Unverified Voracity Gets One Back
One back, one maybe. Kwity Paye will play for Michigan this fall:
That was the response offered to me last night by a team source in response to whether Kwity Paye would participate during the newly announced season. The senior defensive end has reportedly informed the program of his intention to stay and play.
Unlike the other departures, Paye kept practicing with the team.
The maybe is Jalen Mayfield. Getting him back would be quite the turnaround. Yesterday:
Brian Mayfield, Jalen Mayfield's father, says his son will not re-consider decision to go pro. “He’s not playing. Not for eight games. And there’s no guarantee they’re making it through.”
— Orion Sang (@orion_sang) September 16, 2020
Today Sam Webb reports that it's not a done deal, in part because Mayfield's family is "actively pushing" for him to return. Anyone other than Sam and I'm dismissing that report out of hand, but it is Sam, so… yeah. I'm saying there's a chance. I'd still put that chance in the low to very low zone.
[After THE JUMP: LSU put it in the gumbo]
The worst! The Big Ten's schedule plan:
The new conference schedule, which Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez said would be announced in full later this week, will be an “8+1” model in which each team will plan to play eight games in eight weeks, followed by a ninth matchup on Dec. 18-19 against a team from the other division to be determined based on the current standings, leading up to the Big Ten title game. Though the plan is to pit the East Division’s No. 2 team against the West’s No. 2, the East’s No. 3 against the West’s No. 3 and so on, the pairings will be managed to avoid teams playing multiple games.
This means that there will be a game to decide the Big Ten's worst team—unless the bottom finishers play each other. The loser should be relegated, but alas.
The most LSU way to approach the pandemic. Ed Orgeron:
"I think, not all of our players, but most of our players have caught it," Orgeron said during a video conference, adding later that he did not know the percentage of the roster that had tested positive.
"I think, hopefully, that once you catch it, you don't get it again," Orgeron added. "I'm not a doctor. I think they have that 90-day window, so most of the players that have caught it, we do feel like they'll be eligible for games.
"So we look at the players that have caught it and say, 'OK these guys should be eligible,'" Orgeron continued. "We look at the players who haven't caught it; we talk to them about being very, very careful so they're eligible for games."
I believe this space made some jokes about Clemson going for football herd immunity when they announced some large number of players had come down with coronavirus, and now here's Ed Orgeron more or less laying out the case why you might have done that. The case why you might not want to do that requires more memory than a goldfish and is thus inapplicable to college football.
Orgeron's athletic director then followed up with this:
Woodward said in a joint news briefing with interim LSU president Tom Galligan on Wednesday that Orgeron "was a bit too transparent" in his update.
"The beauty of this is that Coach O is totally transparent and honest to a fault, and it's a great thing," Woodward said. "This is very similar to what we're seeing across all schools that have been doing this."
LSU has not released any coronavirus numbers. Schools that have, like Michigan and Notre Dame, have reported nowhere near a majority of their teams getting infected. If you were going to get everyone infected to prevent in-season issues you'd approach it exactly like LSU did, except the head coach wouldn't brag about it in a press conference.
So this won't happen to LSU, probably. Once this starts happening to conference games then things get weird:
NEWS: Charlotte’s game at North Carolina has been canceled due to contact tracing depleting the Charlotte offensive line. pic.twitter.com/6uqeDG3xuk
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) September 17, 2020
Maybe the SEC will be able to thread the needle and get point of contact testing up and going before big chunks of games go away. Maybe not.
The state of basketball. Extensive interview with Dave Gavitt lays out the situation as far as basketball goes. Like everything else, it's touch and go. Gavitt is asked about how large the NCAA tournament is going to be:
DG: Again, I think it's premature. I mean, we're only six months removed from the start of this pandemic, right? And we still have quite a lot of time before the tournament is scheduled would start. We're going to be guided by science, we're going to be guided by safety and health, and we will consider changes as necessitated by all that. But, you know this, you can look at that both ways. There's hope and optimism of all sorts of developments between now and March 2021, or there may not be, in which case, decisions will be necessitated in a different way. So we have we have a lot of contingencies, we have a lot of plans that if needed to be activated will be, but Sept. 16 is not the time to consider that or even comment on it.
A lot of the interview goes like this and while it's frustrating it's hard to say it's anything but correct.
