Today, in when they say it’s not about the money

Ze boolsheet, she is thick here:

All stakeholders recognize the most important aspect: the well-being of athletes. In addition to the continued risk of contracting the coronavirus, there remains a mental impact the pandemic is having on society as a whole considering the uncertainty surrounding the virus.

What is the allowable risk of spread when football reconvenes? Theoretically, one infected player would have to be quarantined along with everyone they contact.

“Unfortunately, it will be a bit of trial and error,” Waldman said. “Somebody will open up [a sport] … and see what happens. Then maybe one will go well and two will go well and 10 will go well. And then on the 15th try, somebody will get sick. Somebody will say, ‘Maybe we shouldn’t have opened. Maybe we should close again.'”

Yeah, that’s exactly how people concerned about the well-being of athletes sound.

Advertisement

Dead to me

This news hardly comes as a surprise.

Division I, Division II extends their recruiting dead periods: pic.twitter.com/aIC7WUTg3p

— Inside the NCAA (@InsidetheNCAA) April 1, 2020

Aside from how the coronavirus affects the timing of the 2020 football season, the other shoe waiting to drop is whether it affects the two national signing days for the class of 2021, as well.

Place your bets

Win totals?  Did somebody ask about win totals?

College football win totals from ⁦@DKSportsbook⁩ pic.twitter.com/RZ5zI2k3HX

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 1, 2020

How do you feel about Georgia’s over/under at 10?

Filling a void

Need something to take your mind off the bad news while you stay at home, Dawg fans?  Jake Rowe can help with that.

And the bloodletting begins

I doubt this is a canary in the coal mine, because it feels too inevitable for that.

Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard said school will implement a 1-year, temporary pay reduction for athletics department coaches & certain staff, reducing total payroll at least $3 million & a 1-year temporary suspension of all bonuses/incentives for all coaches, saving $1 million

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) April 1, 2020

More to come.

By the way, and I almost hate to be the one to say it, but I suspect there is a lesson to be learned here by college athletes about how vulnerable the structure of college athletics is to serious financial disruption.  Like a player strike, for example.  Just sayin’.

When Kirk Herbstreit has lost you…

Considering all the things over the years Kirk Herbstreit has uttered that deserved condemnation but generally haven’t, I find it a little weird that people are taking offense about his concern that we may not get a college football season in 2020.

Echoes a lot of what I've heard privately from ADs/coaches. People were PISSED at Herbstreit for those comments particularly the timing of them https://t.co/1Yh3Umo1fe

— John Talty (@JTalty) April 1, 2020

I get that denial likely plays a part here.  Nobody wants to consider the chance, growing stronger seemingly every day, that we won’t get football on time, but it’s not as if Herbstreit’s said something that makes him history’s greatest monster, either.

I can’t believe I just quasi-defended Herbie.

In an appearance on the @finebaum show, Eli Drinkwitz apologized to @KirkHerbstreit. “I did not mean anything toward Kirk Herbstreit or to take a shot at him. I hope he would accept my apology. My point was we are focused on today.” https://t.co/ZRmPnW7rN1

— Brandon Zimmerman (@BZSEC) April 1, 2020

Musical palate cleanser, too fast, too soon edition

Man, I just mentioned him a couple of days ago, and now comes this sad, sad news:

Adam Schlesinger, an acclaimed singer-songwriter for the bands Fountains of Wayne and Ivy who had an award-winning second career writing songs for film, theater and television, died on Wednesday in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He was 52.

The cause was complications of the coronavirus, his family said.

This song comes from my favorite Fountains of Wayne album, Welcome Interstate Managers.  The topic should be familiar to anyone who frequents this joint.

RIP, Adam.