice president Rich Desrosiers said, “The governor did not speak specifically to holding the game or related events with reduced crowds or at venues set up to maximize safe physical distancing — contingencies the Hall has been working on since mid-March.”

Finally, following up on the NFL’s decision to make Juneteenth (June 19th) a staff holiday in the league office, the [Redacteds] have become the latest team to make a team paid-observance of the date.

• At least 16 teams have decided to make it a paid day-off for employees, and some have given more than that.
• The NFL also announced it is increasing its financial commitment to social justice causes to $250 million over 10 years to “combat systemic racism and support the battle against the ongoing and historic injustices faced by African Americans.”

For ignorant Canadians such as myself, June 19 is celebrated as the effective end of slavery in the United States. Although the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect Jan. 1, 1863, it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, after the April 1865 conclusion of the Civil War, when the last of the newly freed slaves were read President Abraham Lincoln’s decree in Texas. Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free:

General Order Number 3:

“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”

Friend of [DFO] DrawPlayDave has a pretty accurate cartoon out today.

How the 4 major sports are handling Covidhttps://t.co/etFobsMl3m pic.twitter.com/qtXRgk29Kg

— Dave Rappoccio (@DrawPlayDave) June 17, 2020

Not enough brimstone, plus I think Bettman should be in the ice-layer of hell given he’s in charge of (destroying) hockey.

Elsewhere on Twitter…

Y’know, I’ll give Schefter credit for this one

What a day this was 26 years ago…. pic.twitter.com/mRFt1BDNEI

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 17, 2020

As a reminder, July 9th is the date Ford has set to re-introduce the Bronco to the US marketplace.

It’s also OJ’s 73rd birthday.

Tonight’s … entertainment?:

• Wrasslin’:
  • AEW Dynamite – 8:00PM | TNT / TSN2
  • NXT – 8:00PM | USA
• Monster Energy Supercross: Round 16 from Salt Lake City – 7:00PM | NBCSN
  • Round 16 racing from Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City in both 450SX and 250SX classes. This is the penultimate event of 2020.
• Forged in Fire: Beat the Judges – 9:00PM | HIST
  • Three Forged in Fire Champions return to the forge with one goal: Beating a Judge.
    • They must face off against each other, testing their signature blades and recreating a weapon from the Forged in Fire vault until only one Champion remains to face off against Ben Abbott, David Baker, or J Neilson.
• ESPN 30 For 30 Films – “June 17, 1994” – see above Schefter tweet.
  • 7:00PM | ESPN
  • 8:00PM | TSN3
• Australian Rules Football:
  • Richmond vs. Hawthorn – 5:30AM | ESPN2 / TSN3
• Korea Baseball Organization:
  • KT Wiz at SK Wyverns – 5:25 AM | ESPN

That’s good viewing!