I was reading the previous thread and see that people are split, some want the season to be done, and some want it completed with the SC raised. With asterisk.
I’ll give you my opinion. I do not know about you, but if I walked in the hospital at 6 am today, knowing that the Rangers are playing a split squad exhibition game tonight at 7 agains the Devils, my day would look much brighter. I’d be able to go through this crap I go every day over the last few weeks with a much better mood. I am not different than any one of you. In fact, I believe some of you have to go through times much worse than I do. At least I get to get out of the house and do what I’am trained to do. Some of you have to sit home without being able to get out, some may have lost their jobs. Some have no idea what will happen to your future. Even worse yet, some of you have to deal with your kids’ remote schooling 🙂
I lost my train of thought.
Oh, yeah, my point is, don’t you think you’d be looking forward to seeing some hockey games, no matter how meaningful? I’d be getting ready to watch it starting at 6 pm by telling my family not to bother me for the next few hours.
ASTERISK? Who gives a carcillo! It’s a different world at the moment. We should feel lucky enough that we are still here to watch any hockey. Just ask Alex.
Click here to read Carp’s new article about how they actually drafted Hank. Spoiler alert: Olga was right all along. Sather had nothing to do with it!
UPDATE: Click here to read LB’s new article.
170 responses to “Asterisk?”
I agree. Real hockey on TV would be most welcome, and if they finish the regular season first and go with 16 playoff teams, they will be legit. With everyone healthy, they might even be better.
What ever they do needs to start b y 6/1. Cup on 4th of July annoying but tolerable. Cup on Aug. 15th, no.
First.
Anyone know anything about motor vehicles? Did I do the right thing bailing on the clown car first chance going down from the gap road when the electronic steering lost power? Regular car I know you can probably muscle through it but had no clue what to expect from ‘electronic’ controlled wheels.
amen Ilb..any hockey is good hockey
Roosevelt during WW2
“I consider baseball a very good thing for the population during the war.”
And they basically played it with guys who were deemed unfit to serve.
It’s no surprise Mr. T keeps stressing sports at his daily pressers (I know, I know, he’s a lightning rod–but this is at least one thing he has right IMO). He understands their value to the American public, or, more cynically if you like, to his base.
I listed a couple of WWII all-star teams, aneirin, but it got caught in moderation. Dying to find out who the dirty name was.
I don’t know. I guess summer hockey would be good. Would rather see an expanded playoff.
Still no for me. If I can wait till July for Hockey, I can wait till September. Give me the real thing. Give me the draft. Give me free agency. Give me trades. Give me training camp, and then give me an actual season.
You’re very demanding, BDL. Can we get you anything else? sheesh!
Beezle did you jump out of a vehicle? lol
James no, not quite. Lost the power on the steering going through a series of tight switchbacks at the top of the gap. There would be more to follow so I pulled over first chance (convenient parking area at top of a ski lift). Didn’t know if the steering would fail completely and in any event, even with low traffic, it is dangerous as frost heaves encourage people to use all of the road, not just their side. Don’t wan’t an unresponsive car in that situation!
Gettleman is such a loser. If you are going to keep that #4 pick you take Herbert. Otherwise you trade down. There were four excellent o-lineman available, could have moved down to at least 15, maybe a few more. Now I read they want to trade their high second for an extra third rounders. At least the kid they took doesn’t sound like another Flowers (though guess he’s gotten the last laugh).
James,
Watching Hockey, more specifically the Rangers, played in empty buildings is just going to remind me of this mess we all find ourselves in. I thought watching the NFL draft would give me the thought of some normalcy. All it did was remind that our country has been brought to its knees by this virus, and it reminded me that all our leadership has failed us, and the scientific community has failed us. I lasted one pick, and then watched Netflix with my wife and daughter.
I don’t think the next season will be normal either – unless there is a vaccine or surefire way to combat this insidious disease
I’d rather watch this year’s team with an empty building than the previous two teams in a sold out venue.
Besides, the noise level at MSG won’t be much different. Just watching hockey in general would be a nice change of pace right now. At least to me. Nothing is going to make me forget about all the other nonsense going on. So reminders don’t really matter to me.
