OT: D1

[IUPalum]

You need to be focusing on your NBA Draft in 72 hours.

Hahahaha... yeah, about that! Good chance I autodraft that because I'm clueless.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Hahahaha... yeah, about that! Good chance I autodraft that because I'm clueless.

So is everybody else. Draft an all-Euro team. See what happens.

[IUPalum]

So is everybody else. Draft an all-Euro team. See what happens.

Cobo Diaz available... hahahahaha

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

X had two fouls yesterday during the National Anthem.

What bailed them out was that visiting team couldn't buy a freaking bucket for 12 minutes. It wasn't some stellar Pitt D, either.

Mr. Champagne is a monster. Sounds like each team will get a big boost on Wednesday in regard to getting an import eligible. Miami has a stud in waiting. Nike should really help Pitt's guard rotation and spread the floor. He's a legit shooter.

That's what they said about guys like Drumgoole, Murphy, and Horton. But the thing is that this here is the ACC, son! Shootin' ain't easy against them defenses. Hell, Drummy and Horton could barely shoot against non-conference foes (okay, one good game for Horton). Nike has to prove that he can make the jump up to the ACC from where he played at Miami of Ohio. It will be a different beast.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

-Slam Penny has been named ACC Player of the Week for his dual 20/20 games.

-Very sad situation with the Florida player named Johnson collapsing during his game on Saturday. He apparently is in critical but stable condition while in a medical induced coma. Apparently he tested positive for Covid earlier in the year. Is this an example of what the ailment can do to your heart? Or is this just another sad case of Hank Gathers and Reggie Lewis with players who have a natural heart defect? Hopefully he will be okay.

-A side note to the story of the player collapsing is that Pitt's Au'diese Toney is close friends with him and heard about it before taking the court. It is said that is what caused him to not be himself for the game. Certainly very understandable.

-Looks like Miami of Florida has a whole host of players on the injury list as they near their game with Pitt on Wednesday evening (6 PM tip). Star PG Chris Lykes is said to be very questionable and hyped recruit Earl Timberlake is out once more for the Canes.

[IUPalum]

I'll say this much, nobody knows what the long term effects of this virus can have on your body. Nobody knows if this vaccine works. Nobody knows the side effects of this vaccine. To many unknowns right now. I pray for that kid from Florida, my brother is struggling with it right now and many others. The fact that half this country thinks it's a hoax and selfishly does what they want when they want says a lot about this country and it's leadership. Other countries shut it down and now are in the clear. The US never even came close to fully doing that and now look at us. It's a damn shame.

[Fightingscot82]

I'll say this much, nobody knows what the long term effects of this virus can have on your body. Nobody knows if this vaccine works. Nobody knows the side effects of this vaccine. To many unknowns right now. I pray for that kid from Florida, my brother is struggling with it right now and many others. The fact that half this country thinks it's a hoax and selfishly does what they want when they want says a lot about this country and it's leadership. Other countries shut it down and now are in the clear. The US never even came close to fully doing that and now look at us. It's a damn shame.

Not to further digress, but a member of my family had it in early November. Recovered, feels good for the most part, but he has two symptoms yet to go away: trouble breathing when he's working out and a "mechanical issue" in the groin. He's 37.

[IUPalum]

Not to further digress, but a member of my family had it in early November. Recovered, feels good for the most part, but he has two symptoms yet to go away: trouble breathing when he's working out and a "mechanical issue" in the groin. He's 37.

and my brother is 39

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

I'll say this much, nobody knows what the long term effects of this virus can have on your body. Nobody knows if this vaccine works. Nobody knows the side effects of this vaccine. To many unknowns right now. I pray for that kid from Florida, my brother is struggling with it right now and many others. The fact that half this country thinks it's a hoax and selfishly does what they want when they want says a lot about this country and it's leadership. Other countries shut it down and now are in the clear. The US never even came close to fully doing that and now look at us. It's a damn shame.

Well said!

I was just listening to some of the talking heads on the tube this morning and they are all wondering if Johnson is a victim of the virus or does he simply have an undetected heart condition? But you are correct---there is so much that is just not known about this awful thing.

[Columbuseer]

I'll say this much, nobody knows what the long term effects of this virus can have on your body. Nobody knows if this vaccine works. Nobody knows the side effects of this vaccine. To many unknowns right now. I pray for that kid from Florida, my brother is struggling with it right now and many others. The fact that half this country thinks it's a hoax and selfishly does what they want when they want says a lot about this country and it's leadership. Other countries shut it down and now are in the clear. The US never even came close to fully doing that and now look at us. It's a damn shame.

Regret the long response, but a lot of ground was covered in your post.



1. Re: The safety of vaccine: Many brilliant scientists developed the vaccine and others have independently reviewed the findings. I think 30,000 volunteers were in the study. The virus is dead and the technique that was newly developed has great promise for other diseases.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/08/h...ne-pfizer.html

2. Re: Side effects of vaccine: It appears to be no worse than getting the advanced two dose shingles shot.
https://www.fda.gov/emergency-prepar...vid-19-vaccine

Compare these vaccine side effects with the long-term effects of getting COVID19 without the vaccine:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...t%20arrhythmia.


