Panic Buying 2.0

It's back.

The second wave of high cases has come for the United States. Lots of coronavirus infections and its that wave again of people buying everything again at a huge bulk. Especially being this close to Thanksgiving.  Can't blame them a little bit. At my work, we got a couple dipshit college girls who might test positive because they wanted to be selfish and drink at a bar instead of getting their buzz at their home. Just not a good sight now.

Don't go overboard. It won't be like what happened back in March. If you think you're low, get your hands on what you need. What is essential, get it. If there is something that isn't important, have patience and wait it out unless you're desperate. Try to shop early if you think there won't be any huge crowds at seven or eight in the morning. Know your entrances and exits in stores. Know where you can get tested if there comes a point where you might potentially be exposed.

We can get through this. Just follow guidelines. Take it seriously. 

Rona Titan

And it had to happen to an undefeated team in the NFL. 

The Tennessee Titans are the first team to have an outbreak in the league. Couple handfuls, which includes four players. Two defensive guys, a long snapper, and a backup tight end, as brought up by Titans Wire. Minnesota is not going to take it lightly either as the Vikings suspended activities along with Tennessee. The matchup between Tennessee and Pittsburgh has been postponed with the suggestion of playing on Monday night or Tuesday.

Defensively, it will hurt a little bit if injuries occur. Of course, you need to keep players fresh as a game goes on. Small things can impact a team. The tight end who tested positive I don't think would have gotten any play on the team for the time being.. Barring an injury, not a huge deal. However, that long snapper is going to bite. The Titans have won thanks to their field goal efforts in the closing minutes of games this season. You need a guy that can snap it cleanly for the punter or the field goal/extra point holder. Given how extra points have been since 2015, they are a cog that can dictate the closing seconds of halves.

I don't think it will get as severe as the MLB back in the end of July, but I think you'll see another team get some positives. A lot of concern will come around November and December when flu season hits. Half the league is in cold weather, snow driven areas, regardless of having a domed stadium or not. With how much the NFL has handled things, this should be taken cared of a lot better than baseball.

Tick Tock, Manfred!

If you look at these last ten months, baseball's image hasn't been good. I don't know what kind of job security Rob Manfred has, but I'd be a little nervous. With a few teams having games postponed because of positive tests, the MLB commissioner might look to shut down the league very soon if things don't get under control. This will be the continued downfall of a man who receives tons of criticism and rightfully so.

It goes back to last October with the Houston Astros. With the suspension of LA Dodger Joe Kelley recently, it opened up old wounds of the cheating scandal and a number of players in support of him. Many won't say it, but they probably are still angered that none of the players in Houston got in trouble. Immunity, essentially. There was no justice. It resulted in two managers getting fired, a GM fired (though his attitude will make any future baseball job impossible), a player's Hall of Fame credentials being questioned. Blame the damn players union.

The way Manfred has handled the coronavirus pandemic is also less than stellar. Not all of it is on him, though. You do have players who don't want to follow the rules, not protect themselves, and not think of the season or anything but themselves. But, it doesn't excuse the commissioner completely. The constant fighting with the players union, proposals. It will make both sides look bad, but when you combine all the issues going back to October, there should be concern.

I don't see the league giving up completely. They will try to get the 60 games in. Fingers crossed there's no other major positive tests like the Marlins situation. I know Florida has nice stuff, but with huge upticks there, you'd think Don Mattingly and Derek Jeter would get on the players for their actions. I don't think we've seen the last incident to occur. How many more we see will seal the fate of Manfred.

Geeks and Jocks: Episode 32

Fresh new episode for today.

https://anchor.fm/ryan-sullivan1gaj/episodes/Episode-32-Coronavirus-Edition-2-ec6otk

Cleansing, My Brothers

There's always jackasses in times of crisis.

Maybe it's a good thing Amazon stopped this. Some brothers thought it would be cute to buy over 17 thousand bottles of hand sanitizer and try to overcharge to many on the site. At least it was stopped before people got suckered into what is essentially price gouging. Anytime there is a major incident, whether it's hurricanes or illnesses, you know the M.O. Towns and states will take advantage of people who have no idea of how the world handles crisis.

I have a friend in Tennessee where this sanitizer incident happened. He'll probably get a good laugh out of it. No one is that crazy. Also, you would think people would hoard more so food and water than toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Any way you slice it, it's a bad situation. My personal thoughts is that this virus fear should be gone by the end of next month. Regarding the brothers, I have a feeling they will get some big punishment. No way are they getting away scot-free.

What's next? Paper Towels?