I think the NHL wants to grab some of the TV revenues for this year and that is the driving force for “finishing” the season. Any new programming will get high TV ratings. I might even watch golf for a little while until I fall asleep. If there is any way they can do it safely they will put something on TV. Having said that it will take a lot of planning and it doesn’t seem like any of that is happening. They are still in the spitballing phase. NBC will have to buy in to the product and putting their people at risk. Soccer games were played in Europe without fans before the shutdown. Is there any data on how the players and production people fared as a result? Everyone involved will not be 25 and healthy. How about someone like Kakko who has underlying health issues? How about DQ’s blood disorder? Is it best they not participate? Lots of details to resolve and it doesn’t seem they are anywhere near that level yet.
Some of the football semi-experts should recap the Giants and Jets drafts when they are finished. They oth went for tackles yesterday.
Ilb – thats great news. Let’s just hope that continues once they release the population. I’m not the most optimistic about people continuing to use masks, wash hands and remain Wicky distant.
ORF,
The Giants pick, the OT Thomas, was a safe pick. He will play for 10 years and they won’t have to worry about him. As a Giants fan I would have preferred the Jets pick. They picked Becton who is a massive human being. Thomas has a high floor, low ceiling. Becton has a low floor, very high ceiling.
One has a high knee, the other a fat azz.
Beezle, I think Wicky may be closer than we think. Took the dog on a hike yesterday in a deeply wooded area. Something grabbed me and I went black. I woke up in a Jesper Fast T-shirt and my jack links jerky was gone…
Ilb
Have an even better indicator that things are improving. Saw a guy coming out of Rite Aid with a full 12 pack of toilet paper AND a box of Kleenex. Holding both high proudly as if he was returning from a very successful hunt.
If I can get a flight out of NY today, I’m going to Georgia for a manicure and some bowling.
Coos make sure you hit the gym before the manicure
Cooscoos
Get a tattoo too
TP has been easy to get in Tacoma for a couple of weeks–early to the hoarding game, of course.
What was up with Cuomo and his death-trumps-all stream of consciousness the other day? He’s been pretty great IMO, but it seems like he hit the end of his rope. Get sleep, man!
Alex, Coos going for a #18 inside a NYR logo 😉
What’s Cuomo’s state numbers this morning? I missed the beginning and got in when he was talking about what the medical community has been saying for over a month- this virus has been spreading and causing deaths here for months before we started to realize it.
Lots of free pub on Fredo’s basement show, but demeaning.
Crack of Noon!
Beezle
While playing shuffleboard
I care less about a condensed schedule, and games being played in 4 cities without fans, and the initial awkwardness of starting it back up whatever way they are gonna.
Then I do the players taking it seriously or not. If the players are really into it and train properly and we get guys best and real investments then I want to watch hockey no matter how different it will feel. But guys are gonna be out of shape and some teams just not into it etc etc etc.
I’d rather wait until fall and accept the season ended prematurely due to what’s going on. But it’s not my wallet and that’s the reason why we will probably see hockey in July by hell or high water
But IF* guys
I have absolutely no idea when I’ll be able to work again. You hear schools are gonna stayed closed through 2021. But I just can’t see that happening in many places of the country. There are a lot of regional and community colleges that will never see another semester if they stay closed/online in the fall. A lot of these colleges and surrounding town are the jobs and revenue streams for entire communities. And a lot of these places have also not seen A big outbreak of the virus.
There are just so many places across the country I think will fight like hell to have their colleges/universities open.
I think it’s gonna be a combo. Cities like Chicago, Boston and nyc that have huge populations and a ton of schools scattered across the entire urban center, I think you may see them keep campuses closed.
I think schools in rural areas will open back up.
But I’m totally in the dark regarding when I’m gonna be able to work my job normally again. I’m lucky I worked like a dog the last year and a half and had some cushion in the acct. But that ain’t gonna last long. Lucky I have a landlady who’s understanding and cut the rent back to whatever I can afford in combo with working/repairing/rehabbing the house and property while I have the time.
I think about all the people in my situation who also have kids in the house. The uncertainty must be overwhelming and uncomfortable at times. My advice worrying is only beneficial if within the act of worrying and thinking about the worries, you can come up with a solution for your worries. Otherwise worrying is just wasting your energy which could be used in a more helpful way, to use your energy to stay calm or have faith, or do something constructive.
