Your “The Greatest Crime? Looking Out For Others” Monday Evening Open Thread

NFL News:

• The big news of the day is the speculation about whether the “Power 5” conferences will cancel their fall football seasons, and the ancillary impact that will have on the NFL.
  • FYI – the “Power Five” are the ACC, Big-10, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC.
  • The ideal solution would be to move things to the Spring, as football is too much of a moneymaker to lose for a year (or more).
    • “Nobody want(s) to be the first to do it,” a Power 5 coach told ESPN, “and now nobody will want to be the last.”
      • The Big-10 or Pac-12 are expected to be the first conferences to officially make up their minds, and that’s expected this week.
        • The Big-10 may have already decided, and will announce that fact Tuesday.
          • Iowa & Nebraska are the rumoured dissenting votes.
          • Jim Harbaugh has opinions about why the season should start on time, but until he can defeat OSU I don’t fucking care.

• • The orange White House monster has advocated for a season to occur, whenever it can.

Play College Football!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2020

• • • CBSSports.com has a breakdown of where each football conference stands at present.
      • Fun fact: due to COVID, Notre Dame has joined the ACC for the 2020 season.

• If they do cancel Fall football, the NFL is prepared to amend their schedules to allow for more Saturday games.
  • Normally, the NFL has to wait until the college regular season is done, because that’s governed by their anti-trust exemption and the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. (The Act applies to broadcasts of professional football, baseball, basketball, or hockey.)
    • But, no college season = no legal violation.
  • Likely, they would add one or two Saturday night games.
    • A working theory has it that the upcoming Thursday Night teams would get their Sunday game pushed back to Saturday.
      • For example, if it’s Bengals – Browns on TNF in Week 2, it could mean Week 1’s Saturday games are Chargers – Bengals &  and Browns – Ravens.
  • Also, there will be no live renditions of “The Star Spangled Banner” at games this year.
    • Teams will obtain pre-recorded version to be broadcast into the stadiums.
    • They will also cut back on the number of military & other demonstrations prior to kickoff.

I did a very stupid thing this morning – I watched “First Take”.

Normally, I don’t watch it, because I’m out walking the dogs and/or not desperate enough to switch to that channel. In fact, it’s only on in Canada because COVID took away so much content ESPN’s Canadian broadcast partner, TSN, needed something else to fill their morning. Also, I’ve never seen a show from the Skip Bayless era, which by all accounts is a good thing because his racism was barely concealed.

Anyway, in relation to the above CFB / NFL points, I caught them ‘discussing’ the topic. Here is what Stephen A. had to say,

and here was Max Kellerman’s response.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yT5amTQH2w

Clearly, lucid arguments on both hands. More to the point, Stephen A. told non-basketball & football athletes to take their scholarships & shut up, because they don’t make money, and stay out of the discussions about the sports that do fund their attendance. As a point to make, sure; as a cogent piece of television, it was more like this,

So, never again. Molly Qerim is pretty good, though. But still, I just feel stupider for having watched that.

Tonight’s sports:

• MLB:
  • Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies – 6:00PM | FS1
  • San Francisco Giants at Houston Astros – 9:00PM | ESPN / TSN3
• NBA:
  • Toronto Raptors vs. Milwaukee Bucks = 6:45PM | ESPN / Sportsnet
  • Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat – 8:00PM | TSN
  • Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 9:00PM | TNT / Sportsnet1
• WNBA:
  • Phoenix Mercury vs. Dallas Wings – 7:00PM | ESPN2 / TSN2
  • Chicago Sky vs. Seattle Storm – 9:00PM | ESPN2 / TSN2
• WWE:
  • Monday Night Raw – 8:00PM | USA / Sportsnet360

The Stanley Cup playoffs begin in earnest on Tuesday. I will have brief previews of each series up this week. And the Rangers won the Alexis Lafreniere draft lottery that Gary Bettman IN NO WAY influenced like David Stern did Patrick Ewing. Beyond that, please to be rejoicing in the Maple Leafs once again being denied promotion.

Toronto Maple Leafs, last 15 seasons:

Missed playoffs
Missed playoffs
Missed playoffs
Missed playoffs
Missed playoffs
Missed playoffs
Missed playoffs
Lost 1st round
Missed playoffs
Missed playoffs
Missed playoffs
Lost 1st round
Lost 1st round
Lost 1st round
Lost play-in

— Tucker Boynton (@Tucker_TnL) August 10, 2020

Good times.