Thinking out loud: Some coronavirus thoughts

Thinking out loud…while wondering if I have a support group out there – "Hi, my name is John, and I'm a classic rocker."

·       Something I always feared my Mom would tell me when I didn't want to do something is about to happen.

·       My point of view may not be the definitive answer here.  Not for fear of ridicule – who cares?  But because many people tune out when they need advice and counsel most.

·       So here goes.  We need to grow up.

·       We're hyper-critical these days over anyone who offers an opinion different from our own.  And in the current Covid climate, we're hyper-sensitive toward those who won't wear masks, or appear to be mask-less while out in public.

·       I get it – and see the arguments on both sides of this fence.  I'm no coronabro.

·       But here's the side of the fence I'm on…the side that the SCIENCE is on.

·       But is the science faulty?  We know it changes, seemingly every day.

·       If we don't follow the science, we have several more months of what we've experienced over the past six months.  Businesses will stay closed.  Restaurants will bankrupt.  Games won't play and venues will fail to fill, which then keeps this vicious cycle of closings and people losing their jobs – including within the sports world – very much a reality.

·       I am all for pushing on, living our lives and learning how to exist as normally as possible during a pandemic.  I'm also for staying healthy and protecting lives that don't need to be put at risk.

·       Do we have to choose?

·       If I'm an impressionable, young college student – and I teach them for a living, plus have had two of my own – I'm certainly left to wonder why I'm being asked to wear a mask, not congregate in public, and to stay away from groups and parties and friends.

·       College kids are curious and inquisitive by nature.  They also attract each other like bugs to a zapper.  When I was in school, I never met a party I didn't like.

·       So when these kids – students – look on the sidelines and up into the stands of our sporting events and see adults not complying with the current rules, why should they comply?

·       What's up with that, Professor?  I don't have an answer.  Other than to say some adults simply don't act their age.

·       The NBA and NHL have handled their bubble situations as well as could be expected – under strict protocols and guidelines for returning to and continuing play.  MLB has moved into a bubble situation for its' postseason, with the hope they'll finish the year without further incident.

·       And there were plenty of incidents during the season, weren't there?

·       The NFL and college football have been barking out their marching orders on protocol to follow, but we've seen little bite in return.  NFL coaches have been fined for mask-less appearances on the sidelines…but some coaches just don't get they're being watched, and whether they like it or not, they are setting examples for others to follow.

·       It ain't a good look.  And postponements are hitting – are there more to come?

·       Big Brother, aka Roger Goodell, suggested earlier this week for all teams to recommit themselves to enforcing protocols, and for once – I'll agree with the NFL's Grand Poobah.

·       It's gotta happen.  Or there won't be a 'normal' to get back to for a long, long time to come.

·       The NFL has issued another set of guidelines for teams to follow, with the Patriots and Titans outbreaks this week.  Forget fines or suspensions, forfeiture of games could be a resort for teams who don't follow them.  Tennessee, in particular, is facing the heavy hand of the 'law' for its potential protocol violations.

·       That's ok.  Someone needs to be the adult.

·       Bill Belichick double-masked Monday night in KC, making certain he did not commit a mask transgression with Big Brother watching.  If BB can do it, every other coach on the planet can, too.

·       College coaches?  Doing a better job than their NFL counterparts, perhaps, but the stands (at least those in use) are extraordinarily lax in their enforcement.  Or did you not get a look at the crowd in the stands at Georgia last weekend?

·       These people clearly live in a time-warp.  Or, news of the pandemic hasn't yet reached their poor, addled souls.  Or, they just don't care, and neither do school officials.

·       Not caring affects me.  And you.

·       The SEC needs to knock Georgia upside its collective head or refuse fans altogether.  SMU's entire student section was kicked out of the stands in the Mustangs' win over 25^th ranked Memphis last week for not following rules.  That's a start.

·       This goes beyond 'kids will be kids.'  We need to enforce what needs to be enforced, in this day and age of entitlement, if we're going to play any games with any consistency and resume any sort of normalcy.

·       College basketball is on our immediate horizon, aiming for a big comeback after the shattering disappointment of last spring.

·       But if adults don't start acting their age and enforcing what they've put in place, who can blame the kids if they continue to act their age?

·       Pardon the digression, but speaking of not growing up – what's your favorite Eddie Van Halen song?  "Panama" always gets me started, and the music video was largely filmed at the Providence Civic Center during a St. Patrick's Day concert in 1984.

·       Reason enough to love it, amiright?  And "Jump" is great to get the blood flowin', too.