This is what they should be reporting. Actually useful information. Instead, the headlines are Trump tells people to inject bleach. It’s just criminal. The media is making things worse.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/sunlight-destroys-coronavirus-quickly-says-us-agency-231844605.html
Inconvenient Fact: Despite what the cheerleading Media propagates, 95% of people who wear masks do so to (hopefully) protect themselves, not others.
When does the media make things better?
Hockey logistics:
Gotta imagine if they plan on finishing out the regular season before a regular playoffs in 4 cities, each most likely housing a division…. that they all games are gonna have to be in division. They will remake the rest of the schedule with divisional match-ups.
I’m curious to see how they pull this off. They have to hope the games remaining for each team matches up. Being limited to divisional matchups what if you end up with one team having played 81 games and the rest of the division being at 82. Your gonna make a team play a game 83 with no points at stake for them?
Ok, let me get this straight. BDL and other people who want this season to be over. If they show the games you are not going to watch it?
Watch hockey simply to avoid news media
It depends on the product. If we get a full playoffs with 7 game series and the players going at 100% speed then I will watch and I think it will be close to legitimate. I’m highly skeptical they are going to be able to pull that off.
If they’re going to award the Cup after a bunch of players take part in a skills competition or a tournament then I hope they don’t bother.
I’m convinced I actually had it and I bet millions have had it and either didn’t even know it or they fought it off quickly.
The messed up part is for everyone it doesn’t really effect, there is the random person who meets your exact age and health who gets put through the wash from it like Alex and many others obviously.
I assume they have teams looking into any possible commonalities within the people who did have severe cases. They gonna be some commonality between the folks who have had severe cases that might allow us to pinpoint those at risk to severe cases of it. 80+ is just too blanket a statement. I mean 80+ is reaching the point where the body could began giving out for a multitude of what is considered natural aging reasons.
It’s just obvious we are not doing things in the smartest most creative, actual let’s get the drop on what’s going on ways. All the ways money and politics and A corporately run society would operate. That’s how we are handling this. Not like the natural innovative and brilliant way we about researching ways and strategies to build new products and technologies to be used to create more wealth and health for those with the means.
It’s really showing how insane society and our conditioning to it has become.
I read early on that the players wanted a confirmed 3-4 month layoff (offseason) and then come back in mid-late June. Have a short training camp, and then play out the regular season, playoffs normally going into September. Followed by a month and half off and beginning next season sometime in November and playing a 70 game schedule.
And what I got out of that is that the players were/are in limbo, they can’t treat it like offseason in case it started suddenly, so they were saying let’s make mid-March through June-mid-June the offseason and then we’ll come back complete the season. The final teams will have a month and a half off and then grind out a 70 game 20-21 season that ends in June.
I’m sure teams feel like whoever goes far and eventually win the completion of the 19-20 season will be at a severe disadvantage for the 20-21 portion of the year.
If the Rangers were to get to the SCF no matter what the situation, how they got there and what format they played every single one of you would watch them. Don’t pretend like you wouldn’t.
Too many people spraying lysol down their throats. No one’s thinking clearly.
I’m gonna watch the hockey in any shape or form! I don’t care if they tell me to get inside a closet and watch Rangers push for a playoff spot games there! I’ll do it!
@Ilb – 14,200 total hospitalizations, 1,300 new. The ‘new’ figure has been stuck around 1350 +/- for about five days now.
Cuomo said deaths (~450) and new hospitalizations(~1300) have been flat for several days and alluded to various models that predict how long it will take to get to a steady state and what the cases and deaths will be when we get there. A questioner tried to draw him into a discussion of Trump’s cure riff yesterday, but, he refused to be drawn into it. The message was mostly stay the course.
‘This is what they should be reporting. Actually useful information.’
Great! Now all I have to do is figure out a way to suntan my lungs!
‘Too many people spraying lysol down their throats. No one’s thinking clearly.’
Long time ago (mid 70’s) my company employed two messengers to run things between offices in Manhattan. Both were in their 60’s and both considered marginally employable due to what would now be referred to as learning disabilities but were called other, rather less diplomatic things back in those days. Well, one of these was a germaphobe and being a messenger, he had to handle a lot of things handled by a lot of people during the day. One day, it all just got to him and he decided that a regular bath wouldn’t do, so he filled a tub with Lysol. Needless to say, he wound up hospitalized with second degree burns.
