pash

Jaba apparently trained individually today, for the first time. Fingers crossed that everything goes well. I can't imagine we'll see him in what remains of this season (though I don't even know how long this will stretch??)...

It seems we might be seeing 5 subs per game going forward? Due to how many games will be compressed into the schedule. Not that FIFA gave a s%$#! during those years that we had a playoff system that was designed to exhaust teams 2-5 and cut our summers short. https://www.espn.com/soccer/blog-fifa/story/4089951/fifa-proposes-use-of-five-substitutes-once-competitions-restart-after-coronavirus

That makes sense since Boris's reopening sounds like it's set for the 11th? I wonder what their requirements will be. So if I read this correctly, phase 1 in Ireland lets you play golf and....badminton, but actual gyms are closed? I am in severe withdrawal from not being able to go to my Temple of Iron. I am pretty sure in most of the US, repair shops and hardware stores were considered "essential businesses" so God knows how this will differ for us.

I actually just got an alert from FT saying that Boris Johnson has said the country will begin opening up on Monday?? Why would this happen in the middle of their surge?! This is insanity. I believe here in Massachusetts we have two days of declines in the rate of new infections and hospitalizations. Our governor will probably have another press conference in a few hours to talk about today's data. Fingers crossed that the trend continues. Meanwhile, I also saw today that the US as a whole has had its death toll estimates revised up to the 160-260k level, depending on which model you want to believe. This is of course due to roughly 40% of our states being run by morons who are hell-bent on killing grandparents. Also, a Pfizer-developed vaccine entered human testing here in the US on Monday. This is a few days after the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine began human trials in the UK. From what I recall there is also another vaccine that began trials in Seattle about 6 weeks ago and a University of Pittsburgh vaccine that is in the works (AND this from the same place, which is interesting: https://www.nextpittsburgh.com/latest-news/a-nasal-spray-that-prevents-covid-19-pitt-researchers-awarded-grants-for-urgent-covid-19-research/). Both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines are expected to be produced in great quantities come September, assuming the trials are successful (of course).

I'd rather get coronavirus than read through this tiff

Keep in mind that as of right now, we believe 50% of people are entirely asymptomatic. The "1 in 10" number is of people who are tested, which is (in the US at least) almost entirely made up of people who are feeling sick enough to convince someone to give them a test. You do not have a 1 in 10 chance of dying, in other words.

I am very proud to say that my (very liberal) state's Republican governor has done a great job so far. It looks like they won't start taking recommendations for a phased reopening until the 18th at the earliest (suggestions start then, the reopening would be later). That is also contingent on new infections/hospitalizations/deaths actually dropping; it seems that our surge has been sustained for over two weeks now. Which is worse than the models predicted (the governor calls it a "high plateau" in his daily briefings). Still, it is not rising, which is some good news. Lazarus, since our states are in this grand coalition perhaps we'll be celebrating with some nice beers at the same time! The financial times had a very chilling article on the UK death toll recently (https://www.ft.com/content/0ed8ea34-ebc5-4425-b86a-7a29447de57b <-- this may be behind a paywall for people). Essentially, it seems it's double what the government is reporting. The CDC here in the US has also reported that deaths not attributed to COVID-19 are way higher than normal as well. With 60,000 this year labeled as due to "pneumonia." Very good chance that many of those deaths took place when we had insufficient testing; they are likely actually COVID-19-related. Just terrible, terrible times. By the way, I saw a headline about Greece expecting to open for tourist season, with "social distancing" still a thing? I didn't have a chance to actually read it and haven't been able to find it since, has anyone read anything about that?

Paoktv going away??

I would argue that his strongest years were probably before his second stint with us. For me he's an all-time favorite player though. What a warrior.

I really don't want to link this because I know exactly how this will end but @PaokCT will lynch me if I don't... https://www.agonasport.com/agonasport-allnews/recommendation-for-olympiacos-to-be-relegated-amid-match-fixing-claims I'll believe it when I see it.

Our governor actually announced about two hours ago that school is cancelled through June 29th. I hope to GOD other parts of the state are able to get back into action sooner. This is pretty rough. My family owns a restaurant in a seasonal area and if nobody is allowed to open until the beginning of summer, I don't know how many of those businesses will survive. If 90% of your income comes in a 4-month period, you get hit especially hard...

Wow, Ingason over Varela, who doesn't even make the bench! I don't know how to feel about that.

Do we have any hot young prospects at LB? Next season we have Matos, Soares, and Lyratzis all at RB. And no I don't think we should trust any of them to play on their off foot for a season (and I'm aware of Matos playing there like five years ago). Maybe we should just buy Korovesis back! The opposing players will just get lost in his eyes.

Who among us hasn't nibbled on some forbidden toesies? In case anyone was curious, the "Florida Man" phenomenon is basically because Florida has very liberal freedom of information rules, which allows these kinds of stories to get found very very quickly. Wiki has a good explanation on its Florida Man page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Man Personally, I don't buy the end of that first paragraph, as the demographic- and mental health-funding arguments make it seem like Florida is unique in those respects (it definitely is not).

Every time I watch Indian media I get so thrown off by their use of "lakh." Good clip though!

Well it was probably decided last year ?

Pffft you guys are all way off base. --Itandje- --Skondras--Inigo Lopez--Insaurralde--Korovesis-- --Maduro--Tziolis-- --Ninis--Katsouranis--Golasa-- --Necid-- The ONLY debate I will accept is whether or not Hoesen should be the CF over Necid.

Pssst hey voters, try not to forget what's about to happen to you come election time, mmkay?

If you were, then a vaccine would already be too late!

Unsurprisingly, we lost our appeal on that 7 points. Time for CAS (which will 100% not agree to look at the case).

Hedwiges Maduro!

The problem, as I understand it, is that a bad vaccine may end up causing people to become even more susceptible/vulnerable to the virus (or other illnesses). In that event, there is a LOT to lose by giving them something like this. Here is an article that touches on that theme: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vaccines-insight/as-pressure-for-coronavirus-vaccine-mounts-scientists-debate-risks-of-accelerated-testing-idUSKBN20Y1GZ

It would also require us to pay the sums that we've been...well...paying these last few seasons. Completely in opposition to the rumors of our cutting such costs!

Nooo way this would happen but Cimirot would be a big improvement at DM

I bet Trumpland is going to get hit harder, later. Keep in mind those states have governors that have stuck their heads in the sand and refused to shut things down. I'm glad up here in New England we've been on lockdown for ages; I just hope that once it's lifted the rednecks don't invade and give us an immediate other wave. Incidentally the president's approval rating is back to 45%. I bet those 55% are the ones that are watching the news thinking, "those liberal New Yorkers brought this on themselves."