I will never tire of Duncan Robinson deep dives. Robinson's unlikely rise to Steph Curry shooting levels—not an exaggeration—has made him the subject of countless film breakdowns, profiles, interviews, and evaluations. I want them all. Give them to me. I shovel them into my mouth in great meaty fistfuls. The latest is from the Ringer:
After a run to the Sweet 16 in Robinson’s junior season, Beilein asked the NBA’s Undergraduate Advisory Committee—a panel of team executives who offer anonymous feedback for players considering the draft—to evaluate Robinson as a prospect. Most players are given a percentage breakdown of where the panelists believe they’ll be selected: in the lottery, later in the first round, in the second round (divided into halves), or even if they’re expected to go undrafted. Robinson was an exceptional case. “They did not have a rating on him,” Beilein says. “Which means that no one ever considered him being a pro.”
I'm not sure there's been a more unlikely Michigan star pro in recent memory. John Madden becoming a perennial Selke candidate in the NHL might be the closest. He was undrafted; on the other hand he finished his Michigan career by putting up 43, 57, and 63 point seasons. Robinson was a 16% usage player as a senior.
Etc.: Bacon preparation methods ranked. If you are precisely my age you will enjoy this retrospective on The Wizard. Cofopoff is like "dunno." Daniel Dash surveys various next men up. Hockey adapts its practice approach.
September 17th, 2020 at 3:56 PM ^
"I shovel them into my mouth in great meaty fistfuls."
YES
Also a link to Bacon. More meaty fistfuls. And agreed: Use parchment paper and bake. So easy!
One last point: JOE MILTON IS COMING. Hide the Buckeye children, they won't want to see what this Wolverine does to their team.
September 17th, 2020 at 4:35 PM ^
As a guy who is probably irrationally optimistic about Joe Milton, I appreciate your fervor.
September 17th, 2020 at 5:17 PM ^
Not to mention his zeal
September 17th, 2020 at 4:51 PM ^
Also a link to Bacon. More meaty fistfuls. And agreed: Use parchment paper and bake. So easy!
I prefer covering the pan in aluminum foil so you can just toss the foil for easy clean up. Although I use the air fryer more often because I can make a few slices for myself in less time than it takes the oven to preheat and baking isn't that much better. But if I'm making breakfast for the whole family, baking definitely makes the best bacon.
September 17th, 2020 at 5:31 PM ^
we bake as well!
September 17th, 2020 at 7:08 PM ^
Put the bacon in while the oven is preheating but keep your cook time the same. Preferably room temp and you will enjoy faster overall time as well as better bacon. It needs low temp to render the fat without over cooking. Also put it on a wire rack.
September 18th, 2020 at 1:43 PM ^
Best method I've found for bacon is to get the thick slab bacon and just lay it on the grill. It cooks super evenly and lays flat. Only downside is it drips a lot of fat into your grill which will lead to flare-ups in the future.
But there are really no bad ways to cook bacon, because it's bacon.
September 18th, 2020 at 1:50 PM ^
It is called bakin' - it is not called grillin', nor is it called fryin'...bakin'.
September 18th, 2020 at 9:22 AM ^
Joe Milton has never started a game for Michigan football. You should slow down that enthusiasm, sit back, and enjoy (hopefully) the ride.
Also baking it in the oven IS the superior method of bacon preparation. After years and years of frying it in a skillet, I tried the oven method a few weeks ago and will never go back.
September 17th, 2020 at 4:10 PM ^
I forced my kids (11 & 8) to watch The Wizard a year or so ago...it is now one of their favorite movies.
September 17th, 2020 at 4:13 PM ^
I remember using a stat that showed goldfish have better attention spans than humans.
So, I guess that's why we're all screwed.
September 17th, 2020 at 4:22 PM ^
It's cute we still think the SEC is even going to do contact testing.
I too will never tire about seeing Robinson be a solid NBA player; even with Herro taking more minutes in the playoffs Robinson still looks like a key piece of a contender for years to come.
September 17th, 2020 at 6:23 PM ^
Duncan is an absolutely amazing story, and a rare-for-2020 injection of joy - but man, that Herro kid is a player.
Miami has done a fantastic job of developing players, taking full advantage of their strengths, and combining them effectively. Spoelstra, Riley and staff are really good.
September 17th, 2020 at 4:45 PM ^
I agree. Anything more on Duncan Robinson is good. Even if they keep saying the same things, it's fun to share his success from afar.
September 17th, 2020 at 4:47 PM ^
I'm cuckoo for Cofopoff.