Now, you would expect that a man with, say a ‘great Ivy League’ education, would be a tad bit more aware of real world facts than a man with virtually no education. Just sayin.
Ilb,
I will try it out. But if last nights NFL draft tells me anything it is that I won’t last long.
NYC numbers are much better. I believe new hospitalizations are less than 200 per day for a few days.
The Donald attended Fordham for two years, then Penn (Wharton) for two. When people hear ‘Wharton’ they generally assume a graduate business degree, but his Wharton was undergraduate. (Not for nutin.’)
Why can’t our Pols and our Press talk to us as succinctly and laconically as ilb does?
I used to work the Wharton grade school building hard. Kinda funny. You bring it up and suddenly I can see the whole layout of the building and all the little professor suites. Philly business professors, they would sell their own staplers if I was willing to buy them.
That would require them being on the up with us coos. Which they can’t do without telling us they haven’t been on the up with us for as long as you and I have been alive
Talk about silent MSG. With the same token they could deploy hospital in it, bigger than in Jacob Javits’…and hopefully more useful.
Did Drago inject himself with disinfectant yet?
Mister D(ick)
Why’d you come back? Xenophobe 🙂
Afraid of Xenos?
Afraid of Zdeno?
Afraid of C-Notes?
No. Just a D(ick)
🙂
One of those butt-buddies PC bros from the distant past who suddenly decided to leave his precious safe space and come post here again.
Xena Warrior Princess
The League of Violent Princesses?
The League of Virulent Beta Soy Boys
What ate we talking about did I miss something?
Nothing worthy, St Pete.
Did Belichick really just take a kid out of lenoir-rhyne which is a small private school in the foothills of North Carolina.
Kid got a belichick players name though.
Kyle dugger
The league of violent princesses geez that made me laugh
Lysol down the throat gets you a Darwin Award, period. But Trump doing his Jackie Gleason bit–he suddenly has a great game-changing idea nobody’s thought of–not helpful. The Trump-hating press suggesting he wants people to try drinking disinfectant–even more unhelpful. Trump lying about it–I was being sarcastic–childish. Theater of the Absurd all the way around. I’m tired of Fauci and Birx at this point–they’ve done their jobs and should get out–but at least they are grownups.
Ok – so Trump muffed up the whole Lysol bit. Dig deal.
As if Joe Biden has a perfect oratorial record…
Just sayin’
Trump has been superb in his actions, as ever, country doing quite well in the face of this COVID basid. But he can’t keep his forking mouth shut, like he’s afraid he’ll lose his base if he does. Any President who’s done as well as he has should be riding at 60% by now, especially considering his dementia-beset opponent, poor guy. Counterpunching the press, the least popular species in the country by far, is good politics for his base, fine, but tiresome for the rest of us. STFU, Trump. [Yes, I posted about politics–politics is pretty damn important right now]
The whole press thing has gotten old and stale.
It is scary when a leader constantly is admonishing the press, as we are seeing here.
It is equally scary when the press throws its unabashed support around another leader or political agenda rather than reporting news with transparency.
ah… NO POLITICS
No politics. I respect the sentiment behind that, but for crying out loud it’s just us chickens here, left, right and middle. You’d think by now this would be a place where we could discuss just about anything with a modicum of civility, especially during this historic hysteria, made even more intense by its signature LACK OF HOCKEY.
Agreed Norm – nobody is calling each other names, and nobody is calling members of the opposite party pieces of trash. Nothing wrong with intellectual debating.
Word.
I wonder how many people listened to his actual speech? Just wondering. Because everything he said was repeat what the medical professional before him stated and said we need to figure out a way to use this knowledge on human body now…
If you ever been on the sun or in a tanning bed – congrats!! You been exposed to UV light or if you ever got a tooth filling. So that’s not really anything new.
Also light waves have long been used on humans and especially newborns to get rid of bilirubin build up.
As far as injecting chlorine – anyone ever used fossil water to do anything like brush their teeth or maybe even drink it? Well guess what? Chlorine is used to purify our water supply.
He did not say anything new. He certainly did not say you should drink bleach or inject lysol or whatever. The media is the true enemy of the people but so many people are drinking the cool aid of fake media.
I’ll be back when we talk about hockey again. I don’t need to come here for Trump fluffing. There is a TV station that does that 24/7.