·       Van Halen's passing this week at age 65 after a battle with cancer is another sobering reminder that while life does, indeed, go on – it doesn't have to go on without the artistry and music that has helped define us for a generation.

·       Greatest rock guitarist of all time?  Would you put him in your Top 5? Van Halen (his 'Eruption' solo is an all-timer), Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana – that's my list.  And I'm stickin' with it.

·       But, not for nuthin', you might persuade me to consider a few others.  Pete Townshend, George Harrison, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Alex Lifeson…some pretty good shredders, too.

·       My buddy "Big E" sez he showed up at his office early one day last week, and the phone started ringing. So, he answered it before business hours began. The caller asked for some specific information, and he said he'd help them if he could.

·       "What's your job title there?" the caller asked.  "I'm the CEO," was "Big E's" reply.  The caller then said, "That's ok, I'll call back later. I need to talk to someone who knows what's going on."

·       "Bizarre" is how I would describe Cam Newton's positive virus test this week.  A puzzler, really.  Why just him?  Then, practice team lineman Bill Murray was found positive this week.  Then, Stephon Gilmore.

·       We knew this would happen, didn't we?  We just didn't think it would happen to us.  A familiar refrain, perhaps?

·       Hey NFL.  Maybe you don't care, but we have a problem.

·       I love a good conspiracy, and certainly wonder if the league – knowing the protocols they've set in place – went on with last week's NE-KC game for the TV ratings/revenue…knowing the Patriots had a bye coming up to "reset" if needed?  Placing players and coaches potentially in harms' way for the sake of a game.

·       Yeah, what about the Chiefs?  The Broncos this week?  The rest of the league?

·       We're playing with fire, scarecrow.

·       But the NFL has been determined to play their schedule.  With possible game forfeiture as punishment on the line, they'll play on.  Adding an 18^th week to the schedule is getting consideration.

·       So…at least they're consistent, whether you agree with them or not.  Just sayin'.

·       Equally puzzling was Brian Hoyer's on-field performance in Kansas City.  For a vet who's been around the block, been a 'team guy' in every sense, a coach-on-the-field and mentor…it was extraordinarily ordinary-to-poor.

·       He shouldn't take another snap, in a game, for New England.

·       As for Jarrett Stidham, it's still incomplete.  Let's see what he can do with a complete-game assignment before placing judgment.  He may get that chance this week against Denver.

·       Tony Corrente's call was atrocious.  The play had not ended.  It robbed the Patriots of points and of badly needed momentum.  But these calls will keep happening – best now to realize you need to learn how to play through them.

·       As TB12 once got 'all the calls,' so will Patrick "loves to take a dive" Mahomes.

·       The Chiefs' game was there for the taking.  But will it be a 2020 memorable moment?  Hardly.

·       The game Monday night was played in 2:43. Baseball – and the Red Sox – please take note.

·       And if you have any doubts as to whether the Patriots can bounce back against the Broncos, consider this – Bill Belichick is 13-0 at home, all-time, against rookie QB's.  Brett Rypien, nephew of one-time Super Bowl champ Mark Rypien, is this week's fodder.

·       Potentially without your best offensive or defensive player on the field, of course…but I digress.

·       Ex-Brown Bear and Patriots assistant Bill O'Brien was fired in Houston, but it doesn't mean he was a failure.  5^th coach over the past 30 years to be fired by Week 5 in the NFL, but four division titles in five years for Houston says otherwise.

·       Yes, Josh McDaniels will be a candidate in Houston.  Yes, Bill O'Brien could end up back here in New England, replacing McDaniels as the offensive coordinator.  You can see that coming, can't you?

·       O'Brien's move out of Houston also means ex-Pat assistant Romeo Crennel is now the oldest head coach in NFL history, at age 73.  And that the Texans are Equal Opportunity (if slightly daft) Employers.

·       The Maui Invitational (aka The Week in Asheville Without Beaches) bracket sez the Friars get Indiana on November 30^th.  It'll be PC's first matchup with the Hoosiers on hardwood in nearly 48 years.

·       The Friars won the 1^st Maui Classic in 1984, beating Chaminade, and last appeared in the tournament (actually held then in Hawaii) in 1991...losing to Chaminade.  Did anyone detect my sarcasm in parentheses?  But I'm not bitter or anything.

·       And Chaminade ain't in it this year.  They've been in it every year (as tourney host) but for two – this one, and 2018.