The Real Space Jam

This is becoming a bit like the movie, but this isn't fictional, nor is it funny. The Oklahoma Thunder and Utah Jazz game was canned the night before and players and staff were quarantined. All because Rudy Gobert of the Jazz tested positive for the coronavirus. Whatever plans the NBA had in mind was gone and they have now suspended the season to figure out what to do and to have an idea on what can be salvaged in order to finish up the season.

Reports now are that Gobert mocked the coronavirus. He went on to touch various stuff in the locker room, including teammates belongings. And the news is that Donovan Mitchell has the virus. Whether he got himself or from Gobert, I don't know. But it's uncharted territory. Plans were made to not have fans in the arenas in some areas such as San Francisco with the Golden State Warriors. But it leads to a new situation that goes beyond the NBA.

What does the NHL do? The MLB when regular season play begins? And the NCAA? March Madness is one of the big money makers for college and brings tons of fans over. Rooting for the underdog is a huge incentive and loyal fans traveling to see their group try and hang with the best. The route of no fans in the games except essential staff families is happening. A few leagues like Ivy has canned their tournaments. I know kids want to win a championship, but at what cost? Until one of their own gets sick? I know the NCAA and CBS want to make millions, but they might need to take a loss if they postpone it or at worst, can the whole thing. Even a broadcaster can get sick.

With baseball, the only one that is affected for the moment is the Seattle Mariners. Where they'll start the season in two weeks, no one knows. Spring training field when they face the Texas Rangers? Or another stadium? I read that Globe Life Field will not be ready in time. I'm sure something will be found, but other teams could get affected. Same with the NHL. They could follow what the NBA is doing. They could and more than likely suspend the season today. This isn't to take lightly.

I know this blog is more about talking video games, sports, TV, film, and whatever is on my mind. But with this virus becoming more notable by the minute, I don't think there is much choice but to talk the coronavirus. It's already postponed a few movies. People stunned about Tom Hanks getting it. This is getting scary serious with all the stories and incidents over the last week or so. Classes getting cancelled for schools.The best you can do is always washing your hands and avoid contract with many things. If you are quarantined, you will have to explain to your employer.

This panic is far from over.

Viral Cancellation

This coronavirus is a bit more serious than people realize. I think this outbreak will be gone within a month or so, but it's hurt a lot more than some may realize. One of the big aspects is the stock market. It's not going to make the world go into a depression, but enough to make everyone panic.

Tons of events have been canned as a result. The most recent one has been E3 in Los Angeles. It has been going since 1995, but a few factors do kick in. Not as much interest and several companies not being interested in the event. The coronavirus accelerated it to the point where a cancellation probably was their only choice. Other game conferences have been canned as well. Whether E3 comes back next year, I don't know. If it doesn't, it had its time in history and tried to press on in an era full of Internet and live streaming.

I'm not a James Bond guy, but there is worldwide appeal. Europe is a big market. And probably one of the reasons why the No Time to Die film got pushed back to November. One of the most affected is Italy. There have been a lot of cases in that country and with quite a bit of casualties. I'm surprised there hasn't been any other films that haven't got the push back to another date because of this. You would think some Disney material or anything for kids that would appeal worldwide would be a pressing concern.

Sports is growing to the point where the idea of an empty NBA arena could be a likelihood. I don't think they would like it themselves, but cancellations of games could happen, though no one wants to see that. Possible relocations to other places. Locker stuff for them, NHL, MLB, Soccer, have come down to not having the media in and only doing one on one interviews. This is a way to prevent the spread of the virus so 30 media aren't getting infected when they go into a locker room. I'm sure there's other events for other sports or events.

When it comes to local stuff, be aware of your surroundings. Keep your hands clean and stay clean all around. Hopefully, we've reached the end of this panic. With warm weather coming in soon, it should disappear. Stay healthy folks.

Corona: The Virus You Can Fear

I'm not sure I would call it a panic, but I'd be worried.

This coronavirus thing that's going on has the world on its heels. Economically, it's hurting many. People don't want to travel. There's restrictions and a million other situations. But it could be like all the other fears we have had for a long time. And no, The Simpsons didn't predict shit. Not to mention a potential cure that could happen with this virus.

The best you can do is protect yourself. Stay clean, stay sanitized. Make sure your foods are not covered in germs. Always keep yourself ready with wipes and germ killing products. If you have it, check with your doctor and see what goes from there. And when the next viral fear occurs, have a contingency or back up plan for it. This isn't exactly a how to survive blog, but always be ready for the future. And if you do that, the effectiveness of caution can last very long.