ORF
Would you come here for Trump bashing instead of fluffing?
I watched it, CCCP, and it was cringeworthy not because he said anything particularly outrageous, and he always points out he’s Not a Docta, but by now he should know where the stream-of-consciousness stuff goes, that his enemies in the press, which is to say the press, would do exactly what they did. So the public learns nothing from the presentation about heat, light and humidity, and instead we get the tabloid stuff about the press vs. president. His base loves that, but he’s never going to lose them, and he misses a chance to win over some middle folks who probably appreciate what his team has been doing. If only he could keep his yap shut from time to time.
Fredo’s wife bathes in bleach. Press disinterested.
Press uninterested. As far away from disinterested as they can get. I remember when the NYT prided itself for being a disinterested reporter of news. I was in grade school when I asked what that meant.
ORF complaining about political posts made me smile to begin the day. I simply fail to understand why that stuff cannot be avoided on a hockey blog. I think we should get back to Bettman bashing.
Just watch local news …tends to be less based or agenda based….and thats either way….on a new subject looks like Zucc not happy with way Rangers treated him or current Hank situation
Where did Zucc complain about the Rangers? In an interview? I have not seen that on the web.
How about dysinterested? Poor Norm defines ‘forecheck’ as an invoice rendered before dinner.
Topo and Hank have a thing.
William Bryan is not a medical professional, neither is he a scientist. He’s ex-military and to be fair, he was talking about ways to destroy covid 19 on external surfaces. Trump then went Twilight Zone, Outer Limits with the stuff. Rod Serling from the grave, “You can’t make this stuff up”.
Also they put sodium fluoride in drinking water (compound of flourine) entirely different element. Chlorine is used to clean swimming pools.
Eat it
Was there a problem with Bryan’s report on his team’s research, aneirin? His group is apparently working the Johns Hopkins crowd on this. And he was careful, I thought: “It would be irresponsible for us to say that we feel the summer will totally kill the virus.”
Wait until Joe Biden takes over—
Pressers will be way beyond any fantasy ever seen on the Twilight Zone or presented by this current “administration”.
The “free” press will show all sorts of levels of disinterest/uninterest!
Anyway.
Too bad for Zook. And sorry – what should the Rangers have done differently for Hank? He’s not their best option in net anymore. They need to win games. Hank has been more than paid for his work as a Ranger. Stop crying Zucc.
The Minx is out until Hockey returns. Or I will be unable to spew my conservative worldview all over our beloved Bonehead, Chucklehead, blog. It’s shameful what we are allowing to take place in our country, just shameful!
I’m so angry I can’t think straight.
I meant to say “unable to stop spewing.”
Good afternoon, boneheads!
I’m off today. And the way it looks now, tomorrow too. Most like will take off Monday. That’s all I need to tell you about the numbers.
Post above updated for some HOCKEY NEWS
Kim Jong Un rumored to be dead. This has Hillary written all over it. She wanted his pantsuit.
‘Was there a problem with Bryan’s report on his team’s research, aneirin? ‘
Almost certainly not. Like I said, ex-military so it was a straight-forward recitation of facts. Facts are not the kind of magical thinking some prefer.
On se dit continuellement au virus:
‘Va ou je vais, Le Magnifique, va, va, va”
Mais hélas, il n’avait pas on cheval blanc.
Five points to whoever gets the reference.
Kim is dead?
“Other unconfirmed reports, attributed to senior party sources in Beijing, said an operation to insert a stent went wrong because the surgeon’s hands were shaking so badly.“
Kim scored 100 points in a basketball game while his surgeons ran alongside installing the stent.
This re-open is going to be a re-disaster based on what I’ve seen in person as well as on the tele today. Masks? Face coverings? Six feet apart? Its a nice day, don’t worry its just the flu bro!
Saw the Zucc quotes. Really enjoyed him as a Ranger. Understand why they did not re-sign him. If they had, who of Panarin or Trouba would not be here? And surely Kreider would not. To me, it was good asset management by Gorton. As for how they have treated Henrik………they showed serious respect by giving him the option of staying or leaving. That was not shown to Giacomin, Leetch and others over the years. Gorton is not perfect, but I have no problem with how he handled Zucc or Henrik. He wants to win the cup. I want him to as well.