·       A third meeting in three years against Texas could be waiting in the 2^nd round…or an A-10 matchup with Davidson depending on a win or loss.  UNC, Stanford, Alabama and UNLV are on the other side of the Maui bracket.

·       URI's David Cox continue to push (via Twitter) for the Friars and Rams to play this season, with both teams having potential openings in their schedules.  Even though the two schools issued a joint statement on this years' postponement.  Hmmm.

·       By the way, the Rams will not face Marquette at Mohegan Sun for the Hall of Fame Tip-Off on Nov. 28^th, as the Golden Eagles have 'opted out.' Temple is the replacement in the four-team event, with Virginia Tech (replacing UCF) and Minnesota also scheduled.

·       Creighton's Marcus Zegarowski, born in Hamilton, MA and prepped at the Tilton School, was named a 1^st team preseason all-American at guard by the Blue Ribbon Yearbook.

·       Several possibilities for Big East play are still being discussed. 1) Travel until Christmastime, then bubble wrap.  2) Pod play for conference games.  3) Normalcy…relatively speaking.

·       It is possible…that this years' college winter athletes could gain an extra year of eligibility, much like the fall sport athletes have already gained…and spring sport athletes have already earned.

·       We increasing roster sizes, or throwing out incoming freshmen?  And who pays, the boosters and alumni?

·       It will be voted on next week.  The NCAA DI Council will also vote next week on the one-time transfer rule, allowing athletes to play right away and not sit out a season, starting in 2021-22.

·       The inclusion of the one-time transfer rule for football and basketball would make it uniform across all collegiate sports – every sport except football, men's and women's basketball, hockey and baseball already allow athletes to transfer for immediate eligibility elsewhere.

·       The key – a May 1 notification date for fall and winter sports and a July 1 notification date for spring sports. Athletes who miss those deadlines would still need waivers to receive immediate eligibility.  Wanna make an adult decision?  Follow adult rules.

·       Name, image and likeness legislation is also nearing fruition, with the NAIA (252 smaller colleges and universities nationwide) passing and approving athletes' rights to earn extra income this week.  Major difference between NAIA and NCAA proposals – NAIA athletes may identify with their schools and wear their gear.

·       Big get this week for Patrick Ewing and Georgetown, getting a commitment from Dikembe Mutombo's 6-foot-11, 4-star son Ryan for 2021.  A Mutombo at G'town = normalcy.

·       The Big East will hold a virtual Media Day this year, as you might have expected, for men's and women's hoops on October 28^th.

·       Good question posed by the Big East twitter account this week – who is on your conference coaching Mount Rushmore?

·       I'll take John Thompson, Louie Carnesecca, Jay Wright and Jim Calhoun.  Can't have all '80's guys on the mountain and can't have two Nova guys (Rollie Massimino is worthy).  Nor can you have Jim Boeheim, deserving or not, because he left for football.  Disqualified.

·       In my best Tony Mazz impression: "The TV fake crowd noise still sucks and blows, Mike."  It was particularly bad in what little of the baseball playoffs I saw this week, too…drowning out the announcers.

·       Sometimes in this media biz, producers over-produce.  This is one of those times.

·       Even so, ratings are climbing a bit for baseball in the postseason, even as they're plummeting elsewhere.  11 of 25 measured baseball markets reported sharp declines in viewership for the abbreviated season, including the Globe reporting a 54% drop on NESN for Red Sox broadcasts.

·       What's amazing is the Red Sox getting half the audience they had a year ago through 60 games, considering the circumstances this season.  And that's due to Remy, Eck and OB in the booth.

·       Elsewhere, the numbers are dismal. The NBA Finals' Game 1: - 45%, an all-time low; Stanley Cup Final: - 61%, a 13-year low; U.S. Open final round: - 56%, an all-time low; The Kentucky Derby: down 43%, all-time low; The Indy 500: - 32%, an all-time low.

·       Layoffs are looming again at ESPN, after Disney let go 28,000 employees from its amusement parks.  About 700 current TV and radio employees are in the crosshairs.

·       Best wishes to one-time Providence and Notre Dame Sports Information Director Bernie Cafarelli, who is leaving her Associate Commissioner's position at the American Athletic Conference.  Bernie was the primary source for women's sports during her years at PC and was Mike Brey's one-time go-to at ND.

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·       Interested in having your questions on local Rhode Island sports (and yes, that includes the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Send 'em to me! It's your chance to "think out loud," so send your questions, comments and local stories to jrooke@weei.com. We'll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here!  Would appreciate the follow on Twitter, @JRbroadcaster…and join in on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...

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