3. "half of the country think it is a hoax"..
Your statement on the percentage may be true and is the root cause for the spike IMHO. Technically, this is not logical reasoning, but a statement of belief without supporting evidence.
This is a type of fallacious reasoning called "appeal to belief"
https://bigthink.com/experts-corner/...belief-fallacy



Europe and many other countries are experiencing a surge too.
Just a few exceptions. Such as Taiwan and South Korea.



South Korea has sophisticated contact tracing and 14 day quarantines on everyone entering country at visitor's expense. That is the structural impediment to USA containing the virus IMHO. Our contact tracing is terrible.

5. Re: Selfishness...- Unlike Taiwan and South Korea, I agree many in USA are selfish humanists who live only for themselves and not for others. In USA individuals don't want a supreme leader to infringe on their freedom (other than the nanny state advocates). I totally support that philosophy.



If people irrationally choose to not take the vaccine, then the insurance risk should not be shared by the rest of us. Let them have the responsibility to pay out of pocket for their hospitalization for their freedom of choice(30 days in ICU is $1M).

6. Re: Shutting down the country- IMHO It is not an option:

Here is why we cannot shut down the country again. You will never hear this mentioned by the media or by either party.
Basically, the USA is broke. Santa Claus has left the building.


We are like a good time Charlie who appears to be wealthy but who has a rapidly increasing, out-of-control unpaid credit card balance that is going for food and rent.

each taxpayer`s share is $965K each.

We are the largest debtor nation and our debt-to-GDP ratio is approaching that of Greece when it collapsed. 44% of workers are paying zero taxes and 65% are not college grads. Yet we increase the number of unskilled, uneducated workers, while at the same time AI and robotics are on the verge of wiping out millions of unskilled jobs (truck drivers, restaurants, cleaning services, etc.) and swamp politicians have outsourced millions of middle class jobs (Annual trade deficit is $105B with Mexico and $300B to China).

Only zero interest rates are delaying the day of reckoning.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

As of this moment, Miami has just (5) scholarship players for tomorrow's game (Covid, injuries, etc.) They expect to get a couple transfers cleared at the 5 p.m. announcement. Pitt is also expecting Nike will be cleared.

Capel said today there would be no 'work him in' phase with Nike and that he will play heavy minutes immediately.

Nike should be an immediate major boost. This isn't an 18-year-old with pimples and deer in the headlights. He's a proven guy - albeit a MAC guy. But, Pitt may not win the MAC right now so there's that.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

As of this moment, Miami has just (5) scholarship players for tomorrow's game (Covid, injuries, etc.) They expect to get a couple transfers cleared at the 5 p.m. announcement. Pitt is also expecting Nike will be cleared.

Capel said today there would be no 'work him in' phase with Nike and that he will play heavy minutes immediately.

Nike should be an immediate major boost. This isn't an 18-year-old with pimples and deer in the headlights. He's a proven guy - albeit a MAC guy. But, Pitt may not win the MAC right now so there's that.

Nike has been fully practicing with the team all along so that should aid him greatly. Yeah, Miami is shot to heck right now. If Pitt can't win this game then it is not a good sign of things to come now that the ACC is about to be in full session.

Interesting stat---since the St. Francis debacle SFU is 0-4 and Pitt is 4-0. Go figure.

[Fightingscot82]

As of this moment, Miami has just (5) scholarship players for tomorrow's game (Covid, injuries, etc.) They expect to get a couple transfers cleared at the 5 p.m. announcement. Pitt is also expecting Nike will be cleared.

Capel said today there would be no 'work him in' phase with Nike and that he will play heavy minutes immediately.

Nike should be an immediate major boost. This isn't an 18-year-old with pimples and deer in the headlights. He's a proven guy - albeit a MAC guy. But, Pitt may not win the MAC right now so there's that.

This isn't exactly good for the players and is another reason they probably should have just tossed the season.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

This isn't exactly good for the players and is another reason they probably should have just tossed the season.

All they want is to get to March Madness. That's the meal ticket. There will be lots of games just like this one with multiple players out, etc. Many games will get PPD or cancelled.

Just like P5 football and the TV money, they can talk all they want about 'player safety' and all that stuff ... but the prize is that March Madness coin. Exceptions to rules will be made (reference Ohio State football).

One has to question if 'player safety' was really the perceived top priority ... why would they actually be playing?

I fully get why D2 football (PSAC) cancelled the season. It was a financial loser. If the PSAC had a big TV deal ... they'd have played. No doubt in my mind. But, there's no money to be made down here ... football here just mostly costs money. So, 'player safety' and all that blah-blah-blah was a great excuse in this instance.

What's even funnier is all NCAA sports got shut down last Spring. The virus is spreading worse now than it was then. Always say ... follow the coin.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

This isn't exactly good for the players and is another reason they probably should have just tossed the season.

Actually the rash of Miami players set to miss this game is mostly due to physical injuries that they have sustained thus far and not Covid-related----

-G Chris Lykes (ankle)

-G Kam McGusty (hamstring)

-G Elijah Olaniyi (eligibility)

-F Earl Timberlake (foot)

-F Sam Waardenburg (ACL)

-F Matt Cross (arm)

-C Rodney Miller (knee)