The only people that believe his leadership has been superb are trolls, sycophants, or the misinformed. His leadership hasn’t been bad, it’s been catastrophic. His style is leadership from behind, designed to take credit for any success and deflect and distribute the blame for any failure. He has no interest in being accountable for his actions, inaction or failures.
And it’s gonna be so much better with Joe Biden!
I do agree with your leadership from behind assessment, however. That does seem to be the case.
To answer CCCP’s question No, I would not come here for Trump bashing. There are plenty of other places to do that. It serves no purpose to do it here. I have never initiated any political discussion here and will not engage in them in the future. We all have strong opinions that are not going to change. Let’s keep this as the Ranger Report. The hockey discussion here is unique. The politics is not.
Ok…let’s talk hockey. What’s the topic?
My hands itch so bad to send Mister D to blockistan 🙂
LB’s article mentions that Kakko may not play if the season restarts as well as Max Domi and Luke Kunin. I also wonder if DQ’s blood disorder puts him at risk and if Lindy Ruff’s age is a factor. There will have to be a medical evaluation of each player, team staff member and support staff for the broadcast. The league can’t appear to be pressuring anyone to participate. Also they are talking about quarantining the teams for up to 4 months. The devil is in the details as they say. I wonder if this will just fall apart as they try to work through all the issues that need to be addressed.
Biden vs Trump. I guess guys under the age of 70 don’t run for president anymore. Put them in a ufc cage throw a butterscotch candy in the ring and proceed to tell them it’s the last one on earth.
Whoever is alive at the end of the match gets to run the country into the bowels of hell for the next four years.
Mister D, to your “the only people that believe his leadership has been superb are trolls, sycophants, or the misinformed.” I’m none of those things, I think for myself, and I read from just about all sources. To be fair, I wouldn’t say his leadership has been superb, just that he has been remarkably effective in terms of what he set out to do–it comes at a psychic price, to be sure, but I’m an actions > words guy even if I’d prefer both.
As to your notion, ORF, that political discussion necessitates the changing of minds, I certainly don’t buy that premise. I understand liberal and conservative viewpoints fairly well, and I recognize the need for both to exist and to inform policy-making. For the life of me, I don’t understand the need to shut down political debate, especially at a time like this when we are paralyzed at a crossroads and it’s obvious we need to open and that we need leadership from both parties to make that happen. If and when we return to normal, we can revert to the luxury of claiming either side has all the answers.
At which point hockey will actually be happening and a ban on politics will get my vote.
The restart is surely not without risk for the NHL. As Bettman and the owners have always been motivated by money, it is no surprise they will push for games to be played. Would not want to see Mr. Jacobs inconvenienced. It is interesting that they have responded the way they have to this pandemic but continue to deny all of the mountains of evidence about CTE. They continue to allow and, through the department of player excuses, condone headhunting.
Well if NJ governor can get 500K tests out of S. Korea Bettman should be able to do so as well.
https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/coronavirus_genome.png
Nicely said, Norm. You have my respect.
‘I want a Sunday kind of love
A love to last past Saturday night
I’d like to know
It’s more than love at first sight
I want a Sunday kind of love…’
Well, you’ll not get it here.
Social distancing pick-up lines:
Hey babe, can I ship you a drink?
Tough crowd. But don’t worry. I am here all week…
Culinary question to comely Egyptian girl: ‘Can I have a date?’
Boooo!
Sam: Those aren’t “boos” you’re hearing, Joe, they’re “Cooooos”.
Joe: Oh no, Sam, I think those are definitely “boos”.
Geez, what did I, break the blog?
Blog Clog. Clorox it out.
On this day in 1976, Chicago Cubs outfielder Rick Monday saved the American flag from being burned by protesters in the outfield at Dodger Stadium.
Pretty sure guys like Mister Ds, Mannys and Boobys would cheer if the flag was set on fire.
Pretty sure they would not.
Aha…
First
Do you guys think any of the dying people give a flying F-bomb about which political party are less of a-holes right now?? Jesus. Stop bitching and go help an old person that can’t find groceries if y’all are so outraged and disgusted.
I’m pickling eggs.
It’s super easy to make and they are delicious!