September 17th, 2020 at 4:51 PM ^
The B1G somewhat eliminates contact tracing...that's what some folks (I'm watching CFB Live) don't get.
That's kind of the point of testing guys every day. And having the 2nd test for those who either test positive or are contact traced.
Its just that the 2nd test isn't the rapid one so you may have to sit until those results come back, but hopefully in a day or two, you're cleared.
September 17th, 2020 at 4:56 PM ^
If Harbaugh was as *transparent* as Orgeron about willingly exposing his players to a deadly virus he would get vaporized by the national sports media. Ol' Coach O? He's just a colorful guy!
September 17th, 2020 at 4:59 PM ^
Bacon on a cooling rack. Line the tray with aluminum foil for cleanup. Pro-tip: using tongs lift and move the bacon about halfway through the cook which eliminates the bacon from sticking to the rack when it's finished.
Been using this method for years after trying all the rest of the techniques.
September 17th, 2020 at 5:44 PM ^
We like it better without the cooling rack--just the bacon on top of the foil. Seems to come out with a better texture.
This may be a matter of personal preference, though.
September 17th, 2020 at 5:12 PM ^
It seems to me that they are forcing these players to get covid due to herd immunity... that is just wrong.
September 17th, 2020 at 6:05 PM ^
While that may or may not be strategic from a football point of view, can you imagine if one player dies or gets severely ill and it comes out that the team was doing things to make them infected? That would be grounds for shutting a program down and a liability nightmare. Not likely to happen but that's really playing with fire.
September 17th, 2020 at 5:25 PM ^
The SEC is going to be a disaster.
September 18th, 2020 at 1:33 PM ^
LOL. Everyone keeps saying that, but they keep plugging along.
September 17th, 2020 at 6:06 PM ^
The Wizard is amazing. Like the article says it is basically a 2 hour commercial for Nintendo but I don’t care. Also the “Send Me an Angel” montage is awesome.
September 17th, 2020 at 6:24 PM ^
I think I'm exactly your age and that article about The Wizard is pretty great. I forgot Christian Slater was in that movie. That article is spot on.
September 17th, 2020 at 6:30 PM ^
I wonder if Duncan has any regret about giving the quotes about his "imposter syndrome". It was a great read, but I'm sure he would have preferred it come out after play was done this season. It seems like that is all they talk about in the broadcast now. Clearly, he has shown that he belongs in the league. The transition of his minutes to Herro was likely the Heat's plan all along.
September 17th, 2020 at 7:35 PM ^
To paraphrase:
Jalen's dad: "He's not playing for Michigan again."
Jalen's family: "...actively pushing him to return."
So the dad isn't part of the family? I am confused.
September 17th, 2020 at 7:58 PM ^
The Wizard is such a fun and cheesy movie, who cares that it is a giant ad for Nintendo. We also get to see blog fave Rilo Kiley’s front woman Jenny Lewis in her first career as a child actor.
All I can say is I love the power glove... it’s so bad.
September 17th, 2020 at 8:08 PM ^
Precisely your age and five years younger as well. The Wizard is now available on hbo max, and it is so refreshing after all these years to not watch it off my bootleg dvd
September 17th, 2020 at 11:27 PM ^
Watching the nfl game tonight, when I openly wonder, how does Toledo find a rb as good as Hunt and we can't? Were we recruiting him?
September 18th, 2020 at 12:00 AM ^
Oh, that Wizard. I was really hoping for Jeff Mills...
September 18th, 2020 at 6:03 AM ^
"The beauty of this is that Coach O is totally transparent and honest to a fault, and it's a great thing," Woodward said. "This is very similar to what we're seeing across all schools that have been doing this."
I've got serious whiplash from that spin zone
September 18th, 2020 at 7:19 AM ^
No matter what happen with college sports, we will always have Duncan Robinson deep dives. And honestly that's all that really matters isn't it?
September 18th, 2020 at 8:30 AM ^
"Bacon preparation methods ranked here." I thought we were going to get insights into how John Bacon gets ready to write.
September 18th, 2020 at 8:39 AM ^
Loved that Wizard article. Definitely remember being super excited about seeing Super Mario 3. It is funny to see how kids see films made for them, vs Ebert trying to review it. Nastolgia about imagining great adventures as a kid.
September 18th, 2020 at 10:52 AM ^
Nobody, and I mean nobody, the staff included, thinks Duncan Robinson, is or will be a better player than Jalen Coleman
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