James,
As I mentioned to you before, I’m considered essential. I’m out and about with people, and I can tell you first hand there is a large range of emotions. People are scared. People are angry. Some people are respectful of others. Some could care less about anyone else. Most, if not all, are tired of the quarantine and want to get back to work/life. There are going to be a few breaking points coming up. Mother’s Day is right around the corner. We are not going to let people see there mothers? That could get ugly. Memorial Day is next. No BBQs? Fathers Day after that. Traditional golf, and BBQ days. Then the 4th of July. Need I say more. The breaking point is coming. I just hope our leadership is ready for it. Red/Blue, doesn’t matter. They just better be ready.
Riddle me this from the NY Times: ‘Men are more likely than women to die of the virus, so scientists are treating them with something women have more of: female sex hormones.’
BDL, I get it. And I even see people here at the hospital getting tired of all of this too. But wanting a problem to go away/ignoring it doesn’t mean it isn’t still there. These yokels down south will realize it soon.
People can do what they want but I’m going to continue to be safe while they take those gambles.
As for the Red/Blue aspect of it, I wasn’t alive during the time but I’m a big Vietnam War enthusiast. It sort of feels like this is a modern day version of what was going on in this country during those times without the bullets and napalm flying.
What I’m convinced of now more than ever is that many of our ‘experts’ both medical, political, bloggers, and others live off their rep and too often have little idea what they are talking about. 4 months into this thing and everything is still speculation.
One problem is that often the most intelligent among us are loathe to attribute bad motives to any ogre except their personal imagined ‘enemies,’ those whom they are predisposed to eagerly destroy. Too often our brightest lights are constrained by fear and attack only those who are incapable of serious retribution.
Today’s divide doesn’t bear much resemblance at all to the Vietnam era. That argument took place essentially within the Democratic party. Eugene McCarthy and later Bobby Kennedy were anti-war candidates who opposed the sitting president of their own party. There was also enormous social change occurring in the form of the Civil Rights movement and the women’s movement. But the parties were not as aligned as homogeneously as they are today. We went from a 60/4o Democratic election in 1964 to a 60/40 Republican election in 1972. All of the Civil Rights legislation required major Republican support to pass because of segregationist Democrats from the South. Issues mattered and politicians and voters debated and changed their positions on issues. Today we may see a 5% swing in an election cycle and that is do to turnout change rather than the existence of persuadable voters. Party allegiance is now like rooting for the home team and there is little that can happen to move people’s opinions. He may be a crook, but, he’s our croock. The parties have realigned and their supporters have hunkered down in their trenches. We see party lines votes in Congress (and in the Courts) and the strategy is to get your voters to turn out and impose your will on the other party who is your enemy. If you see an R or D after a politician’s name you will know his or her position on almost every issue before they say a word.
BDL – the problem is not about allowing people to go back to work (for the most part). It is that many people are going to ignore the safe distance and face mask requirements. Seen it already locally and on TV this past weekend.
We all want a return to ‘normal’ but medically things are not there yet. And per the FT, there has probably been quite a bit more death than has been reported.
Just read in WSJ why CCCP’s place is so full of eggs:
ORF,
It sounds like what you’re saying is that the main difference is that people care a lot less than they used to.
Unless of course those people are non essential southerners with a Dodge Ram and an American flag : x
Blue Angel/Thunderbirds to do NYC/LI/Westchester fly over beginning around noon on 4/28 to salute Ilb and the other docs/nurses. Sorry James, even Blue Angel’s don’t like flying over NJ 😉
That this upcoming decision-making has to take place in an election year is not good, though I suppose you could argue we’re in a perpetual election year these last couple decades. The president is probably wanting to stay closed for as long as possible until he actually begins to lose his base while talking a big game to the contrary unless you’re Kemp–classic CYA move there–and not risk a 2nd wave ruining the recovery if there is one. The Dems would prefer there not be that good a recovery if they want to win back all three bodies, which could result in some useless foot-dragging. Etc., etc. What’s actually best for the country you get the feeling is low on either party’s list. As ever, it will be up to the individual to make his own ballsy decisions, all the while being told to fear, fear, fear by our pals in the media. As FDR said, the only thing we have to fear is… well, everything. I think that’s the quote.
Beezle, I would think the numerator is OK. For each guy staying at home and dying of a heart attack because ER=Covid, there’s another [old] guy who’s dying with it, not from it. At least that number is order-of-magnitude. It’s that forkin’ denominator, about which I think they know a lot more than they’re telling us. The last thing the pols want us to think is that the denominator is actually huge, and that this lockdown was not as essential as we were led to believe. Both parties are in on that with both feet, and nobody is going to step down from that narrative until everyone has forgotten it, years from now, unless it’s proven to have been correct. You’d sure like to think it is–I would anyway, that we didn’t kill the economy for nothing.
Norm I think the implication was that many more people have died of COVID directly, not indirectly from untreated emergencies like heart attacks? The FT article follows from what the NY Post and others had been reporting in early April from NYC police/emt arriving on calls to find many times more dead people than was ‘normal’
Speaking of questionable competence, would whoever finds out whether Kim is dead or alive, please notify the CIA.
It’s in nobody’s interest to kill the economy. If you’re in control, destroying the economy puts you at grave risk of losing control. If you’re not in control, destroying the economy might theoretically give you a leg up in gaining control but then what. You’re in control of a pile of ashes and like as not, your ‘control’ will not last particularly long and your accomplishments will be shortlived at best and likely nil.
I get your cynicism Norm but politicians (most of them (well some) anyway) are not stupid and at least some are students of history. A destabilized country is by definition, uncontrolled, no matter who is in power. A destabilized country is only appetizing for the Robespierre’s of this world.
Coos, I’m sure the CIA knows the status of Kim but what I highly doubt is that you’re on their needtoknow list.
You’re sure, LOL. Blowhard.
Obnoxious fool.
What I love most about hockey is that you can line-up some arrogant, fatuous fool, drill him real nice, and spend two (or better five) minutes in the litter box and then come out and do it again.
The numbers I had heard was that NY usually has about 2o people a day die at home and it went up to 200+ in March. Maybe that’s heart attacks that were afraid to go to the hospital, but, at least some of them were COVID-19.
Beezle, there’re stories on both sides of the coin, that’s all, and the numbers aren’t that big in either direction even if you only believe only one of them. PA and WA both wiped out hundreds from their death counts in the last week due to out-of-state or unverified. Again, it’s not the numerator that’s most in doubt. And while I’m sure there are and will be political urges to doctor it plus or minus, it won’t matter nearly as much as the denominator–they don’t even know the order of magnitude there yet.
The usual blah blah blah
James G
People certainly care today. Many are very passionate on both sides. That’s what happens when you rival is viewed as evil and you believe that losing will result in an apocalypse. There’s some of that feeling on both sides.
I do think the increased mixing of religion and politics has increased the tendency to view rivals as enemies and compromise as moral weakness. Politics is the art of the possible and less and less is possible these days. People always voted more with their gut than their head, but, it’s gotten much worse in the last couple of decades.
Norm – when you finally get a foothold on where you stand, state it and stop sidestepping and skirting every issue with your lame combination of vacillation, tap-dancing, arrogance, and sophomoric humor. You remind me of a United Nations third world ‘diplomat’ expounding on issues beyond your ken while swigging from a champagne flute, gnawing jumbo shrimp, and spilling cocktail sauce on your Jerry Garcia tie.
Yet I still like you for some odd reason. 🙂
Norm is annoying – but he is cool.
I’m laughing about the Jerry Garcia tie bit…. awesome
coos, Jerry Garcia? You’ve done your research, as it’s the worst thing you could have hit me with. I despise what that reprobate and his sidekicks took away from us–a horrible human being. And the United Nations is a tawdry anachronism that nobody cares about, least of all me. Good digs, wrong target. As to nuance and trying to understand opposing points of view–yeah, sue me.
And my combination of vacillation, tap-dancing, arrogance, and sophomoric humor has been years in the making–you don’t arrive there overnight.
Thing is Coos, I have a little warm spot for the CIA seeing as how they tried to recruit me right after I got out of the service. Course I turned them down being a bit of a radical in those days. PS course, I’d obviously have to say I turned them down no matter what, wouldn’t I.
Prove to us, aneirin, that you are not in the CIA. I myself may or may not be in Witness Protection.
Well Norm, if I were in the CIA, I’d know whether you were in Witness Protection and since I don’t, ipso facto. Though I do know for a fact that Kim Il-sung is dead.
Is he dead as in God is dead? Or just plain ol’ dead.
‘Nietzsche is dead’. – God
Curmudgeons International Association?
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